The Cambridge University Course
The University of Cambridge runs the largest pre-clinical medical course in the United Kingdom. Unusually this course leads for all medical students towards both professional qualifications via the 2nd MB examination and the BA degree. At the end of the third year, after completion of the BA, approximately half of the students stay in Cambridge for the clinical portion of the course leading to the MB, BChir., while almost all of the rest transfer to Oxford or London where they take their medical degrees. The clinical course also lasts for three years.
All Cambridge medical students (other than those on the graduate entry course) pursue the same course for the first two years (the Medical and Veterinary Sciences Tripos Parts IA and IB). This covers almost all of the material necessary for the 2nd MB professional examinations (only the Preparing for Patients course extends into the third year). In addition it contains material to bring the scientific content up to the same level as for the Natural Sciences Tripos. Students have considerable choice in the subjects they can read in the third year. Most study subjects chosen from the Natural Sciences Tripos Part II, alongside their Natural Sciences counterparts. A small number take quite different courses, for instance English, Theology or Music.
More information about the medical course is available in the University Course Guide:
- http://www.cam.ac.uk/cambuniv/guide/ugcourses/medsurg.html
(Note: This page of the course guide sets out the content of the professional courses. However, you can only be admitted as an undergraduate to read MVST which includes the preclinical portions of the professional course.) - http://www.cam.ac.uk/cambuniv/guide/ugcourses/medvet.html
(This is the page for MVST.)
and the University Undergraduate Prospectus: