Structure

Fascinated by the human body? Driven to shape the future of healthcare? Ready to make a difference to countless lives? Prepare for a rewarding career as a qualified doctor by studying at one of the oldest medical schools in the UK.  

You'll develop foundational knowledge and skills, as well as the fundamentals of professional practice behaviours necessary for being a new doctor.

Our curriculum is underpinned by our world-leading bench to bedside research, linking your learning to the work of the faculty, who pioneer the discovery and development of new drugs globally, through to design and delivery of effective public health interventions for our local community and beyond.

Because you already have a degree, you’ll be able to complete this programme in four years, rather than the standard five years. This means you’ll be able to finish sooner and kickstart your career in medicine.  

We're excited to announce that Health Education England have funded a project for the Graduate Entry Programme to enhance content delivery with a blended approach, utilising bespoke premium digital content alongside active and social learning principles. 

Confident in Clinical Scenarios

Expect evidence-based educational approaches whether for small or large group teaching, and focus on developing your self-regulated learning ability necessary for independent clinical practice. 

You’ll start seeing patients from your very first week, in community and hospital settings, across all years of the course.

You can also self-select modules where you have interest or passion, from the fundamental or clinical sciences through to the psychological or social sciences as well as any area of study you want to pursue with our support in order to become the doctor you want to be.

Phase 1 (Year 1)

Campus-based teaching

You will undertake seven modules in Year 1, covering themes including Digestion, Metabolism and Growth, Infection and Immunity, Human Sciences and Public Health.

You will be introduced to applied biological sciences and address key topics, including:

• normal biological structure and function of cells, organs and body systems
• the effect of illness on people and their families
• the impact of environmental and social factors on health.

Our evidence-based teaching methods in Phase 1 are carefully chosen to ensure you securely acquire the knowledge necessary for developing the skills and behaviours required for applying in clinical settings and mastering in Phase 2 and 3 of the course. We use small and large group methods such as lectures, practical (anatomy and physiology) teaching, and group work in problem-based, team-based learning, clinical and communication skills settings.

Clinical placements 

Clinical placements are an essential part of your professional identity development as a medical student through to becoming a doctor. Our course ensures patient contact from the first year of the course, and across every year of the programme ensuring knowledge and skills learnt in the classroom, are consolidated into professional values and behaviours learnt in clinical settings.  

Clinical placements for Graduate Entry Programme (GEP) MBBS students at Queen Mary University of London start in September of Year 1 and you will spend every Thursday in a practice-based setting or learning clinical skills.   

Students in groups of 8 work with a GP tutor on a fortnightly basis through the length of Year 1.  You will be introduced to the GP team at the surgery, the local area served by the practice and most importantly the patients. You will learn about the impact of ill health on the patient, their family and their community, as well as the factors that contribute to the experience of living with disease for the patient.

Phase 2 (Years 2 and 3)

Clinical placements

On successful completion of your Year 1 you will join with students in Year 2 of the five-year course to form a new Year 3 MBBS cohort.

The amount of time spent in clinical placement after this first year is significantly increased. You will rotate through one of our partner trusts for placements generally lasting 6 - 10 weeks in length.  You will also return at regular intervals to the University for campus-based teaching blocks to support and scaffold your learning in the clinical environment. 

Clinical placements will be in a variety of locations including those in inner city areas such as the Royal London Hospital, Homerton Hospital, Newham Hospital, Whipps Cross Hospital, King George Hospital and Queens Hospital.  Placements at these locations are classified as in-firms due to their proximity to the University, and with the expectation that you would commute there every day rather than stay there on site.  

You will also be placed at out-firms including Southend Hospital, Colchester Hospital and Princess Alexandra Hospital.  Most students will stay in hospital accommodation while on out-firms due to the distance away from the University. 

In Year 4 you will have placements in one of our mental health trusts alongside a series of primary care placements attached to GP surgeries. The variety of community and hospital-based experiences are designed to develop your clinical, communication consultation and reasoning skills so that by Year 5 you are able to be see patients independently under the supervision of your GP tutor. 

Each placement site will offer a different experience, with different patient demographics and different specialist services. 

Student Selected Components (SSCs)

SSCs are self-selected modules that allow you to broaden your knowledge, skills and professional behaviours in areas where you have passion or interest. SSC modules vary in length with some ranging from two to five weeks, and others spanning throughout an academic year.