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'''Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery''', or in [[Latin]] '''Medicinae Baccalaureus et Baccalaureus Chirurgiae''' (abbreviated ''MB BChir'', ''MB BCh'', ''MB ChB'', ''BM BS'', ''MB BS'' etc.), are the two [[Academic degree|degree]]s awarded after a course of undergraduate study in [[medicine]] and [[surgery]] at a [[university]] in the [[United Kingdom]] and other places following ths same convention.  This includes medical schools in [[India]], [[Australia]], [[Egypt]], [[Hong Kong|Hong Kong (People's Republic of China)]], [[Iraq]], [[Kuwait]], [[Malaysia]], [[Guyana]], [[Singapore]], [[Libya]], [[Republic of China|Republic of China (Taiwan)]], [[Malawi]], [[Mauritius]], [[Bangladesh]], [[Barbados]], [[Fiji]], [[Ghana]], [[Myanmar]], [[Jordan]], [[Iraq]], [[Nepal]], [[New Zealand]], [[Jamaica]], [[Papua New Guinea]], [[South Africa]], [[Nigeria]], [[Saudi Arabia]], [[Sierra Leone]], [[Sri Lanka]], [[Sudan]], [[Pakistan]], [[Samoa]], [[Tanzania]], [[Trinidad and Tobago]], [[United Arab Emirates]], [[Zambia]] and [[Zimbabwe]]. [http://www.ecfmg.org/creds/refgde.html] The naming suggests that they are two separate degrees; however, in practice, they are usually treated as one. (At Oxford and Cambridge it is/was possible to be awarded the two degrees on different dates.)

Those holding the degree(s) and practising medicine are usually referred to as "[[Doctor (title)|Doctor]]" and use the prefix "[[Dr]]".

The degrees are often used as the Commonwealth equivalent of what is known elsewhere as the degree of [[Doctor of Medicine]] (MD). [http://www.umassmed.edu/faculty/show.cfm?start=0&faculty=682] In countries that award bachelors' degrees in medicine, however, the MD refers to a [[Doctorate##Higher Doctorate in the United Kingdom|Higher Doctorate]], and is reserved for medical practitioners who do research and submit a thesis in the field of medicine.

Because they are considered equivalent allopathic medical degrees, in the United States each state board of medicine allows those who have been granted a "bachelor of medicine" overseas the right to use the title "MD" while practicing in the United States. 

==Naming==
{{see also|Surgeon#Surgeon titles}}
The specific names and abbreviations given to these degrees vary from country to country and from one institution or awarding body to the next; this is mostly for reasons of tradition rather than to indicate any significant difference between the relative levels of the degrees. The [[Latin]] names are usually given as ''Medicinae Baccalaureus, Chirugiae Baccalaureus'' or ''Baccalaureus in Medicina et in Chirurgia'', abbreviated as MB ChB, MB BCh or otherwise; the [[English language|English]] versions are ''Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery'' or ''Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery'', usually abbreviated as MB BS, and rarely as BM BS, even though most MBBS-awarding institutions do not use Latin on their diplomas. 

These degrees are not offered in the United States, Canada and other countries. In the United States a medical student typically completes a [[bachelor's degree]] (not necessarily in [[science]]) during which they take courses meeting [[pre-medical]] requirements before pursuing a medical [[doctorate]], or MD.  Unlike the British model (where the MD is a postgraduate degree along the lines of a [[PhD]]), the US MD is a "first degree".

The following is a list of the specific names used, arranged by country.
===Australia===
''MB BS'' are conferred by most Australian medical schools (undergraduate and graduate-entry). 

The graduate-entry Flinders medical school confers ''BM BS''.

The [[University of Newcastle, Australia|University of Newcastle]] offers the five-year undergraduate degree ''BMed''. Although no degree in surgery is formally awarded by Newcastle, this degree is equivalent to the MB BS, and students may go on to a career in surgery the same as any other graduates in medicine and surgery.

===Bangladesh=== 
All 50 medical colleges in Bangladesh (14 public and the rest private) award ''MB BS''.

===Egypt=== 
All medical schools in Egypt award ''MB BCh''.

