Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery


A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery is a medical degree granted by medical schools or universities in countries that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education tradition. Despite the historical distinction in nomenclature, these degrees are typically combined and conferred together. This degree is usually awarded as an undergraduate degree, but it can also be awarded at graduate-level medical institutions. The typical duration for completion is five to six years. In some cases, students with relevant undergraduate degrees can join an accelerated program and complete a four-year MBBS Programme. It is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious and respected degrees in the world.
A Bachelor of Medicine is an undergraduate medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries following the tradition of China. The completion period for this degree is generally five to six years. The term "medicine" in this context encompasses the broader field of medical science and practice, rather than specifically internal medicine. Consequently, graduates with a BMed degree are qualified to practice surgery. The BMed degree serves as the primary medical qualification, and individuals holding it may pursue further professional education, such as a Master of Medical Science or a Doctor of Medical Science.
Both degrees are considered equivalent to the Doctor of Medicine degree typically conferred by universities in North America. In the United States, doctors trained in some osteopathic medicine programs receive the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree. For practical purposes, all these degrees are considered to be equivalent.

History and nature

The degree is currently awarded in institutions in the United Kingdom and countries formerly part of the British Empire.
Historically, Bachelor of Medicine was also the primary medical degree conferred by institutions in the United States and Canada, such as the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University, the University of Toronto, the University of Maryland, and Columbia University. Several early North American medical schools were founded by physicians and surgeons who had trained in England and Scotland. University medical education in England culminated with the Bachelor of Medicine qualification and in Scotland the Doctor of Medicine. In the mid-19th century, the public bodies that regulated medical practice required practitioners in Scotland and England to hold the dual Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degrees. Over the course of the 19th century, North American medical schools switched to the tradition of the ancient universities of Scotland and began conferring Doctor of Medicine rather than Bachelor of Medicine.
In the countries that award bachelor's degrees in medicine, however, Doctor of Medicine denotes a holder of a junior doctorate and is reserved for medical practitioners who undertake research and submit a thesis in the field of medicine. Nevertheless, those holding Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery are usually referred to by the courtesy title of "Doctor" and use the prefix "Dr.", whether or not they also hold a Ph.D. or DSc.
In many countries, the degrees are awarded after an undergraduate course lasting five or six years. For example, most Chinese universities offering medical degrees provide undergraduate courses lasting six years. In some cases, a graduate in another discipline may subsequently enter a special graduate-entry medical course, reduced in duration to account for relevant material covered or learning skills acquired during the first degree. In some cases the old first-year courses in the basic sciences of physics, chemistry, and biology have been abolished: that standard has to be reached by school examinations before entry. However, in most countries, a newly graduated Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery must spend a specified period in internship before he or she can obtain full registration as a licensed medical practitioner.

Naming

The names and abbreviations given to these degrees depend on the institution, awarding body or country, and vary widely. This is mostly for reasons of tradition rather than to indicate any difference between the relative levels of the degrees. They are considered equivalent.
If the awarding body titles the degrees in Latin, the degrees are commonly named Medicinae Baccalaureus, Chirurgiae Baccalaureus; Medicinae Baccalaureus et Chirurgiae Baccalaureus; or Baccalaureus in Medicina et in Chirurgia; abbreviated as MB ChB, MB BCh or otherwise. If titled in English, they are named Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery; Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery; or Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery; usually abbreviated as MB BS, and sometimes as BM BS, even though most MB BS-awarding institutions do not use Latin to name their degrees.
Below are described the specific names used, arranged by country.

Australia

Historically, Australian medical schools have followed the British tradition by conferring the degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery to its graduates whilst reserving the title of Doctor of Medicine for their research training degree, analogous to the PhD, or for their honorary doctorates. Although the majority of Australian MBBS degrees have been graduate programs since the 1990s, under the previous Australian Qualifications Framework they remained categorised as Level 7 Bachelor's degrees together with other undergraduate programs.
The latest version of the AQF includes the new category of Level 9 Master's degrees which permits the use of the term 'Doctor' in the styling of the degree title of relevant professional programs. As a result, most undergraduate Australian medical schools have replaced their MBBS degrees with a combined degree that ends with the MD or switched to graduate only MD pathways, to resolve the previous anomalous nomenclature. Even still, Curtin University and James Cook University both still offer the MBBS degree. With the introduction of the Master's level MD, universities have also renamed their previous medical research doctorates. The University of Melbourne was the first to introduce the MD in 2011 as a basic medical degree, and has renamed its research degree to Doctor of Medical Science.

