Medical Courses: List of Top Courses, Eligibility and Admission Process

Medical Courses: List of Top Courses, Eligibility and Admission Process

Medicine is a vast field of study concerning the anatomy, diagnosis of various ailments and their treatments involving multiple scientific processes and methods. There is an array of courses that are offered at various levels of education, such as undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral and postdoctoral levels.

Medical courses can be further segregated into core medical, paramedical and allied subjects. For example, MBBS, BDS, MD, MS, etc. are core Medical courses whereas courses such as Nursing, Pharmacy, etc. are allied medical courses. In this Shiksha article, we will explore various Medical courses, their eligibility criteria and the admission process.

List of Medical Courses, Duration and Eligibility Criteria

The following table brings the list of top Medical courses along with their eligibility criteria.

Medical Course	Duration	Eligibility Criteria
MBBS	5.5 years	Candidates should pass Class 12 in the Science stream with Biology as a compulsory subject. They will have to qualify for NEET. The minimum age limit is 17 years.
BDS	5 years
BAMS	5 years
BHMS	5.5 years
BUMS
BVSc.
MD	3 years	Candidates should have an MBBS degree from a recognised medical college along with completion of compulsory internship
MS
MDS		Candidates should have a BDS degree from a recognised medical/dental college along with completion of compulsory internship

While the above-mentioned programmes are core Medical courses, the following courses refer to the other allied courses of Medical courses.

• BNYS

• BPT

• BSc Nursing

• BPharma

The above mentioned Medical courses are of undergraduate level. These courses can also be pursued at the postgraduate level. The duration and eligibility criteria are also similar to that of the core medical courses.

Medical Courses Admission Process

The admission processes of Medical courses involve appearing for medical entrance exam followed by a counselling process. For the undergraduate courses, there is at present one entrance exam, which is NEET (UG). It is the gateway to undergraduate medical and paramedical courses.

Some of the postgraduate medical entrance exams are listed below:

• NEET PG - is conducted for providing admission to various MD (Doctor of Medicine)/ MS (Master of Surgery) and PG Diploma courses across the country. The National Board of Examinations (NBE) conducts the exam once a year in computer-based mode.

• INI CET - Institute of National Importance Combined Entrance Test or INI CET is conducted by AIIMS Delhi for admission to PG medical courses such as Masters of Surgery (MS), Doctor of Medicine (MD), Master of Dental Surgery (MDS), Doctorate of Medicine (DM), and Master of Chirurgiae (MCh).

• NEET MDS - National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Masters of Dental Surgery abbreviated as NEET MDS is an entrance exam conducted by NBE for providing admissions to all the postgraduate dental courses offered by the institutions in India.

• NEET SS - National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Super Speciality Courses) is conducted by the National Board of Education for admission to various DM/ MCh courses. 

• AIAPGET - All India AYUSH Postgraduate Entrance Test is conducted by the National Testing Agency for admissions to the postgraduate courses in Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy. 

What After Completing Medical Courses?

After completing Medical courses at the UG level, students pursue postgraduate or doctorate courses and opt for specialisation to hone their learning and skills. Even though students are known as qualified doctors upon completion of their undergraduate Medical courses and are even eligible to conduct surgery, they are most likely to pursue a PG Medical course before starting a full-fledged medical practice.

In terms of career, apart from working as doctors, they can also explore the medical and healthcare profession through the following professions or roles:

• Medical Researcher

• Anesthesiologist

• Healthcare Consultant

• Medical Officer

• Medical Laboratory Technician

• Environmental Health and Safety Manager

FAQs Regarding Medical Courses

Q: What is the eligibility criteria for pursuing Medical courses?

A: For UG level courses,  candidates should have passed Class 12 in the Science stream with a minimum of 50 per cent in aggregate. For PG courses, candidates should have passed the undergraduate medical course with due aggregate or CGPA.

Q: Is it necessary to study Biology at a higher secondary level to be eligible for Medical courses?

A: Yes, candidates must have studied Biology as a core and compulsory subject as Biology, including Zoology and Botany, form the core of Medical courses.

Q: Is there any age limit for the PG Medical courses?

A: There is no age limit applicable for PG medical courses.

Q: What are some of the top Medical courses at the UG level?

A: Some of the top Medical courses at the UG level are MBBS, BDS, BVSc, BPT, BSc Nursing, among others.

Q: Can I pursue a UG Medical course without taking NEET?

A: Generally, all UG Medical course admissions are conducted through NEET UG. However, for some courses like Nursing, BPT and other paramedical courses, NEET is not mandatory.

Q: Do all medical colleges in India conduct their UG admission through the counselling process?

A: Yes, medical college admissions are conducted through a centralised counselling process. State counselling is conducted separately by the state counselling conducting authorities.

Q: What is the duration of the Medical courses in India?

A: The duration of Medical courses vary from programme to programme. For the UG programmes, the duration ranges from five to five-and-a-half years. On the other hand, the duration of PG Medical courses is of mostly three years. 

Q: What is the average fee structure for Medical courses in India?

A: The average fee structure of the Medical courses range from INR 2 lakh to INR 5 lakh or above.

Q: What are some of the top colleges offering Medical courses in India?

A: Some of the top colleges offering Medical courses in India include AIIMS Delhi, JIPMER Puducherry, Maulana Azad Medical College Delhi, PGI Chandigarh, to name a few.  

Q: How many medical courses are there?

A: There are approximately 12 to 15 medical courses offered at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Q: Which is the best medical course?

A: Each medical course has its own curriculum, pedagogy and scope. Hence, it is difficult to mention a particular course as best. Still, it can be said that at the undergraduate level, the MBBS course is the best and at the postgraduate level, MD or MS course is the best.