a group of graduate entry medicine students wearing scrubs a group of graduate entry medicine students wearing scrubs

Course Summary

Applications for this course can be made by Home/UK and International students through UCAS. Applications for 2024 entry will remain open beyond 16th October 2023 until our places are filled. Our first cohort will be welcomed in September 2024. 

The University of Chester's medical degree is a four-year, graduate entry MBChB programme, open to applicants with a previous degree in any discipline. Unlike many traditional MBChB degrees, this allows more mature students to consider becoming a doctor after having completed a previous course of study towards a graduate degree.  For example, even if you have a first degree in the arts, humanities or languages but would now like to study medicine, you are eligible to apply. We welcome people from a wide variety of backgrounds who wish to pursue a degree in graduate entry medicine in the UK, not just those with a background in science or allied health care disciplines.

As a new medical school, we are required to undergo quality assurance by the General Medical Council (UK) to ensure that our medical education is of a high standard and that we meet the requirements for all UK medical schools set out in the document, “Promoting excellence: standards for medical education and training”. The GMC's quality assurance process has several stages, culminating in approval for a new medical school to award a Primary Medical Qualification (PMQ). Chester Medical School is progressing through the stages of the GMC approval process and have agreed the 2024 commencement date with the GMC. As a graduate of the University of Chester's MBChB programme, you will be eligible to provisionally register with the General Medical Council (providing you meet all the GMC's Fitness to Practice requirements) and apply for Year 1 of the UK Foundation Programme (UKFPO). Places on the UKFPO are competitive and subject to you meeting all the eligibility criteria.

To avoid any risk to students enrolled on a new medical programme, each new medical school is mandated to have a contingency school. The contingency school ensures that students continue and complete their course of study. The University of Chester's contingency school is Warwick Medical School. Warwick Medical School provides regular support to us and a guarantee that students can transfer to Warwick should the need arise.

We look forward to receiving your application.


What you’llStudy

The aim of Year 1 is to equip you with the core knowledge, practical and clinical skills needed to get the most out of the intensive clinical placements in the rest of the course. The first year is therefore mainly provided as university-based teaching in the Wheeler Building on our Chester campus. Your learning is organised into five blocks of five weeks each. In each block, you will learn the biomedical, psychosocial and clinical knowledge and skills through a combination of lectures, case-based learning (CBL), practical sessions and simulation and clinical skills sessions, delivered in our state-of-the-art simulation facilities. You will learn with, alongside and about other health professionals, reflecting the interprofessional nature of our health and care programmes. You will meet patients early in the medical programme and be prepared for this through a combination of simulated patient encounters and clinical skills training.

Year 2 is divided into three main blocks of teaching: Advanced Cases 1: You will spend approximately four days per week working with advanced clinical cases in group work and self-study with focused plenary lectures, as well as undertaking a student selected project (SSC I), and a day per week in clinical settings undertaking related clinical learning with patients in hospital and community settings. The Core Clinical Education block comprises three ten-week clinical placements in General Medicine, Surgery and other specialties. You will also undertake placements in General Practice (Family Medicine) and Community Psychiatry. In this block, you will spend most of your time in the clinical environment, building upon the theoretical material learned in earlier years. The Student Selected Component (SSC) is chosen from a range of options. Each option has broad relevance to the core MBChB curriculum and will enable you to explore a particular topic in greater depth.

Module content:

There are 5 blocks of learning in year I of the MB ChB course as follows:

1. Health, Metabolism and Homeostasis 

2. Blood, Lungs and Heart 

3. Brain and Behaviour 

4. Locomotion 

5. Reproduction and Child Health


Module aims:

At the end of Phase I, students should be able to demonstrate an understanding of biomedical science, social science and population health principles, methods and knowledge, take a patient history and have started to develop as a professional.

