Year of entry
- 2026
UCAS code
- A100
Duration of study
- 5 years
Medicine - MBChB
Course summary
Medicine at Keele delivers an innovative curriculum underpinned by the three core themes identified by the General Medical Council: Professional Values and Behaviours, Professional Skills, and Professional Knowledge (GMC, 2018). Ranked 5th in England (Guardian University League Table, 2025). Studying Medicine MBChB at Keele you will develop the necessary knowledge and clinical skills to become a doctor who practises with competence and compassion.
Why study Medicine at Keele University?
5th in England for Medicine (Guardian University Guide, 2025) Over 100 weeks spent on clinical placement in primary care and hospital settings across Staffordshire, Shropshire and other adjoining counties 1st in UK for overall F1 preparedness (GMC National Training Surveys, 2023) Benefit from diverse teaching methods including problem-based learning (PBL), other small- and large-group learning activities, and dissection Strong student engagement opportunities through our Student Voice Committee
Course overview
Medicine at Keele adopts a modern, spiral, highly integrated curriculum that combines a range of learning strategies, including early clinical experience, integrated communication and clinical skills teaching, practical activities (including dissection), problem-based learning (PBL), lectures and seminars. Additionally, inter-professional learning with other health students, including nursing, midwifery, paramedic science, physiotherapy and radiography, is fostered throughout the programme..
We are committed to listening to, responding to and supporting our students to become well-rounded, competent clinicians. Through forums such as our Medical Student Council, we recognise the value of our students' contribution to development and progression of our curriculum and the student experience.
Key course content
To ensure you graduate as a confident and competent clinician, you will study a range of topics including:
- Professional and ethical responsibilities
- Patient safety and quality improvement
- Diagnosis and medical management
- Prescribing medication safely
- The health service and healthcare systems
- Health promotion and illness prevention
Course structure
Our spiral curriculum means you will re-visit core topics, building on your knowledge as you progress through the degree.
In Year 1, you will cover a range of units including: health and disease, the body's defence systems, emergencies, life-course, brain and mind, pregnancy, and lifestyle.
Year 2 sees you re-visit many aspects of biomedical, behavioural and social science, with an increasing emphasis on complexity and pathology. You will learn through integrated units such as: mechanisms of disease, inputs and outputs, movement and trauma, circulation, breath of life and integrated systems.
Years 3 and 4 enable you to build on the foundations of clinical knowledge and skills through immersion in clinical placements, while continuing to develop and apply biomedical, behavioural and social science knowledge. Within year 3 you will cover topics such as: medicine, surgery, elderly care, mental health and paediatrics, and complete a general practice clinical placement. You will revisit many of these topics in Year 4 but will also cover women's health, neurology and musculoskeletal systems.
The final year of the MBChB prepares you for professional practice as a foundation year 1 doctor. You will undertake extensive student assistantships including: out of hours evening and weekend working, general practice, acute and critical care (including emergency medicine, intensive care and anaesthesia), medicine and surgery.
Scholarship and student-selected components
Scholarship activities and student selected components (SSCs) complement our MBChB course. These offer you opportunities to learn about how medical knowledge develops through research, and to focus on particular areas of interest in medical science, clinical medicine or public health in greater depth. You will select a component in several years of study which has clear objectives and will be assessed accordingly. For example in Year 1, you will produce a library-based mini-review of an academic topic under the supervision of a member of the teaching and/or research staff.
Clinical placements
You will have extensive experience of clinical placements in both primary and secondary care settings and in the non-NHS community sector ("third sector"). Clinical placements will take place across Staffordshire, Shropshire and other adjoining counties. We are committed to providing you with opportunities to build your awareness of the health and wellbeing of a variety of demographics to strengthen your appreciation of the wider determinants of health, such as socio-economic, cultural and environmental conditions.
Beginning in Year 1, you will be encouraged to think of community and social dimensions of illness and health throughout your academic studies and placements.
