Medicine

The BA in Medicine is a three-year pre-clinical course, which is followed by a further three years of clinical training (BM BCh), for which most students remain in Oxford, although opportunities also exist for students to move to medical schools in London. The College has an excellent reputation for providing strong academic teaching and support. Trinity is situated close to the Medical Sciences Teaching Centre (MSTC), where most central university medical teaching (lectures and laboratory work) takes place, and is also near the sizeable resources of the Radcliffe Science Library. The College Library is also very well stocked with medical textbooks.

Trinity has a large community of students and academics working in medical fields. Apart from our undergraduates on the BA and BM BCh, we have graduates (both qualified medical doctors and research scientists) undertaking medical research into fields as diverse as Genomic Medicine, Oncology and Cardiovascular Science. There is a very active Trinity College Medical Society (run by our students). Recent guest-speakers have included Dame Sally Davies, Chief Medical Officer for England, who is an Honorary Visiting Fellow of Trinity College.

Admissions

We are looking for applicants who are strong scientists and who are also committed to practising Medicine and can show evidence of that commitment. You should check the course requirements to make sure that you are studying the relevant subjects at A Level or equivalent.

Medicine Freshers stand in Trinity's front quad.

Our third-year Medicine students

A surgeon in scrubs looks at display screen showing a surgery procedure.

Course Details

The syllabus for the BA course is the same at every College. The University Medical Departments organise lectures and laboratory-based practicals; the College organises the small-group teaching (tutorials or classes), so your College tutors play a key role throughout your course. You can find more details about the course here.

A model of the brain in the foreground is in focus; in the background students are having a medicine tutorial.

The 5-minute walk to the Medical Sciences Teaching Centre is especially helpful for 9 a.m. lectures every day!

Chris

Teaching Structure

Throughout the first five terms (for the BM Part I and Part II qualifying examinations), Keith Buckler gives regular tutorials in Physiology, and Paul Fairchild in Pathology. Both are research scientists, who spend part of their week leading research groups in their laboratories. Our College Lecturers (see below) provide additional tutorial support in neuroscience, anatomy and embryology and biochemistry. Practice exams are set in College at the start of most terms, to allow students to consolidate their learning and receive helpful feedback on their progress in preparation for their university examinations.

In the last four terms of the course, leading to the award of BA, core teaching continues to be provided by College tutors, alongside specialist tutorials organised by University Departments in optional fields of study. A highlight of the course is the research project conducted in a laboratory during the course of the third year. Peter McCulloch, Reader in Surgery and Christopher Butler, Professor of Primary Health Care provide support and advice during the years of clinical training.

Fund/Grant Information

Trinity is able to offer financial support (for travel and living costs) to students undertaking internships and other work related to their degree.

Useful Additional Information

Medical Sciences Division

A close-up of bicycles parked in Trinity college.

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Trinity and the John Radcliffe

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Career Prospects

The vast majority of graduates in Medicine go on to become clinicians, working across every specialism and in every kind of setting. Others will go on to pursue scientific research or to work in industry or the pharmaceutical sector. Whatever you choose to do, the strong foundation of logical thinking, problem-solving and medical knowledge you gain at Oxford will stand you in good stead!