The majority of teaching in Year 3 is based in regional community settings, general practice and NHS hospitals. Student Selected Component: This is an eight-week block where you will have an opportunity to select an area for in-depth enquiry as the focus for your project. Advanced Cases 2: You will work with advanced clinical cases in group work and self-study with focused plenary lectures for approximately two days per week, and in clinical areas for three days per week undertaking related clinical learning with patients in the relevant hospital or community setting. Cases are designed to consider various patient care pathways (e.g. cancer, frailty, dementia) in primary and secondary care. Specialist Clinical Placements: These six-week placements cover eight specialties, six of which are undertaken in Year 3 and two in Year 4. Each student will undertake these in a rotation; therefore, scheduling varies according to student group.

Module content:


Module aims:

Year 4 is divided into the following blocks: The final two six-week Specialist Clinical Placements Elective: For six weeks in Year Four you undertake a medical project in a setting of your choice. Advanced Clinical Cases: You will be able to spend time in a range of clinical settings to review common and important clinical cases and take advantage of a variety of opportunities to meet your individual learning needs. By the time you qualify, our students will meet all the requirements of the General Medical Council so they can work as Foundation Year 1 doctors in the UK, or in equivalent posts overseas. Assistantship: This block is designed to ensure you are well prepared and ready to start work as a Foundation Year 1 (FY1) doctor. You will be integrated within a clinical team and be responsible for carrying out specified duties under appropriate supervision.

Module content:


Module aims:

Module content:


Module aims:

MB ChB Graduate Entry Medicine at Chester Medical School You Tube video

MB ChB Graduate Entry Medicine at Chester Medical School

Who you’ll Learn from

Professor Arpan Guha

Dean of Chester Medical School
A dark grey silhouette on a light grey background

How you'll Learn

Case-Based Learning

Case-based learning (CBL) is central to the MBChB curriculum. It mirrors the way experienced doctors learn throughout their professional lives, by putting knowledge in the context of how people present with health concerns and conditions. Throughout the four years, you will work in small groups facilitated by a tutor to explore and analyse a range of clinical cases that will help you to learn all the core information required for you to become a safe, competent, and compassionate doctor. CBL sessions are supported by lectures, seminars, clinical skills sessions and learning opportunities in the community and hospital.

CBL is structured to enable you to integrate the biomedical, psycho-social and clinical sciences with real-world medical problems, helping you to develop team-working, communication and professional skills that are vital to becoming an effective doctor.

Entry Requirements

2:1 honours degree

  • At least an upper second class honours (2:1) degree in any subject.
  • Candidates with a lower second class degree should hold either a Masters or a Doctoral qualification to be considered.
  • In the case of an Intercalated Masters eg. MEng/MPharm, the equivalent of a Pass grade or above at Masters level (minimum 2:2)
  • If you do not have a degree, you are not currently eligible to apply.
  • Meeting the minimum threshold mark in either UCATGAMSAT or MCAT. The total score required to secure a place at an MBChB Selection Centre varies year on year and is dependent upon the performance of all applicants. The acceptable threshold score includes a verbal reasoning score at or above the mean for the cohort in the year of application. Please see below for the required marks to join our September 2024 cohort.
  • Applicants will be required to provide references to evidence work experience if invited to attend a selection centre: 70 hours (the equivalent of around ten days’) of prior work experience in a healthcare or allied setting, as a volunteer, or in a paid capacity, as a helper to someone with healthcare needs. Evidence of experience working in a healthcare environment can include being a Care Assistant in a care home/hospital, a volunteer in a hospital, visiting someone in their home to care for them, and working in a hospital lab or other healthcare setting. This work experience must have taken place in the 3 years prior to the date of application. Shadowing a doctor/healthcare professional can only count for a maximum of 20 hours against the minimum requirement of 70 hours. Applicants for 2024 entry may apply without the required 70 hours however they must be working towards it. It would then become a condition if an offer was made.
  • Applicants must provide one reference from a person (not a relative or friend) who holds/has held a position of responsibility and who can comment on the applicants suitability for studying medicine. If the applicant has been in higher education in the last two years prior to application, an academic reference should be provided. 
  • At Chester we do not consider applications from those with previous academic failure at medical (or dental) school. For those with other, genuine reasons for needing to leave medical school, we consider these on a case-by-case basis and always contact the previous medical school for confirmation. Entry is only into Year 1 via the standard admissions process.
  • All applicants who successfully meet the academic criteria and entry test standards will be required to attend for interview. The interview process lasts approximately one and a half hours and takes the form of six Multiple Mini Interviews (MMIs). The detail of the stations will change each year, but all are designed to assess against GMC guidance on ‘Good Medical Practice’. You will be observed and scored at each station by two trained assessors. Assessors come from a range of backgrounds and include medical professionals, academics, current students and lay people with an interest in medical education. On completion of the MMI process, each candidate’s score profile is carefully reviewed to determine which candidates will be made an offer.
  • All successful applicants must declare any and all, past or current, health, welfare and conduct issues that may affect an individual's fitness to study medicine and practise as a doctor following successful completion of the course.
  • All successful applicants will be required to apply for an Enhanced Disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), payable by the applicant. International applicants will need to provide evidence from the country they are residing by following the advice provided on the DBS website.