===England===
Various abbreviations are used for these degrees in England:
*''MB ChB'' are used at the universities of Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Keele, Manchester, Sheffield, and Warwick.
*''MB BS'' are used at the University of East Anglia, Hull York Medical School, Imperial College London, the University of London, and University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.  
*''BM BCh'' are used at the University of Oxford.
*''BM BS'' are used at University of Nottingham, Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry and Brighton Sussex Medical School  
*''BM'' is awarded at the University of Southampton.  Although no degree in surgery is formally awarded by Southampton, this degree is equivalent to the MB ChB, and students may go on to a career in surgery the same as any other graduates in medicine and surgery. 
*''MB BChir'' are awarded by the University of Cambridge.

At [[Oxford]] and [[Cambridge]] universities the preclinical course leads to a [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree (upgradable after three or four years to [[Master of Arts (Oxford, Cambridge and Dublin)|Master of Arts]]), after which most students used to go elsewhere to complete clinical training. They could then take the degrees of their new university or return to their old university to take clinical examinations. 

The ''[[Conjoint|English Triple Conjoint Diploma]]'' of ''LRCP, LRCS, LMSSA'' were non-university qualifying examinations in medicine and surgery awarded jointly by the [[Royal College of Physicians|Royal College of Physicians of London]], [[Royal College of Surgeons of England]] and [[Society of Apothecaries]] through the [[United Examining Board]].  These qualifications were registrable with the [[General Medical Council]] until 1999. Prior to 1994, the English [[Conjoint]] diploma of ''LRCP, MRCS'' was awarded for over a century, and the ''LMSSA'' was a distinct and sometimes less-esteemed qualification.

===Hong Kong===
The awarding of qualifications in Hong Kong has continued to follow the British tradition despite the [[Transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong|handover of the territory's sovereignty]] from the hands of the [[United Kingdom]] to the [[People's Republic of China]] on 30 June 1997. 
The dual degree is awarded as:
* ''MB BS'' at [[University of Hong Kong]]; and
* ''MB ChB'' at [[Chinese University of Hong Kong]].

===India=== 
Medical schools in [[India]] (popularly known as "medical colleges") award ''MB BS''. [[Licenciate]] qualifications in medicine and surgery, ''LMS'', were also formerly awarded after a shorter course, originally at a "medical school" rather than a "medical college"; the [[College of Physicians and Surgeons of Bombay]] awarded a licentiate at LMS level, a membership (MCPS) at MB BS level and a fellowship (FCPS) at MD level. The [[State Medical Faculty of West Bengal]] (previously of Bengal) also gave licentiates and memberships.

===Iraq=== 
All medical schools in Iraq award ''MB ChB''.

===Ireland===
The three degrees of ''MB BCh BAO'' are awarded by all medical schools in both the [[Republic of Ireland]] and [[Northern Ireland]] - namely [[Queen's University Belfast]], [[University of Dublin]] ([[Trinity College, Dublin|Trinity College]]) and some constituent institutions of the [[National University of Ireland]] ([[Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland]], [[University College Dublin]], [[University College Cork]] and [[National University of Ireland, Galway]]). 

''BAO'' is ''Baccalaureus in Arte Obstetricia'' (Bachelor of the Obstetric Art), which the Irish Universities began to award in the 19th century after legislation insisted on a final examination in obstetrics. This third degree, however, is not registrable with the British [[General Medical Council]] or the Irish [[Medical Council (Ireland)|Medical Council]]. 

''LRCPI LRCSI'', or simply ''LRCP&SI'', denotes a holder of the historical non-university qualifying [[licenciate]]s awarded jointly by the [[Royal College of Physicians of Ireland]] and the [[Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland]] to students of the RCSI's medical school. Unlike the corresponding licentiates awarded by the Royal Colleges in Scotland and England (which were external qualifications), these qualifications may still be used for registration purposes with the IMedical Council. Students at RCSI still receive these licenciates but now also receive the degrees ''MB BCh BAO'', due to RCSI's status as a recognised college of the [[National University of Ireland]]. 

The RCSI students also received a [[Licence in Midwifery]] (LM) from each college, in the same way that the Irish Universities granted BAO degrees, so their qualifications were sometimes expressed as ''L & LM, RCPI, L & LM, RCSI'' or more misleadingly as ''LLM, RCP&SI.'' 

