Course Overview

Studying Medicine and Surgery at Lancaster University gives you the opportunity to study at Lancaster while following the highly regarded MBChB curriculum of the University of Liverpool.

Your degree course will help you develop independent learning skills, through problem-based learning, as well as communication and clinical skills. You will experience early patient contact and can choose to study abroad during your Elective or take a year out from the programme (between Years 4 and 5) to study a medicine-related topic at BSc, MSc or MPhil degree level.

In addition to studying the core medical curriculum, you can pursue your own areas of interest through four Special Study Modules (SSMs).

SSMs give you the opportunity to select topics to study in more depth. There is a wide range to choose from, including basic Biomedical Science, Clinical Science, Social Science, Epidemiology, Public Health, and Medical Education. SSMs allow you to broaden your experience while developing skills in retrieving and critically appraising information from a variety of sources. These skills are essential for applying scientific rigour in your future medical practice.

You'll begin your degree with the Foundation of Medicine, where you will learn key concepts in biomedical and social science. You'll also choose the first of four SSMs to study.

For the next three years, you'll continue your studies learning how to diagnose and manage illness. You will develop your knowledge and skills through interaction with patients, spending time on clinical placement for most of your second year and throughout your third and fourth years.

In your second and third years, you will continue to pursue your own areas of interest through three more SSMs. At the end of your fourth year, you'll undertake your Elective, which includes the opportunity to study abroad.

In your final year, you'll undertake five different rotations, two of which are Selectives in Advanced Medical Practice (SAMPs). You can choose to follow SAMPs in a wide variety of clinical specialities, giving you the opportunity to explore different potential medical careers during the course of your undergraduate degree.

Career opportunities

Most medical graduates work in clinical practice, either in hospitals or in the community. There are more than 60 different clinical specialities to choose from. All medical graduates that work in clinical practice must undertake specialist postgraduate training to prepare them for their chosen clinical speciality. Approximately half of all UK medical graduates work in general practice. For those who decide against a career in clinical practice, the transferable skills acquired during this degree prepare our graduates for a wide variety of possible careers in fields such as public health or medical research.