You will have placements with community services and general practices in Years 1 and 2, and over 20% of teaching in Years 3, 4 and 5 takes place in general practice. Examples of other community services we use are schools, workplaces, residential homes and drop-in centres, to name but a few: all places that contribute to the health and care of people.
Hospital placements will take place in multiple centres, providing opportunities to engage with major medical and surgical specialities that are delivered in different locations.
Intercalation
Further opportunities for exploration of special interests are available through intercalation. Options for intercalation to pursue an additional qualification include studying at bachelor’s level after the second year or master’s level after the fourth year.
Intercalation is a year out of your undergraduate medical studies to study a subject area in greater depth before returning to complete the medical course. An intercalated degree provides you with an opportunity to gain an additional qualification in a medicine-related subject that interests you, acquire a better understanding of basic biomedical sciences, medical humanities or research methodologies, publish scientific papers and present at conferences.
Students who are given permission to intercalate may do so either at Keele or at other universities.
"The holistic nature of the Keele curriculum prepared me very well for life as a junior doctor, but also provided me with a great foundation in clinical research. Research can often be overlooked in the training of medics, given the importance of developing clinical skills required for hospital work. However, creating doctors that understand and can contribute to research is pivotal in the advancement of medical science. Keele allowed me to learn clinical and research skills symbiotically, which has had a tremendous impact on my pursuit of becoming a clinical scientist. "
"Keele prepared me perfectly for life as a junior doctor. From day one we were encouraged to think critically as clinicians evaluating situations and responding accordingly. At Keele there is a strong emphasis on communication and the doctor-patient relationship, which is a key skill to develop as a trainee doctor and has helped me tremendously throughout my career. The early exposure to clinical medicine at Keele made the transition to doctor seamless. I was exposed to a wide range of specialities and was equipped with the mentorship and guidance to be in an excellent position to enter a highly competitive training job in cardiothoracic surgery at the first opportunity.""
Course structure
Modules for Medicine
The module details given below are indicative, they are intended to provide you with an idea of the range of subjects that are taught to our current students. The modules that will be available for you to study in future years are subject to change as we regularly review our teaching to ensure that it is up-to-date and informed by the latest research and teaching methods, as well as student voice. The information presented is therefore not intended to be construed and/or relied upon as a definitive list of the modules available in any given year.
Placements
Throughout the course, you will gain experience in a variety of healthcare settings within different kinds of centres in several different hospital trusts.
Our partner trusts are University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (Royal Stoke University Hospital and County Hospital, Stafford), Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (Bradwell Community Hospital and Haywood Community Hospital in Stoke-on-Trent, St George’s Hospital in Stafford and the Redwoods Centre in Shrewsbury), North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust (Harplands Hospital in Stoke-on-Trent) and Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Princess Royal Hospital, Telford). You will also undertake placements in general practice throughout the programme.
It is important that students experience the full variety of settings within which patient care takes place, and you will therefore be expected to spend time in different locations within certain years of the course. These settings include a very large teaching hospital and tertiary referral centre (Royal Stoke), busy district general hospitals (County, Royal Shrewsbury and Princess Royal), specialist psychiatric centres (St George’s, Harplands and Redwoods) and small community hospitals (Bradwell and Haywood), as well as general practice. Patient care is delivered across this range of hospitals, and medical students need to spend time in several of them to engage with delivery of a wide variety of services. This will involve travel between sites within some parts of the MBChB programme.
Currently, years 4 and 5 of the programme are each spent at distinct bases: one year in Staffordshire and the other in Shropshire. Training is not confined to a single hospital within each county.
You will also have the opportunity to engage with a voluntary/third-sector organisation providing patient support outside the NHS.
"I felt Keele prepared me well for life after graduation and really helped me to fit the knowledge, communication, and clinical skills required together and build on this each year. I found the balance of going through necessary placements but also allowing for some student selected components, including the final year elective, meant I was able to gain the knowledge needed but also explore areas of interest to help me later select a speciality (and gave me something to talk about later on at specialty interviews). Keele has smaller numbers of students than many other universities in each year group which meant it was often easier to connect with tutors and I didn’t feel lost in the crowd."