''LAH'' formerly denoted a licentiate of the now-defunct [[Apothecaries' Hall, Dublin]], and is no longer awarded.

===Kenya===
The two national universities with medical faculties in Kenya, namely the [[University of Nairobi]] and [[Moi University]], award MB ChB.

The traditional route of pursuing a medical degree in Kenya requires one to have high marks in KCSE, a national exam administered at the conclusion of high school. In recent years however, students who can pay their own tuition and those from other countries have been accepted into these programs. It is hoped that these new regulations shall promote the number of locally trained doctors as many are leaving the country in a phenomenon that has been regarded by others as a brain drain.

===Malaysia===
The [[University of Malaya]] and [[Universiti Teknologi MARA]] both award ''MB BS''.  Other public universities such as [[Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia]], Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Universiti Malaysia Sabah and Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, however, follows the North American model and style their degrees as [[Doctor of Medicine]]. There is an increasing number of private medical schools in Malaysia, offering either full programs (with the whole course completed within Malaysia) or joint programs (where part of the course is completed at an overseas institution). The entrance into the medical faculty in the public universities is very competitive,and often causes controversy and tension among students and their respective parents nationwide.

===Myanmar===
All four medical schools in Myanmar award ''MB BS''. The duration of the MB BS course in Myanmar is five years plus one year residency in rural areas or in big cities depending on the school transcript.

===New Zealand===
The two New Zealand medical schools, [[University of Auckland, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences|Auckland]] and [[University of Otago Dunedin School of Medicine|Otago]], style their degrees as ''MB ChB''. The New Zealand MB ChB degrees take at least 6 years after commencing university study depending upon graduate or undergraduate entry.

===Pakistan===
All medical schools in Pakistan award the ''MB BS'' degree, which is given by the [[Pakistan Medical and Dental Council]]. The duration of the course for the degree is five years and a one year residency or house-job is required for those graduates who wish to practice in Pakistan. Graduates who wish to practice outside of Pakistan are not required to complete the one year house-job/residency.

===Scotland===
All medical schools in Scotland ([[University of Aberdeen, School of Medicine|Aberdeen]], [[University of Glasgow Medical School|Glasgow]], [[Edinburgh Medical School|Edinburgh]] and [[Dundee Medical School|Dundee]]) award ''MB ChB''.  

The [[Bute Medical School|University of St Andrews]] awarded ''MB ChB'' until the early 1970s, but since the incorporation of the clinical medical school into the [[University of Dundee]] (the former Queens College St Andrews), the [[University of St Andrews]] now only awards a pre-clinical ''BSc'' or ''BSc (Hons)'', and students go elsewhere to finish their clinical training, usually to the University of Manchester where they are awarded an ''MB ChB'' after a further three years' study. 

The ''Scottish Triple Conjoint Diploma'' of ''LRCPE, LRCSE, LRCPSG'' (earlier LRCPE, LRCSE, LRFPSG) is an old non-university qualifying examination in medicine and surgery awarded jointly by the [[Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh]], [[Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh]] and [[Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow]], previously through a [[Conjoint]] Board and from 1994 through the [[United Examining Board]].  These qualifications were registrable with the GMC until 1999.

===South Africa===
The [[University of Pretoria]], [[University of Cape Town]], [[University of the Free State]], [[University of Stellenbosch]] and [[MEDUNSA]] all award ''MB ChB'', whereas the [[University of the Witwatersrand]] and the [[University of KwaZulu-Natal]] style their degrees as ''MB BCh''. All South African medical degrees are awarded under the auspices of the [[Health Professions Council of South Africa]] and take at least 6 years to complete.

===Singapore===
The only medical school in Singapore, the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, confers ''MB BS''.

===Sri Lanka===
MB BS is offered only by the government universities. The [[University of Colombo]], University of Peredeniya, University of Kelaniya (Ragama), University of Ruhuna and University of Jaffna each has a medical faculty. The course lasts 5 years. Students are chosen on a merit basis from local advanced level examination from the biological sciences stream. Students have to complete 1 year of internship before they are awarded the medical council registration which is needed to practice medicine in Sri Lanka.

