The art of medicine was to be properly learned only from its practice and its exercise.
Thomas Sydenham, also known as “The English Hippocrates” (1624-89)
Courses available:
- BA (undergraduate preclinical) – three years
- BM (graduate clinical) – three years
Average number of places available each year:
- A BA in 3 years, a BM BCh in 6 years: 5 places available
Overview of the courses available
Why study Medicine at Exeter?
Exeter is a college which is conveniently central, a mere 10-minute walk from the Radcliffe Science Library and within easy reach of the medical departments across the university. In addition, Exeter’s own Jackson Library – which is open 24 hours a day – is fully resourced for both pre-clinical and clinical students having been thoroughly overhauled and restocked in 2014 to provide access to all required text-books and online articles. In addition, all Freshers studying medicine at the College are given book tokens to help towards the cost of books.
Students on the pre-clinical course are principally taught in tutorials, classes, and lectures, but visits to doctors’ surgeries are also an integral part of the course. As well as this, medical students are invited to become members of the student-led “MedSoc” which, among other things, organises an annual dinner for students and alumni to get together. The annual Medical Sciences Subject Family Dinner, hosted and arranged by the Rector (the head of Exeter College), also gives students an opportunity to hear from other academics and graduates about their current research and share ideas on active issues.
For those staying on – or joining the College – for clinical studies, accommodation is offered in the graduate housing at the Exeter House in East Oxford. Clinical students are supported by our two Fellows and Lecturers in Clinical Medicine. In particular, they focus on facilitating links between students and practitioners at the John Radcliffe Hospital and within local health care providers.
For students going on their electives (optional courses of study), Exeter is proud to have a 700th Anniversary Medical Electives Fund, which aims to help fund Exeter medics exploring their chosen field of study.
Medicine at Oxford is incredibly rewarding. It’s very satisfying to feel your knowledge build up to give you a comprehensive understanding of the human body – tutors at College are fantastic in supporting your learning. We also get the chance to see patients in health centres, which helps you put all you learn into context and gives you a sense of the doctor patient relationship.
Sam Hong Zhang, Medicine student
At Exeter we are fortunate to have supporting tutors who pay attention to our overall workload but equally inspire us in their speciality. This year we have had a surgeon teaching us who has taken us to hospital and given us a taste of how our knowledge can be useful in a clinical setting. Exeter has a unique learning experience and I definitely would not consider moving college.
Lottie Mitchell, Medicine student
Careers
The combination of the 1st BM and the Honours Degree course means that medical students are able to pursue a wide variety of careers in the medical field. The Final Honours course provides an excellent training ground for those students who may wish, at some stage, to undertake medical research and/or read for a further research degree.