Bahrain

The Medical University of Bahrain or RCSI-Bahrain is a constituent university of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and awards its graduates the MB, BCh, BAO, the same degree awarded to graduates at RCSI.

Bangladesh

All medical schools in Bangladesh award MBBS.

Barbados

The Bridgetown International University, Victoria University of Barbados, American University of Barbados School of Medicine, and University of the West Indies Faculty of Medicine all award the MBBS.

China

In China, medical undergraduates are awarded a Bachelor of Medicine in Clinical Medicine for a course of study lasting five years for native Chinese students and six years for international/foreign students, including internship. International students may take the program in English or Chinese. Some medical schools also award MBBS degrees, but only for the international students. In total, 247 universities are authorized to award medical degrees. All 247 universities are recognized by most of the medical councils around the world and by ECFMG. By August 2022, 136 universities have passed the process of Accreditation of Medical Education from the Ministry of Education of China. The universities awarding MB and MBBS degrees are at the list of medical schools in China.

Egypt

All Egyptian medical schools, public and private, award an MB BCh as the basic medical degree after completion of five academic and clinical study years followed by two years of obligatory clinical rotations with total of seven years both academic, clinical study and clinical rotations.

France

French students get permitted access to medical studies when succeeding the competitive examination occurring at the end of their first year of studies. They spend their second and third year at their medical school where they learn physiology, semiology and the basics of medical examination. From their fourth year, they begin their rotations in teaching hospitals where they assist junior and senior physicians and learn their art. At the end of their sixth year, they undertake a competitive examination to match with their medical specialty and city of practice. Students are then full-time physicians practising under supervision and will be called "doctors" only when graduating at the end of their residency.
After 9 years thesis, they are awarded : Diplôme d'État de docteur en médecine and Diplôme d'études spécialisées which are both needed for full registration on the National Council of the Order of Physicians and can practise medicine

Ghana

All Ghanaian medical schools award an MBChB as the basic medical degree after 6 academic years. These seven medical schools are Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, University of Ghana, University for Development Studies, University of Cape Coast, University of Health and Allied Sciences and the private Accra College of Medicine, and Family Health Medical School, another private medical school.

Guyana

The University of Guyana awards MB BS. Other "offshore" United-States-linked schools in the country award the North American MD, such as Texila American University, Lincoln American University.

Hong Kong

The awarding of qualifications in Hong Kong follows the British tradition.
The dual degree is awarded as:
In India, the MBBS is a 5.5-year undergraduate medical degree that includes 4.5 years of academic coursework followed by a one-year compulsory rotating medical internship. In some Indian states, an additional rural service period is mandated before permanent medical registration, although institutions like the All India Institutes of Medical Sciences, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research and certain deemed universities may be exempt from this requirement. During the internship, students receive a government-approved stipend. Full registration to practice medicine is granted upon completion of all academic, clinical, and internship components.
The MBBS degree in India falls under the regulatory oversight of the National Medical Commission, which is responsible for the accreditation and monitoring of medical colleges and their curriculum.
As of August 2025, there are 780 medical colleges in India recognized by the NMC to offer MBBS programs, with a total intake of .
Admission to MBBS programs in India is determined through a national-level entrance examination known as the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test . As of June 2026, there are 118,148 MBBS seats available across 780 recognized medical colleges in the country. Government medical colleges are especially competitive due to subsidized tuition and high patient inflow at affiliated teaching hospitals, which provide students with extensive clinical exposure.
The MBBS curriculum in India includes foundational pre-clinical and para-clinical subjects such as anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pathology, microbiology, forensic medicine, and pharmacology. These are complemented by concurrent clinical training in outpatient and inpatient hospital settings, where students develop competencies in patient history-taking, physical examination, differential diagnosis, clinical decision-making, and basic medical procedures.
The final phase of the MBBS program is a 12-month compulsory rotatory internship, during which students are posted across departments such as internal medicine, general surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, and community medicine. The internship provides hands-on clinical experience under supervision and also includes exposure to hospital administration, interprofessional collaboration, and patient communication.
In June 2023, the Government of India announced the implementation of the National Exit Test as a standardized examination for MBBS graduates. The NExT will serve as both a licensure exam for medical practice and a qualifying examination for admission to postgraduate medical courses, effectively replacing the traditional final-year university examinations.