Medicine

The Bachelor of Medicine (MB) at the University of Cambridge is a prestigious undergraduate programme designed to provide students with a comprehensive foundation in medical sciences and clinical practice. This rigorous programme prepares students to become compassionate and skilled medical practitioners, equipping them with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for a successful career in healthcare. The course typically spans six years and is divided into pre-clinical and clinical phases, emphasizing integrated learning and early patient contact. During the initial years, students engage in intensive study of fundamental scientific subjects such as anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, and pathology, all within the context of human health and disease. The curriculum is delivered through lectures, tutorials, practicals, and interdisciplinary conferences, fostering critical thinking and collaborative learning. As students progress into the clinical phase, they gain hands-on experience through placements in hospitals and community settings, working alongside experienced clinicians and healthcare teams. This practical training allows students to develop clinical competencies, communication skills, and professionalism vital for effective medical practice. Cambridge’s approach emphasizes research-informed teaching, encouraging students to engage with current scientific advances and contribute to medical knowledge. The programme also promotes a holistic understanding of medicine, integrating biomedical sciences with social, ethical, and psychological aspects of healthcare. Throughout their studies, students are supported by a network of academic staff, clinical tutors, and peer groups, ensuring a supportive learning environment. Graduates from this programme are well-prepared for careers in medicine, whether pursuing further specialization, research, or clinical practice. The university’s reputation for academic excellence and its commitment to producing competent, compassionate doctors make the Cambridge MB a highly sought-after qualification worldwide. Admission to the programme is highly competitive, requiring strong academic performance, a demonstrated interest in medicine, and a commitment to service. Completing this programme enables graduates to register with the General Medical Council and embark on a rewarding career dedicated to improving patient care and advancing medical science.

At Cambridge, you study the basic veterinary sciences first before learning to apply that knowledge to veterinary practice as a clinical student.

During your pre-clinical studies (Years 1-3), you are taught through lectures and practical classes (including 120 hours of dissection across the three years) in the central science departments, and College supervisions – you can typically expect 20-25 timetabled teaching hours each week. The clinical studies teaching is a mixture of lectures (in Years 4 and 5), practicals, tutorials, supervisions and clinical rotations.

In addition, you must complete a minimum of 12 weeks’ work experience (pre-clinical extramural study) during the University vacations in Years 1 and 2 to gain knowledge of animal husbandry. During your clinical studies, you must complete at least 26 weeks of clinical extramural study, some of which may be undertaken abroad. You are supported in the activities by your Vet School Clinical Supervisor.

Your progress is continually reviewed by your supervisors and your Director of Studies. Formal assessment, which determines your progression through the course, takes a variety of forms including written essays, short answer questions and practical examinations.

Years 1, 2 and 3 (pre-clinical studies)

Years 1 and 2

In Years 1 and 2, you are taught the core scientific knowledge and skills needed as a veterinary professional.

Taught by some of the world’s top academic scientists and veterinary surgeons, we provide you with the scientific and practical basis that will allow you to develop your veterinary career to the full, whether your aim is to deliver outstanding care or to push forward the boundaries of academic veterinary medicine.

In addition to core science, you follow the Preparing for the Veterinary Profession course (an introduction to the ethical, social and professional responsibilities of the profession) and courses in animal handling and management.

The main areas of learning are covered by courses in:

• Principles of Animal Management – an intensive course in animal husbandry and management, including comprehensive animal handling training across a wide range of species
• Preparing for the Veterinary Profession – introducing you to the professional, ethical, financial, legal and social dimensions of your chosen career
• Homeostasis – covering the physiological systems which underpin the animal body's regulation of its internal environment and its responses to external threats. You also have practical classes in related aspects of experimental physiology and histology
• Molecules in Medical Science – looking at the chemical and molecular basis of how cells and organisms work, as well as the genetic foundations of animal populations
• Veterinary Anatomy and Physiology – functional anatomy of organs and tissues of domestic animals, and the direct relevance of animal structure in clinical veterinary medicine. The course involves extensive dissection of eight species, integrated teaching of diagnostic imaging as well as topographic anatomy sessions in live animals
• Introduction to the Scientific Basis of Medicine – covering epidemiology and how it’s applied in veterinary medicine
• Biology of Disease – dealing with the nature and mechanisms of disease processes, and the mechanisms by which animals detect, resist and destroy agents of disease
• Mechanisms of Drug Action – providing a clinically-focused understanding of how drugs enter animals’ bodies, how they’re distributed around them, how they act on cells and organs, and how they’re removed
• Neurobiology and Animal Behaviour – covering the structure and function of the sense organs and central nervous system, and introductions to neurological examinations of live animals
• Veterinary Reproductive Biology – looking at the physiology of fertility, pregnancy, development, birth and the neonate in domestic animals
• Comparative Vertebrate Biology – an introduction to the biology of fish, reptiles, birds, rodents and ‘exotic’ mammals, including practical classes in the handling and husbandry of these species

Read more about Years 1 and 2 on the Faculty of Biology website.