Disclaimer: Please be aware we are not able to give individual feedback from our selection centre process.

September 2024 Minimum Entry Threshold Scores:

UCAT

GAMSAT

MCAT

Overall threshold 2540

Overall threshold 60

Overall threshold 505

Component requirements:

Minimum score 570 in Verbal Reasoning section

Component requirements:

Minimum score 50 in Paper 3 (Reasoning in Biological and Physical Sciences)

Component requirements:

Minimum score 127 in Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills. No section score below 125.

 

2:1 honours degree

  • At least an upper second class honours (2:1) degree in any subject.
  • Candidates with a lower second class degree should hold either a Masters or a Doctoral qualification to be considered.
  • In the case of an Intercalated Masters eg. MEng/MPharm, the equivalent of a Pass grade or above at Masters level (minimum 2:2)
  • If you do not have a degree, you are not currently eligible to apply.
  • Meeting the minimum threshold mark in either UCATGAMSAT or MCAT. The total score required to secure a place at an MBChB Selection Centre varies year on year and is dependent upon the performance of all applicants. The acceptable threshold score includes a verbal reasoning score at or above the mean for the cohort in the year of application. Please see below for the required marks to join our September 2024 cohort.
  • Applicants will be required to provide references to evidence work experience if invited to attend a selection centre: 70 hours (the equivalent of around ten days’) of prior work experience in a healthcare or allied setting, as a volunteer, or in a paid capacity, as a helper to someone with healthcare needs. Evidence of experience working in a healthcare environment can include being a Care Assistant in a care home/hospital, a volunteer in a hospital, visiting someone in their home to care for them, and working in a hospital lab or other healthcare setting. This work experience must have taken place in the 3 years prior to the date of application. Shadowing a doctor/healthcare professional can only count for a maximum of 20 hours against the minimum requirement of 70 hours. Applicants for 2024 entry may apply without the required 70 hours however they must be working towards it. It would then become a condition if an offer was made.
  • Applicants must provide one reference from a person (not a relative or friend) who holds/has held a position of responsibility and who can comment on the applicants suitability for studying medicine. If the applicant has been in higher education in the last two years prior to application, an academic reference should be provided. 
  • At Chester we do not consider applications from those with previous academic failure at medical (or dental) school. For those with other, genuine reasons for needing to leave medical school, we consider these on a case-by-case basis and always contact the previous medical school for confirmation. Entry is only into Year 1 via the standard admissions process.
  • All applicants who successfully meet the academic criteria and entry test standards will be required to attend for interview. The interview process lasts approximately one and a half hours and takes the form of six Multiple Mini Interviews (MMIs). The detail of the stations will change each year, but all are designed to assess against GMC guidance on ‘Good Medical Practice’. You will be observed and scored at each station by two trained assessors. Assessors come from a range of backgrounds and include medical professionals, academics, current students and lay people with an interest in medical education. On completion of the MMI process, each candidate’s score profile is carefully reviewed to determine which candidates will be made an offer.
  • All successful applicants must declare any and all, past or current, health, welfare and conduct issues that may affect an individual's fitness to study medicine and practise as a doctor following successful completion of the course.
  • All successful applicants will be required to apply for an Enhanced Disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), payable by the applicant. International applicants will need to provide evidence from the country they are residing by following the advice provided on the DBS website.

