Master of Surgery

Entry requirements

Candidates need to have a primary medical degree and full registration with the General Medical Council by holding PLAB. Additionally, they should also have the following:

• Successfully completed one year of internship at a hospital and must supply their Certificate of Completion
• An IELTS score of 7.5, with a minimum of 7.0 in each section
• Graduated from an internationally recognised medical school
• Completed their undergraduate training and be fully registered with the Medical Council in their respective countries
• Two character reference letters from any member of their medical school academic staff, OR from their current senior medical colleagues and consultants

Months of entry

April, September

Course content

The Master of Surgery (MSurg) is a comprehensive two-year surgical training programme which provides structured postgraduate training in General Surgery leading to the award of Master of Surgery from the University of Buckingham.

The MSurg is designed for international doctors who wish to expand their surgical training in the UK. Our students will take part in training analogous to the Core Surgical Training offered by the Joint Committee on Surgical Training (JCST) which forms the first stage of speciality training for most doctors training in surgical specialties.

The programme consists of up to four placements in surgical specialties designed to deliver core training, knowledge and skills considered by the RCSEd as suitable for early years training.

The key features of the MSurg are:

• Student-led – An ePortfolio is used to encourage a learner-centred approach with the support of educational supervisors. The ePortfolio contains tools to identify educational needs, and enables the setting of learning goals, reflective learning and personal development.
• Competency-based – The curriculum outlines competencies that trainees must reach by the end of the programme. The curriculum is directly linked to the ePortfolio as it defines standards required for good medical practice and formal assessments.
• Continuation of Good Medical Practice – building on existing training the curriculum contains important emphasis on generic competencies necessary for practice as a surgeon.
• Supervision – each student has a series of supervisors with clearly defined roles and responsibilities overseeing training including their Clinical Supervisor, Educational Supervisor, University Tutor, Pathways to Postgraduate Training in Surgery Director, and Dean of Postgraduate Medicine.
• Appraisal meetings with supervisors – regular appraisal meetings and review of competence progression are set out in the ePortfolio.
• Dissertation – Literature review of 10,000 words.

Fees and funding