Year 3

You specialise in one of a wide range of other subjects offered by the University to qualify for the BA degree. Options include:

• a single Part II Natural Sciences subject
• Part II Biological and Biomedical Sciences in Natural Sciences (offering a range of subjects such as Pathology, Physiology, Zoology, History and Ethics of Medicine)
• a subject less obviously related to veterinary medicine, such as Anthropology or Management Studies

This is a feature distinctive to our course and one which offers significant advantages to our undergraduates. As well as considerable satisfaction and enjoyment, this ‘extra’ year has been pivotal to many graduates’ career progression and all benefit from the global recognition of the Cambridge BA. You then continue to the three years of clinical studies at the Department of Veterinary Medicine, which is just a short walk or bike ride from the city centre.

Years 4, 5 and 6 (clinical studies)

Year 4

The emphasis of the clinical studies is to give you sufficient clinical knowledge and skills to begin to practise veterinary medicine (‘day one competencies’) and also to provide you with the scientific background you need to benefit from future trends and advances in veterinary medicine.

In Year 4, you study topics including:

• animal breeding, nutrition and welfare
• anatomical and clinical pathology
• microbiology and veterinary parasitology
• clinical pharmacology
• radiography
• anaesthesia
• gastroenterology
• respiratory system diseases
• communication skills
• practical clinical skills

You also learn about veterinary public health, including food hygiene, state veterinary medicine and the medicine of rabbits, rodents, reptiles and birds.

Clinical tuition begins with basic clinical methods and integrated teaching in the husbandry/management and medicine of horses and farm species. Two mornings each week are given over to practical clinical work including basic clinical examination of the main domestic species, radiography and post-mortem investigation. You also develop a range of technical and practice-related skills in the Clinical Skills Centre.

Year 5

You continue the different courses in species medicine started in Year 4, and instruction is given in subjects including:

• cardiology
• neurology
• oncology
• endocrinology
• various surgical topics
• communication skills
• practical clinical skills
• practice management

Five mornings every week are again set aside for practical clinical work. This includes visits to external establishments such as the University-affiliated RSPCA clinic, and opportunities to further hone your consultation and practical skills in the Clinical Skills Centre.

Part II of the Final Veterinary Examination tests your understanding of principles and concepts of veterinary medicine, as well as your ability to integrate information across the Part I series of subjects.

Year 6

This is a 40-week lecture-free year with tuition centred on clinical teaching, in which groups of just three or four students rotate through different disciplines in the hospital with individual clinicians. The small size of these groups means each student’s caseload is higher and they are given the maximum possible responsibility for the management of clinical cases. This allows you to develop your clinical and problem-solving skills and client communication skills in a real clinical practice environment.

Subjects covered during the year include:

• small animal surgery (soft tissue and orthopaedic surgery)
• small animal medicine (including oncology, neurology and clinical pathology)
• equine studies
• farm animals
• anaesthesia
• out-of-hours care
• diagnostic imaging

Finally, you have a period of eight weeks’ elective study in which to explore a special interest.

During the year, marks awarded in continuous assessment count towards Part III of the Final Veterinary Examination, which is examined in May of the final year.

Achievement of the VetMB degree allows you to become a Member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (MRCVS), which is the professional qualification required to enter practice.

• All applicants to the University of Cambridge must submit an application to UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) by the relevant deadline.
• The Attestat o (polnom) Srednem Obshchem Obrazovanii (Certificate of Secondary Education) is not considered to be suitable preparation for a competitive application to the University of Cambridge. We strongly recommend that you undertake further study if you wish to apply for an undergraduate degree. Examples of the qualifications that would be considered suitable for admission to Cambridge are A Levels, the International Baccalaureate (IB), five or more Advanced Placement (AP) courses, or possibly the first year of an undergraduate degree at a university outside the UK. We recommend that you contact the College that you wish to apply to directly for further advice and guidance.
• IELTS – normally a minimum overall grade of 7.5, usually with 7.0 or above in each element.
• Cambridge English: Advanced – grade A or B.
• Cambridge English: Proficiency – grade A, B or C.