Disclaimer: Please be aware we are not able to give individual feedback from our selection centre process.

September 2024 Minimum Entry Threshold Scores:

UCAT

GAMSAT

MCAT

Overall threshold 2540

Overall threshold 60

Overall threshold 505

Component requirements:

Minimum score 570 in Verbal Reasoning section

Component requirements:

Minimum score 50 in Paper 3 (Reasoning in Biological and Physical Sciences)

Component requirements:

Minimum score 127 in Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills. No section score below 125.

English Language Requirements

International applicants will be required to submit an English Language test certificate confirming a score of (or equivalent to) IELTS 7.0 with a maximum of two component scores at 6.0 or 6.5. Please note, we do not accept University of Chester in-country English Language Tests for the MBChB course.

For more information on our English Language requirements, please visit International Entry Requirements.

Where you'll Study Wheeler, Chester

Fees and Funding

£9,250 per year (2024/25)

Guides to the fees for students who wish to commence postgraduate courses in the academic year 2024/25 are available to view on our Postgraduate Taught Programmes Fees page.

£42,500 per year (2024/25)

The tuition fees for international students studying Postgraduate programmes in 2024/25 are £42,500. 

The University of Chester offers generous international and merit-based scholarships for postgraduate study, providing a significant reduction to the published headline tuition fee. You will automatically be considered for these scholarships when your application is reviewed, and any award given will be stated on your offer letter.  

For more information, go to our International Fees, Scholarship and Finance section.

Irish Nationals living in the UK or ROI are treated as Home students for Tuition Fee Purposes.

Your course will involve additional costs not covered by your tuition fees. This may include books, printing, photocopying, educational stationery and related materials, specialist clothing, travel to placements, optional field trips and software. Compulsory field trips are covered by your tuition fees.

If you are living away from home during your time at university, you will need to cover costs such as accommodation, food, travel and bills.

The University of Chester supports fair access for students who may need additional support through a range of bursaries and scholarships.

Full details, as well as terms and conditions for all bursaries and scholarships can be found on the Fees & Finance section of our website.

Your future Career

Job prospects

Being a doctor is not just about scientific knowledge, you must develop both professionally and personally throughout your career. The Professionalism and Personal Development strand runs throughout our curriculum with this in mind. Important aspects that you will explore include

  • Teamworking
  • Managing change and uncertainty
  • Managing complexity
  • Patient safety, including understanding how medical errors occur
  • Leadership and management
  • Time management and task prioritisation
  • Becoming an effective teacher
  • Managing your own wellbeing, developing resilience to stress
  • Reflective thinking
  • Learning to learn effectively

Careers service

The University has an award-winning Careers and Employability service which provides a variety of employability-enhancing experiences; through the curriculum, through employer contact, tailored group sessions, individual information, advice and guidance.

Careers and Employability aims to deliver a service which is inclusive, impartial, welcoming, informed and tailored to your personal goals and aspirations, to enable you to develop as an individual and contribute to the business and community in which you will live and work.

We are here to help you plan your future, make the most of your time at University and to enhance your employability. We provide access to part-time jobs, extra-curricular employability-enhancing workshops and offer practical one-to-one help with career planning, including help with CVs, applications and mock interviews. We also deliver group sessions on career planning within each course and we have a wide range of extensive information covering graduate jobs .