Double Gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework
Keele is one of only 15 broad-based universities in England - out of over 100 - to have been awarded Gold in both the 2017 and 2023 Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) exercises, demonstrating our consistent teaching excellence.
Additional opportunities
There are a range of additional opportunities for this course.
Please note that undertaking one may impact the availability of another.
Entry requirements
These are the typical entry requirements for this course for a range of UK and international qualifications. If your qualifications aren't listed, please contact us to check if we can accept them. If you don't think you'll meet the stated requirements, you may be able to access this course via a Foundation Year.
Additional information
Students must be 18 years old by 1 October.
- View our full Medicine entry requirements
- Find out how to apply to study medicine at Keele
- View our medicine widening participation information
- Explore our Health Foundation Year
English language requirements
All our courses require an English language qualification or test. Most students meet this through a 4 or C in GCSE English. Please visit our English Language pages for details, including test information for international students. For students who require a test, this course requires a result from .
Alternative and contextual offers
We're committed to ensuring equality of opportunity for applicants with the potential and motivation to succeed, regardless of background. We offer alternative offer schemes with clear eligibility criteria, including contextual offers, offers for those studying in the Keele region, and recognition of a range of additional qualifications.
General information
The entry grades outlined indicate the typical offer, along with any subject specific requirements. This is for general information only. Keele University reserves the right to vary conditions based upon a candidate's application.
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Fees and funding
Tuition fees for 2025/26 academic year
- UK: £9,535 for the 2025/6 academic year (subject to Parliamentary approval).
- International:
£46,700
Please note, our 2026/27 entry fees have not yet been set. We set our fees on an annual basis and they will be updated here once set.
For Home students, the University's fees are regulated by the UK Government and may be subject to change in subsequent years of your course in-line with government policy or legal requirements. For continuing international students, fees will increase annually by RPI, with a maximum cap of 5% per year.
For details of our international fee bands visit our Undergraduate tuition fees page.
Going to university can be daunting as well as exciting. It's important to understand the costs and financial support available.
Our Student Financial Support team offers confidential advice and guidance to help you manage your money, resolve issues with Student Finance, create a budget, explore your options if you're facing financial hardship, and access any funding you are eligible for, such as bursaries and scholarships.
For more information visit our undergraduate fees and funding pages.
Your future career
Graduates of our undergraduate medical degree have gone on to pursue careers spanning a diverse range of specialities, from forensic pathologist to psychiatrist, GP to cardiothoracic surgeon. Our integrated curriculum and emphasis on the application of your learning means you are well-equipped to explore a career within a speciality aligned to your aspirations.
The General Medical Council (GMC) approves your university’s degree as a primary medical qualification (PMQ). This is important because, provided there are no concerns about your fitness to practise, a PMQ entitles you to provisional registration with the GMC for a licence to practise medicine in the UK. For more details visit the UK Foundation Programme website.
In order to practise medicine in the UK you will be required to pass the Medical Licensing Assessment (MLA). The MLA is in two parts: the Applied Knowledge Test (AKT), which you will sit as your final knowledge exam in the Keele MBChB programme, and the Clinical & Professional Skills Assessment (CPSA), which you will sit as your final skills assessment. Successfully completing the degree will therefore mean you have also completed the MLA. You will also sit a national Prescribing Safety Assessment (PSA) in year 5.
Provisionally registered doctors can only practise in approved Foundation Year 1 posts, obtained through the national application process during the final year of the course.
Successful completion of the programme is normally achieved within 12 months and awards a Certificate of Experience. You can then apply for full registration with the General Medical Council. You need this and a licence to practise unsupervised medical practice in the UK for both NHS and private practice. Medical students at UK medical schools who are from outside the UK and Ireland and do not have right of residence must check how the latest information on visa requirements affects their postgraduate training period.
Enhance your employability
Keele’s Careers and Employability team (Shortlisted for Best University Careers Employment Service - National Undergraduate Employability Awards, 2021), offers a variety of personal and career development opportunities to enhance your employability.
