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Postgraduate Qualification - Do I need one?

• July 11, 2018

Obtaining a Master’s in medicine or healthcare has many advantages for both your medical career and your personal and personal achievements.

There is a wide range of specialisms within medical which can be surgical, clinical or related to a specific area of illness or disease. If there is a specific topic you are interested in, you should check to see if there is a master’s programme in this particular field.

Please note - A master's degree is NOT an alternative to your training in a specific field. The degree will show your enthusiasm about that field and will help your CV in interviews for your desired speciality training.

Furthermore, the GMC recognise a variety of international postgraduate qualifications to be similar to that of the UK - meaning a UK qualificaition is not essential for speciality registration. 

In this article, we provide outline the different types of postgraduate study available, entry requirements, a list of Royal College’s that offer postgraduate qualifications, the best time to do your postgraduate study.

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Types of Postgraduate Study

There is a variety of postgraduate qualifications you can study in medicine, including Masters of Science/Clinical Masters (MSc), Research Masters (MRes), Masters of Education (Med), Masters of Public Health (MPH) and Ph.Ds.

Please note to embark on a Ph.D. study, you will first require a master’s qualification.

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Entry Requirements

• Acceptable medical undergraduate degree – minimum of a 2:1
• English language proficiency – IELTS or OET (Please go to your preferred university website for further details on their required scores)
• Completion of training
• References

For some postgraduate courses you may be invited to attend an interview either at the university or if you are abroad, it may be possible to be done via Skype or telephone. It is important that you fully prepare for your interview, so you impress the person your interviewer. This includes, re-reading your application, knowing your employment and educational history in detail, research into the postgraduate course and have some questions ready to ask the interviewer to show your interest!

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A list of Royal Colleges and Faculties

Academy of Medical Royal Colleges

College of Emergency Medicine

Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine

Faculty of Public Health

Faculty of Sports and Exercise Medicine

Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCOA)

Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP)

Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG)

Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCOPHTH)

Royal College of Paediatrics & Child Heath (RCPCH)