MBChB Medicine

at University of Manchester

Course content for year 1
 

During Years 1 and 2, you will be mostly based on The University of Manchester's Oxford Road campus, with visits to centres of excellence for clinical medicine, community settings and teaching hospitals across the north north-west.
 

At the start of the course, you are introduced to the learning processes necessary for successful study at university level, and you will learn the consultation skills needed to equip you for early clinical experiences.
 

Years 1 and 2 are divided into four modules, the content of which relate to the overall curriculum themes of doctor as scientist and scholar, doctor as practitioner and doctor as professional, as stipulated by the General Medical Council.
 

Each module is divided into a series of topics that can take the form of one or more themed cases. The cases contextualise learning to prepare you for the way in which doctors meet patient problems. The approach to learning around the themed case discussions will develop your skills in collaborative group working and independent learning.
 

There is an emphasis on practical work, including anatomy dissection, physiology and pharmacology practical classes, clinical experience, and personal development activities that are designed to introduce you to the skills and attitudes necessary to become a successful junior doctor.
 

You will learn about the body through detailed studies of molecules, cells, tissues and organs and the systems that control their activities. The modules are partially system-based.
 

In the Year 1 Life Cycle module, you will study the cellular and molecular processes that underlie reproduction, development and growth. In addition, you will explore the immune system and the pathophysiology of genetic disease and cancer. The second module of Year 1, Cardiorespiratory Fitness, focuses on the chest and the function of the heart, lungs and blood.
 

Course content for year 2
 

Year 2 continues with two more modules. The first is Mind and Movement, where you will explore the brain and the nervous system connections to the muscles that move the skeleton. The focus is on neuroscience, but the concepts in this module prepare you for concepts applied to clinical medicine, including mental health.
 

The final module, Nutrition, Metabolism and Excretion, introduces you to the gastrointestinal system, the kidneys and the key hormonal mechanisms involved in regulating these systems.
 

There are also opportunities for you to begin developing a Personal Excellence Path for your special interests in medicine. The activities in Years 1 and 2 support literature appraisal, academic writing, team-working and presentation skills.
 

Course content for year 3
 

From the beginning of Year 3 until the end of your final year, you will learn primarily though clinical placements organised around our Health Education Zones that comprise four base hospitals and their associated teaching hospitals and community placements.
 

You will have a base hospital where you will spend a greater proportion of your time; some time will be spent at other Health Education Zones according to their areas of specialty and expertise. Limited time is spent on the University campus.
 

In Year 3, you will spend the majority of your week learning from real patients, and the basic scientific knowledge and clinical skills you acquired in the earlier years will be applied in clinical settings.
 

The first semester will involve general medical placements giving you access to common conditions in appropriate settings. These two 6-week blocks will be followed by three 4-week blocks in the second semester that will expose you to a more complex clinical environment, which will include more acute medical settings and a placement within a surgical specialty.
 

Personal Excellence Pathway: Applied PEP project

Towards the end of the year, you will undertake the Applied Personal Excellence Pathway (APEP). This will give you the opportunity to carry out an original project involving, for example, basic or applied research, service evaluation, or educational development, supervised by a subject expert from the University or the NHS.
 

Student-Selected Clinical Placement

The final activity of the year will allow you to select a placement in an area of clinical interest to you from within our Health Education Zones. The placement will give you the time and opportunity to reflect on your future career choices within medicine.
 

Course content for year 4
 

Year 4 will broaden your clinical learning across the medical specialties, offering immersion in new clinical placements with supervision and teaching by specialty experts.
 

There will be clinical placements in:

• general practice and clinical public health;

• mental health, neurology and special senses;

• musculoskeletal health;

• ageing and complex health;

• women's health;

• child health;

• oncology and breast health;

• dermatology and infectious diseases.
   

PEP: Quality and Evidence

As you become more experienced in clinical environments, the PEP in Year 4 will focus on broader concepts of working in the NHS through quality enhancement projects. This will be completed in a single 4-week placement.
 

Elective

The year will end with a student elective placement, commonly an overseas experience of medical practice in an unfamiliar healthcare environment.
 