Within the MBChB programme you will have opportunities to learn about the variety of medical speciality pathways and how to enhance your CV for your preferred speciality, as well as to experience particular specialities within SSCs. You will receive support with UK Foundation Programme applications and will build up a portfolio throughout the course to support subsequent medical job applications.
Find out more about our careers and employability services, including career planning, alumni mentoring, jobs, internships, starting your own business and much more.
"I particularly found PBL and case-based learning (CBL) sessions useful in helping develop my problem-solving, team work, and leadership skills. Keele also helped me to confidently use evidence-based research to do self-directed learning, which I still regularly use when keeping my medical knowledge and skills up-to-date. The introduction of hospital placements early on in the degree was also very beneficial in getting me familiar with the everyday running of the ward/emergency department. This helped me during my early days of working as a foundation doctor because I did not find the transition so daunting."
Teaching, learning and assessment
We aim to make learning enjoyable through small class sizes, small group learning and early clinical experience, and will support you to develop into highly competent and self-aware medical professionals.
In your programme you will sometimes be expected to role play and engage in simulated clinical scenarios with other students, such as the practice and observation of practical skills in physical contact with other students. For some specific practices, this may necessitate modification of dress - e.g., to shorts and t-shirt. These activities will be conducted in a professional, safe, respectful and culturally sensitive way, under the supervision of academic staff, according to a defined protocol.
We offer students varied learning opportunities including:
- Clinical placements
- Problem-based and other small group learning
- Lectures
- Anatomy and laboratory practicals
- Experiential learning
- Simulation
Problem-based learning
Problem-based learning (PBL) is one major component of the Keele MBChB curriculum in Years 1 and 2. You will work in small groups to study written descriptions of clinical situations. Using a specific set of study skills, you will use scenarios to guide you towards relevant theoretical and practical learning. Normally, each scenario is the focus for learning for a week, with two tutorials devoted to it.
From Year 3 onwards PBL develops into case-based and case-illustrated learning, where the written scenarios are augmented using discussions of patients encountered by students in their clinical placements.
The PBL programme is supported by a variety of methods which include: plenary lectures, seminars, laboratory practical classes, and a wide variety of placement experiences in primary and secondary care. Placements begin in Year 1 and you will learn the skills needed to get the best out of placement opportunities prior to their occurrence. The emphasis throughout the course is firmly on student-led, self-directed and collaborative learning.
Assessment
We utilise a range of assessment modes appropriate to assess each of the intended learning objectives of the programme. In every year all domains will be summatively assessed using appropriate assessment methods.
Assessment methods include:
- Written knowledge examinations - Knowledge is examined in a range of formats designed to test students' ability to apply relevant scientific and medical knowledge to professional practice. Methods include single best answer (SBA) and short answer question (SAQ) exams. From Summer 2024, our written knowledge assessments will include the GMC's Applied Knowledge Test (AKT), sat at the end of Year 4 of the programme.
- Practical examinations - These examinations are designed to enable you to demonstrate safe and effective clinical practice. These include objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) and a variety of workplace-based assessments (WBAs). From 2025, such examinations will included the GMCs Clinical and Professional Skills Assessment (CPSA).
- In-course assignments - These assignments test your ability to apply a range of professional attributes, including your reflective practice and presentation skills. Methods include written reviews and case reports, presentations and posters.
Foundation year
Foundation year overview
Our Foundation Year provides an excellent alternative route to Keele, offering preparation for your chosen degree with guaranteed entry onto your undergraduate course once you successfully complete.
This extra year of study can improve your academic skills, expand your subject knowledge, build your confidence, and provide a better understanding of higher education.
On our Foundation Year, you'll join our undergraduate community from the outset, with access to all the facilities and support you'd get as an undergraduate student at Keele.
Student life at Keele is vibrant, diverse, and packed with opportunities to make the most of your time at university.
We help students manage their money and ensure that they receive any funding for which they may be eligible.
Make yourself more employable after graduation by taking advantage of the whole host of additional opportunities.