Course requirements

All undergraduate admissions decisions are the responsibility of the Cambridge Colleges so check College websites for College-specific requirements. See also Entrance requirements and  The Subject Matters for additional advice about general requirements for entry, qualifications and offers.

Please note that in the following ‘science/mathematics subjects’ refers to Biology/Human Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics. It does not include Psychology.

A Levels

• A Levels in Chemistry and one of Biology/Human Biology, Physics, Mathematics.
• Most applicants have at least three science/mathematics A Levels and some Colleges require this and/or particular subjects. See individual College websites for details.

Please note that in the past three admissions rounds, 96 per cent of applicants for Veterinary Medicine offered three or more science/mathematics A Levels and, of these, 36 per cent were successful in obtaining a place. Of the four per cent of applicants who offered only two science/mathematics A Levels, 18 per cent were successful in gaining a place.

International Baccalaureate

A Level subject requirements also apply to the IB – Higher Level subjects satisfy A Level subject requirements.

Other examination systems

We expect applicants taking other recognised examinations to demonstrate a level of understanding in science and mathematics roughly equivalent to those applying with A Levels. Refer to the Entrance requirements page for details of other qualifications and please consult any College Admissions Tutor for further advice.

Graduate entry

Graduates wanting to study Veterinary Medicine may apply as an affiliate student to one of Lucy Cavendish, St Edmund’s or Wolfson Colleges with:

• a good Honours degree (2.1 or above, science subjects are desirable)
• passes at A Levels (or equivalent), as above

Work experience

Work experience is not a requirement for applicants but some experience is useful to understand the profession and what is required of its members.

Admission assessment

All applicants to Veterinary Medicine are required to take the Natural Sciences pre-interview written assessment at an authorised centre local to them (for a lot of applicants, this will be their school/college).

Assessment format

• Section 1: Maths and Science MCQs (80 minutes)
• Section 2: Science-specific longer questions (40 minutes)

You must be registered in advance (separately to your UCAS application) to take the assessment – the registration deadline is Sunday 15 October 2017. Your assessment centre must register you for the pre-interview assessment; you’re not able to register yourself. See the written assessments page for information about assessment centres and registration.

All Veterinary Medicine applicants (including those applying to a mature College) will take the Natural Sciences pre-interview written assessment on 2 November 2017. Please check the Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing website for scheduled start times.

Please note that your performance in the pre-interview assessment will not be considered in isolation, but will be taken into account alongside the other elements of your application.

Funding for the Medicine program at the University of Cambridge is available through a variety of sources to support students throughout their course. Undergraduate students typically have access to government-backed loans and grants, which help cover tuition fees and living expenses. In the UK, eligible students can apply for financial support from the Office for Students, the UK government, and NHS bursaries, in addition to scholarships specific to Cambridge and the medical faculty. The University of Cambridge offers several prestigious scholarships for medical students, including the Cambridge Trust Scholarships and College-specific awards, which may provide full or partial funding to outstanding applicants based on merit and financial need.

Postgraduate students pursuing a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) or Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in related medical fields can access research council grants, university funding, and external scholarships, such as those provided by the Wellcome Trust or the British Medical Association. These funding options often require candidates to demonstrate research excellence or financial need. Additionally, students undertaking clinical training in the later years of the Medicine program may be eligible for NHS funding and bursaries, which can cover tuition and offer a stipend for living costs.

Students are encouraged to explore the Cambridge Students website and the Faculty of Medicine’s financial aid pages for detailed and up-to-date information on available funding opportunities, application deadlines, and eligibility criteria. External funding opportunities may also be available from charitable foundations, professional medical organizations, and government programs in their home countries for international students. To maximize financial support, applicants should consider applying early and thoroughly research all applicable scholarship and bursary options. Overall, the University of Cambridge prioritizes accessible and comprehensive financial support to ensure talented students from diverse backgrounds can undertake their Medical studies without undue financial hardship, fostering excellence and diversity within its medical community.

Your living expenses may be higher than for a Home student (eg if you stay in Cambridge/the UK during vacations). The minimum resources needed in Cambridge for the year (excluding tuition and College fees) are estimated to be approximately £10,080 in 2017-18 and £10,310 in 2018-19, depending on lifestyle (you should allow for increases in future years).