Course content for year 5
 

The final year of the course will prepare you for your final university exams, national assessments such as the Prescribing Safety Assessment and, for your role as a foundation year doctor in the NHS, the year is your preparation for practice.
 

Clinical placements will include further general medical and surgical placements, general practice and acute medicine. A community placement will allow you to understand how medical services are delivered outside of the hospitals and general practices, for example, through experience in community paediatrics or community psychiatry.
 

All students will undertake a Student Assistantship placement. You will be appropriately supervised and integrated into a clinical unit while you undertake most of the duties of a newly qualified doctor, including shift-working and being on-call.
 

The final year will include a further Quality and Evidence PEP project and another opportunity to explore career choices through a second Student-Selected Clinical Placement.

A-level
 

Our standard A-level offer is AAA including:

• Chemistry or Biology/Human Biology; and

• One of the following subjects from Chemistry; Biology/Human Biology; Physics; Psychology; Mathematics or Further Mathematics.
   

A combination of three sciences is equally acceptable at A-level. However, our offer will not include combinations of very similar subjects, for example, Biology and Human Biology or Maths and Further Maths together.
 

Where the science A-Level syllabus is available with a practical element this also must be offered and passed.
 

If you have been invited to interview via our holistic assessment route and you are studying additional qualifications (over and above the standard offer) which have compensated for a lower UCAT score, we may include these qualifications as part of our offer and expect that the additional qualifications are completed. We will only include subjects that you were studying at the point of application.

Duration of A-level study
 

• If you have studied an advanced curriculum, where the examinations are spread over three years, please contact the admissions office prior to submitting an application.
   

AS-level
 

We have no specific requirements at AS-level. However, we would normally expect students to demonstrate a commitment towards achieving a broad and balanced education. Most applicants will therefore be studying beyond the 'bare minimum' in order to make the most competitive application possible.
 

You may wish to evidence this on your application in a number of ways, for example:

• studying four A-level subjects;

• studying for an additional AS level or BTEC qualification in addition to your three main subjects;

• taking General Studies, Key Skills or the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) in addition to your three main subjects.
   

We are aware that you may not be able to take the above qualifications at school or college and therefore we allow applicants to provide evidence of participating in other activities aimed at increasing social responsibility, for example, National Citizen Service (NCS) or the Duke of Edinburgh award in lieu of a formal qualification. A list of other suggested activities is provided on our FAQ page. If in doubt, please contact us.
 

Please note that if your school is unable to offer any of the above, they should state this in the UCAS reference and you will not be disadvantaged as a result.
 

Applicants with a WP/WP Plus flag are exempt.
 

Subjects welcomed but not normally included as part of the standard offer
 

Although we warmly welcome applicants with Critical Thinking, Citizenship, EPQ, Key Skills or General Studies qualifications, these will not usually form part of the formal AAA offer.
 

Where applicants have declared any of these qualifications and they are considered for interview via the holistic route, we may include them as part of our offer in addition to the three standard A-level subjects.
 

Unit grade information
 

• The University of Manchester welcomes the provision of unit information where available.  Like all other information provided by applicants this may be taken into consideration when assessing your application.  Unit grades will not normally form part of an offer conditions.
   

GCSE
 

• We require at least seven GCSEs at grade A (7) or A* (8+).
• English Language, Mathematics and at least two science subjects are required at GCSE minimum grade B (6). If Dual Award Science or Core and Additional Science are offered, the minimum required is BB (66).
• We permit GCSE resits. If you are resitting any GCSEs at point of application, we require you to list it as a pending qualification on your UCAS form.
• We do not currently accept short courses; however, Level 2 BTEC qualifications are acceptable (at distinction grade or above) in lieu of one GCSE.
• If you are offering an international equivalent to GCSEs and this is not listed on our international entry requirements page, please contact the School of Medical Sciences Admissions Office to check suitability of the qualification.
   

Due to the phased introduction of GCSE reform in England, we will accept a mixture of GCSE grading scales. We can confirm our position in terms of equivalencies:

• A* = 8

• A = 7

• B = 6

• C = 4
   

International Baccalaureate
 

• 37 points are required overall (to include core points) with at least 766 at higher level. If Maths and English Language are not offered as part of the Diploma, they should be offered at GCSE or IGCSE at grade B (6) or above. We accept both Maths options as part of the Diploma.
• Major subjects must include Chemistry or Biology, plus another science (one from Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Psychology or Mathematics) and one further subject at Higher Level. We accept both Mathematics options as part of the Diploma.
   

English language
 

In most cases, we expect applicants to satisfy our English Language requirement by offering English language at GCSE grade B (6) or above (or a score of 5 in the International Baccalaureate diploma).
 

Applicants from outside the UK (including non-native speakers) need to meet specific English language requirements to study at Manchester. We accept:

• IGCSE English first language at grade B or second language at grade A;

• International English Language Testing Service (IELTS): A minimum average score of 7.0 and with not less than 6.5 in any one component taken at the same sitting;

• Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic: An overall score of 65 with no less than 65 in each of the communicative skills domains taken at the same sitting;

• Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE), or Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE): An overall score of 185 with no less than 185 in each of the scoring domains taken at the same sitting;

• a score of 5 at Standard or Higher level as part of the International Baccalaureate diploma.
   

You must declare your English qualification (including those which are pending) on the UCAS form.
 

Please contact us prior to application if you are unsure how to satisfy these language requirements.
 

Graduates: Graduates who have completed a degree conducted entirely in English at a UK institution may be exempt from the English language requirements. Please contact us if you are unsure.
 

At interview, if we have any concerns about your English language capability regardless of your origin, country of upbringing or existing qualifications, we may require you to take an additional English language test as a condition of any offer we make to you.

Tuition fees for home students commencing their studies in September 2022 will be £9,250. Tuition fees for international students, including EU, will be £29,000 for years 1 and 2 of study. Clinical tuition fees (years 3-5) are charged at the future rate which is applicable when you enter Year 3. Clinical fees for students entering Year 3 in 2022 will be £48,000. These fees are subject to change with inflation each year.

• At the end of the undergraduate course, you will receive your MBChB (or equivalent) degree, which is a primary medical qualification (PMQ).
• Holding a PMQ entitles you to provisional registration with the General Medical Council, subject only to its acceptance that there are no Fitness to Practise concerns that need consideration.
• Provisional registration is time limited to a maximum of three years and 30 days (1,125 days in total). After this time period, your provisional registration will normally expire.
• Provisionally registered doctors can only practise in approved Foundation Year 1 posts; the law does not allow provisionally registered doctors to undertake any other type of work.
• To obtain a Foundation Year 1 post, you will need to apply during the final year of your undergraduate course through the UK Foundation Programme Office selection scheme, which allocates these posts to graduates on a competitive basis.
• So far, all suitably qualified UK graduates have found a place on the Foundation Year 1 programme, but this cannot be guaranteed if, for instance, there were to be an increased number of competitive applications from non-UK graduates.
• Successful completion of the Foundation Year 1 programme is normally achieved within 12 months and is marked by the award of a Certificate of Experience. You will then be eligible to apply for full registration with the General Medical Council. You need full registration with a licence to practise for unsupervised medical practice in the NHS or private practice in the UK.
• Although this information is currently correct, students need to be aware that regulations in this area may change from time to time.
• There is some discussion about whether to remove provisional registration for newly qualified doctors. If this happens, UK graduates will receive full registration as soon as they have successfully completed an MBChB (or equivalent) degree.
• It should be noted that it is very likely that UK graduates will still need to apply for a training programme similar to the current Foundation Programme and that places on this programme may not be guaranteed for every UK graduate.
• The GMC is currently considering the introduction of a formal assessment that UK medical graduates would need to pass in order to be granted registration with a licence to practise. Although no final decision has been taken as to whether or when such an exam will be introduced, applicants should be aware that the GMC envisages that future cohorts of medical students may need to pass parts of a medical licensing assessment before the GMC will grant them registration with a licence to practise.