Medicine and Surgery, MBChB, University of Leeds

Course content

You'll start year one with a four-week induction period, to get to know your tutors and fellow students and the course requirements. There'll be an introduction to study and the challenges of medicine, as well as social activities. The first year introduces you to the core professional themes, which run throughout the course, and the biomedical scientific principles which underpin clinical practice. These form the foundation of your undergraduate teaching and later years continually build on these.

The IDEALS (Innovation, Development, Enterprise, Leadership, Safety) theme addresses the challenges and requirements of modern practice, whilst Campus to Clinic develops your clinical decision-making and patient safety skills.

You'll study the biomedical sciences and integrate anatomy dissection with radiology, physiology, clinical assessment and pharmacology. You'll learn about the psychological and societal aspects of behavior and human development, their role in health and illness and treatment of medical problems.

Your communication skills, with both patients and fellow professionals, will be developed through teaching and through clinical placements with multi-disciplinary teams. You'll increase your understanding of research methods central to delivering evidence-based medical care.

Read more about Year 1 study and curriculum on the School's website.

You'll enhance your understanding of clinical conditions, whilst developing an insight into clinical laboratory science and the role of ethics and law in healthcare provision.

You'll learn about the anatomy of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems. Further exposure to clinical practice will help develop your consultation, diagnostic and practical skills. You'll appreciate the different types of investigations carried out in diagnosing common conditions and diseases across populations, and the ways in which illness impacts on individuals and society.

Your understanding of human experience and behaviour in health and illness will also continue to grow through academic teaching sessions, patient visits and exposure to the Patient Voice Group.

You'll be trained in the skills needed to carry out research effectively, how to investigate epidemiological data and to consider evidence in relation to the overall health of a population. You'll also participate in a two-week project on enterprise, allowing you to study an area outside mainstream medicine and develop your critical reflection, as well as specific enterprise and entrepreneurial skills.

Read more about Year 2 study and curriculum on the School's website.

In your third year, you'll continue to develop and consolidate the programme's core elements and to learn about evidence-based medicine. You'll integrate your clinical skills and knowledge through five five-week clinical placements, which provide a thorough grounding in general medicine and exposure to a diverse range of conditions and patients.

The SAFER-MEDIC theme links our core curriculum with GMC-identified outcomes and standards of undergraduate medical education.

Read more about Year 3 study and curriculum on the School's website.

In year 4, you'll develop greater understanding of the genetic, social and environmental factors that determine disease, appreciate the principles of treatment and response to treatment.

You'll learn about anaesthetic and perioperative care, acute and critical care, women and children's health, recurrent and chronic illnesses, mental and physical disabilities, rehabilitation, relieving pain and distress, and palliative care. You'll be expected to be able to synthesise more complex clinical information for diagnosis and management. This will involve practice in clinical reasoning, generating differential diagnoses, making a diagnosis, and deciding appropriate management plans for all common and important conditions.

You'll further enhance your leadership, team-working, conflict management and negotiating skills and learn about the NHS business and organisational environment, legislation, strategic analysis and how to manage change effectively. You'll undertake five clinical placements of six weeks each, in specialist areas of medicine.

Read more about Year 4 study and curriculum on the School's website.

As a final year MBChB student, you'll be expected to call on knowledge from previous years that are of relevance to practice as a F1 doctor.

You'll participate in three eight-week placements with a strong focus on making the transition from student to qualified practitioner. These longer placements help to build strong relationships with clinical teams. One placement involves the integration of teaching between primary and secondary care environments. All placements are in key clinical areas, with variations in clinical specialty to allow you to tailor this final year to suit your individual learning needs.

Read more about Year 5 study and curriculum on the School's website.

Finally, as well as the wide-ranging curriculum, there's also chance to tailor your studies through:

Course structure

These are typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our Terms and conditions.

Year 1

Compulsory components

• Entry requirements, fees and applying

  Entry requirements

  A-level: AAA including chemistry

  We welcome general studies and critical thinking as a fourth A2, but they do not typically form part of our offer. Certain combinations are not acceptable, typically:

  Those taking a fourth A2 subject will not be at an advantage to those taking three. We do not rate A* as being higher than A, so we will not accept A*A*B instead of AAA.

  These are the minimum entry requirements for Leeds. Please be aware that admission is highly competitive and the majority of applicants will have qualifications well above this standard.

  GCSE: 6 A* - B, including chemistry and biology (or dual science/double science), English language and mathematics, dual/double science, or science and additional science, or chemistry and biology

  • Career opportunities

    After year 5 you'll begin foundation training before becoming fully registered with the General Medical Council.

    The Leeds MBChB enables our graduates to embark on a variety of careers, including hospital consultancy, General Practice (GP), medical and scientific research, leadership in the NHS and international health development.

    Leeds Medical School is a major international centre for education and cutting-edge research. We offer higher degrees by research and taught postgraduate programmes, with a rich variety of student experience, from basic discovery science through to applied healthcare research across our seven institutes. Read more at School of Medicine postgraduate study.

    Careers support

    Our MBChB students enjoy specialist careers support from a dedicated Careers Coordinator. We'll help build up your career management and employability skills – ever-more important in a competitive jobs market.

    Throughout the course you'll have opportunities for self-reflection, to think about the different career routes and the skills you'll need to develop to get into your chosen jobs. Thinking early about career routes helps our students make sound career decisions and increase their motivation and job satisfaction.

    Our Careers Coordinator also gives training to personal tutors and develops careers guidance resources for delivery throughout the curriculum.

    We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That's one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.

    Leeds for Life is our unique approach to helping you make the most of University by supporting your academic and personal development. Find out more at the Leeds for Life website.

    The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more at the Careers website.

  • Study abroad and work placements

    We are developing new links and strengthening existing ones with providers in Europe to ensure our students can spend time understanding other cultures and healthcare systems.

    In year 5 you can choose to spend your six-week elective abroad. This elective is about gaining wider clinical experience or carrying out a specific project. Past students have worked in health centres, charities, universities and hospitals on all continents, ranging from world-leading research institutes to isolated units delivering healthcare in developing countries.

    MBChB students can study languages as part of the 'Students without Borders' programme, so they are fluent enough to work as junior doctors in French- or Spanish-speaking countries after graduation.

    Many of our graduates consider working in the USA and Canada. We support students through the process of applying for the North American licensing systems and examinations.

    Find out more on the Study Abroad website.

    Clinical placements are central to your training and run throughout the programme. Our strong partnerships with the major Leeds teaching hospitals, local acute and regional general hospitals and general practices mean we can offer our students a diverse range of placements.

    You'll be working in real clinical environments from your first year and this experience will increase throughout your course.