Medical degree
A medical degree is a professional degree admitted to those who have passed coursework in the fields of medicine and/or surgery from an accredited medical school. Obtaining a degree in medicine allows for the recipient to continue on into specialty training with the end goal of securing a license to practice within their respective jurisdiction. Medical graduates may also pursue non-clinical careers including those in basic research and positions within the healthcare industry. A worldwide study conducted in 2011 indicated on average: 64 university exams, 130 series exams, and 174 assignments are completed over the course of 5.5 years. As a baseline, students need greater than an 85% in prerequisite courses to enrol for the aptitude test in these degree programs.[1]
Undergraduate medical degrees
    
- Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, BMBS, MBChB, MBBCh)
 - Bachelor of Medicine (B.Med, MB, BM)
 - Bachelor of Surgery (B.S)/(B.Surg)
 
The MBBS is also awarded at the graduate level, meaning the applicant already has an undergraduate degree prior to commencing their medical studies (graduate entry).[2][3]
Graduate medical degrees
    
- Doctor of Medicine (MD, Dr.MuD, Dr.Med)
 - Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO)
 
Comparison of allopathic and osteopathic medical degrees
    
| Medical degree type | Undergraduate
 (Post-secondary)  | 
Graduate 
 (Post-baccalaureate)  | 
Graduate 
 (Post-baccalaureate)  | 
Graduate 
 (Post-baccalaureate)  | 
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Degree name | Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery;
 or Bachelor of Medicine  | 
Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery | Doctor of Medicine | Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine | 
| Degree abbreviation | MBBS, BMBS, MBChC, MBChB, MBBCh;
 or MB, BM, BMed  | 
MBBS, BMBS, MBChC, MBBCh | MD | DO | 
| Admission | Follows secondary education (standard course) | Follows an undergraduate degree (graduate-entry) | Follows an undergraduate degree (professional doctorate) | Follows an undergraduate degree (professional doctorate) | 
| Duration | 5 to 6 years | 4 years (accelerated) | 4 years | 4 years | 
| Countries offering the degree (not exhaustive list) | United Kingdom, Ireland, India, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Australia, and China, Saudi Arabia[4] | United Kingdom[5] and Ireland[6] | United States, Canada, Israel, UAE, Australia | United States | 
Some countries, especially Eastern European and former Soviet republics (Russia, Ukraine, Armenia) offer post-secondary, undergraduate, 6-year medical programs, which confer the title Doctor of Medicine as their medical qualification.
Post-graduate medical degrees
    
- Master of Clinical Medicine (MCM)
 - Master of Medical Science (MMSc, MMedSc)
 - Master of Public Health (MPH)
 - Master of Medicine (MM, MMed)
 - Master of Philosophy (MPhil)
 - Master of Philosophy in Ophthalmology (MPhO)
 - Master of Public Health and Ophthalmology (MPHO)
 - Master of Surgery (MS, MSurg, MChir, MCh, ChM, CM)
 - Master of Science in Medicine or Surgery (MSc)
 - Doctor of Medicine of by research MD(Res), DM
 - Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO)
 - Doctor of Clinical Medicine (DCM)
 - Doctor of Clinical Surgery (DClinSurg)
 - Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc, DMedSc)
 - Doctor of Surgery (DS, DSurg)
 - Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM)
 
Alternative medical degrees
    
- Ayurveda - BSc, MSc, BAMC, MD (Ayurveda), M.S. (Ayurveda), Ph.D. (Ayurveda)
 - Siddha medicine - BSMS, MD(Siddha), Ph.D(Siddha)[7]
 - Acupuncture - BSc, LAc, DAc, AP, DiplAc, MAc
 - Chiropractic -
 - Herbalism Acs, BSc, Msc.
 - Homeopathy - BSc, MSc, DHMs, BHMS, M.D. (HOM), PhD in homoeopathy
 - Naprapathy - DN
 - Naturopathic medicine - BSc, MSc, BNYS, MD (Naturopathy), ND, NMD
 - Oriental Medicine - BSc, MSOM, MSTOM, KMD (Korea), BCM (Hong Kong), MCM (Hong Kong), BChinMed (Hong Kong), MChinMed (Hong Kong), MD (Taiwan), MB (China), TCM-Traditional Chinese medicine master (China)
 - Osteopathy - BOst, BOstMed, BSc (Osteo), DipOsteo
 
References
    
- The BMJ — 13 August 2011, Volume 343, Number 7819
 - "Medicine (Graduate-entry/ Accelerated)". University of Oxford.
 - "Medicine (Graduate entry)". St George's University of London.
 - "Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) | College of Medicine | Alfaisal University". 2023-06-16. Archived from the original on 2023-06-16. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
 - Paul (2021-10-14). "Graduate Entry Medicine". The Medic Portal. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
 - "BMBS Programme | University of Limerick School of Medicine". www.ul.ie. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
 - "A Career in Siddha Medicine – आयुष मंत्रालय, भारत सरकार". Retrieved 2021-11-23.