===Tanzania===
All four public and private medical schools (University of Dar es Salaam - Muhimbili, Bugando, HKMU, and KCMCollege) offer MD degree after completion of five year of studies, followed by one year of internship. The entrance to Medical School is usually after completion of A-level studies, especially within study combinations of PCB and CBG.

===Wales===
All medical schools in Wales award ''MB BCh''.

===West Indies===
All constituent countries of the [[University of the West Indies]] (UWI) confer ''MB BS'', due to the historical affiliation of UWI to the [[University of London]].

==Classification of degrees==
The degrees of MB ChB and MB BS are rather difficult to classify. The degrees of MBChB and MBBS are awarded after successful completion of the appropriate undergraduate course; however, one year of practice as a PRHO/FHO1 is completed under the supervision of the graduate's undergraduate medical school, and is required if they wish to become registered with the [[General Medical Council]] (without this, the graduate will not be able to undertake a career in medicine).
  
The degree is generally received both after an undergraduate course, lasting five or six years.  In some cases, an honours graduate in another discipline, such as physiology or pharmacology, may subsequently enter a medical course which has been reduced to 4 years in duration to take into account relevant material covered during the first degree.  One year of practice as a PRHO/FHO1 is required of these individuals, again under the supervision of the relevant undergraduate medical school.

The degrees differ from other undergraduate degrees in that they are professional qualifications which entitle bearers to enter a particular career upon receipt. This is not the case with most other undergraduate degrees, apart from [[dentistry]], so whilst the MBBS and MBChB are undergraduate/graduate degrees, they are perhaps more accurately conceptualised as a so-called 'First Professional' degree.  

The MBBS and MBChB is a general/ordinary degree, not an [[honours degree]], and as such the graduate is not awarded ''1st class'', ''2:1'' etc. as one does for [[honours degree]]s in other subjects.

However, at many institutions (for example the [[University of Manchester]] and [[University of Dundee]]) it is possible for the degrees to be awarded with Honours (i.e. MB ChB (Hons)) or with Commendation, if the board of examiners recognises exceptional performance throughout the degree course. Very few of these are awarded. 

More often, it is possible to study one subject for an extra year for an intercalated honours degree.  This is usually a BSc, BMedSci, BMedBiol or similar: at Oxford, Cambridge and Dublin it is a BA. At a few universities most medical students obtain an ordinary degree in science as well: when the University of Edinburgh had a six year course, the third year was followed by award of an ordinary BSc (Med Sci). In Australia, The University of Melbourne offers an Arts Degree (BA) to a medical student on the completion of two extra years of undergraduate study, and Monash University offers a Law degree (LLB). If the optional Law degree is undertaken, on completion of their degree the student may choose to do a one year internship at a hospital and become a doctor, or  spend one year doing articles to practise thereafter as a lawyer.

An exception is at the University of Nottingham where all medical students on the five year course obtain a Bachelor of Medical Sciences (BMedSci) degree without an extra intercalated year.

==Progression==
As Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery degrees are generally regarded by the awarding universities as undergraduate non-[[Doctorate|doctoral]] degrees, strictly speaking they do not in their own right entitle the holder to be called [[Doctor (title)|Doctor]]. Graduates of these degrees are only entitled to use the title Doctor upon registration as a medical professional with the relevant regulatory body in their country. 

As a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery, graduates are also eligible to sit various postgraduate examinations, which include examinations for membership and fellowship of professional institutions (such as [[Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons]]), postgraduate Masters degrees (such as a [[Master of Surgery]] or Master of the Art of Obstetrics) and a postgraduate doctorate in medicine (eg [[Doctor of Medicine|MD]]).

==See also==
*[[Bachelor's degree]]
*[[Homologation]]
*[[Medical school]]
*[[Medical education]]
*[[Doctor of Medicine]] - for more about the degrees of MD and DM
*[[Master of Surgery]] - for more about the degrees of ChM, MCh, MChir & MS.

{{Academic degrees}}

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[[Category:Bachelor's degrees]]
[[Category:Medical degrees]]

[[fr:Bachelors of Medicine and Surgery]]
[[sv:MB BS]]

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