. The Indian government keeps an updated list of these approved medical colleges.
Undergraduate courses
Prospective students for an undergraduate course leading towards a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree must have completed a HSC (10+2, or high school) with the Science stream, including the subjects Biology, Chemistry and Physics with at least 50% marks.
Graduate courses
An MBBS degree with registration by the Medical Council of India is the basic requirement for all graduate courses in the field of medicine and surgery. In India, these courses are often referred to as Post-graduate courses as the MBBS confers “graduate” status. In India, students substitute the four year degree customary in the US, (aka the Bachelors degree) with two intensive years of high school coursework (grades 11-12) and immediately start at medical school.
High school graduates in India are usually better prepared in their skills in science than their counterparts in the US (however, in the US, after high school nearly all American students receive 4 additional years of science and non-science education at a University to receive a Bachelor’s degree), and their education in India is generally very focused or technical in nature rather than the broad liberal model seen in the US.
Admission process
Admission criteria differ from one part of the country to another and even from Institution to Institution.
In general, admission is based on the Marks obtained in the final examinations of Std. XII.
For post graduate courses, rank obtained in an entrance examination forms the basis for admission. Specific institutions may also require a personal interview of the candidate.
The Government of India has allocated a number of seats for students from developing countries where facilities for medical education are either inadequate. The exact number and country-based allocation of these reserved seats may vary annually.
Students seeking admission to the reserved seats are required to apply through the Indian missions abroad or through the diplomatic missions of the respective countries in India. The Indian Embassy or High Commission in a country will be able to provide more information on request.
The last date of submission of application is usually the 28th February of the corresponding year. An international student must have completed 12 years of schooling. International students studying in schools in India can apply pending the declaration of their Higher Secondary (10+2) or equivalent examination results.
The marks sheet of the examination should be sent within 10 days from the declaration of the result to: Students Cell, Room No. 1009, Ministry of External Affairs, Akbar Bhavan, New Delhi. International students can seek university admission to undergraduate courses in Engineering, Medicine (MBBS) and Dentistry (BDS) in private colleges.
Courses offered in India
A Medical College offers the basic undergraduate course MBBS. In fact only institutions offering MBBS course in its curriculum are referred to as a Medical Colleges. In Addition, the college may teach Post Graduate as well as Paramedical courses The MBBS course starts with the basic pre-clinical subjects such as biochemistry, physiology, anatomy, microbiology, pathology and pharmacology.
The students simultaneously obtain hands-on training in the wards and out-patient departments, where they interact with real patients. The curriculum aims to inculcate good habits of history taking and examination. The student is taught to arrive at a differential diagnosis and to determine what investigations will be useful in a particular case.
Postgraduate courses
All the major colleges also have Postgraduate Degree or Diploma courses in their programmes. The awards conferred are Doctor of Medicine (MD), Master of Surgery (MS) or Diploma of National Board (DNB)).
The MD/ MS degrees are offered by the Universities affiliated to the Medical Council of India and the DNB degree is awarded by the National Board of Examinations, an independent autonomous body under the Ministry of Health, INDIA.
They are available in different streams of medical science such as
General medicine,
General surgery,
Orthopaedics,
Radiodiagnosis,
Radiotherapy,
ENT,
Ophthalmology,
Anaesthesia,
Paediatrics,
Community medicine,
Pathology,
Microbiology,
Forensic medicine,
Pharmacology,
Anatomy, etc.
Degree courses are of 3 years duration while diploma courses are of 2 years duration. Following post-graduation, students can opt for further sub-specialization in their area of interest by opting for courses called DM or DNB (Doctorate of Medicine), or MCh or DNB (Master of Chirurgery/ Surgery) again of 3 years duration.
An MD or a DNB (general medicine or pediatrics) is the basic requirement for specialization in Cardiology, Nephrology, Neonatology, Gastro-enterology, Neurology, etc while an MS or a DNB (general surgery, ENT or Orthopedic surgery) is the basic requirement for Neurosurgery, Urology, Cardio-thoracic & Vascular Surgery, Gastrointestinal Surgery, Pediatric Surgery, Plastic Surgery, etc.