[From 1 October 2013: 22 REGULATIONS FOR DEGREES IN MEDICINE AND SURGERY

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§1. Qualifications of Candidates for the Degree of Bachelor of Medicine

1. A student who has been admitted to the Degree of Bachelor of Arts with Honours may supplicate for the Degree of Bachelor of Medicine, provided that they shall have passed the examinations hereinafter prescribed.
2. A candidate who has been admitted to the Second Examination for the Degree of Bachelor of Medicine by the Medical Sciences Board under the provisions of §6, cl. 1 of this section may supplicate for the Degree of Bachelor of Medicine without having been admitted to the Degree of Bachelor of Arts with Honours, provided that they shall have passed the Second Examination and shall have kept statutable residence for six terms.
3. A candidate for the Preliminary Examination in Medicine or for the Degree of Bachelor of Medicine who has been admitted under the provisions of §6, cl. 1 of this section and who is not a graduate of the University may wear the same gown as that worn by Students for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

§2. Degree of Bachelor of Surgery

Any person admitted to the Degree of Bachelor of Medicine shall ipso facto be admitted also to the Degree of Bachelor of Surgery.

§3. Subjects and Method of the First Examination for the Degree of Bachelor of Medicine

A

1. The First Examination for the Degree of Bachelor of Medicine shall be under the supervision of the Medical Sciences Board. The Board shall have power to require candidates for admission to any part of the First Examination to produce certificates of attendance at courses of practical instruction, and such other certificates as the Board may from time to time determine, and to define the form of such certificates. It shall be the duty of the Registrar to see that these conditions are observed.
2. The subjects of the First Examination shall be:
Part I
1. 1. Organisation of the Body
2. 2. Physiology and Pharmacology
3. 3. Biochemistry and Medical Genetics
4. 4. Population Health 1: Medical Sociology
Part II
1. 5. Applied Physiology and Pharmacology
2. 6. The Nervous System
3. 7. Principles of Pathology
4. 8. Psychology for Medicine
3. The syllabus of each subject shall be as prescribed from time to time by the Medical Sciences Board by regulation.
4. Subjects 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7 shall each be examined in two Parts, A and B. In each of these subjects, a candidate must offer both Parts A and B at one examination, provided that a candidate who has failed at his or her first attempt to satisfy the examiners in one Part only of a subject may offer that Part alone at a subsequent examination. In each of these subjects, a candidate must pass both Parts, or have accumulated passes in both Parts, in order to pass in that subject. When a candidate who at the first attempt passed only one Part of a subject subsequently passes the remaining Part of that subject, the examiners shall publish his or her name as having passed in that subject.
5. A candidate must offer all four subjects in Part I at one examination, provided that a candidate who has failed at his or her first attempt in any subject or subjects may offer subject 4 or any Part or Parts of subjects 1, 2, or 3 at a subsequent examination (in accordance with clause 4 above), and provided that the Medical Sciences Board may dispense candidates who have already passed a First Public Examination in any subject from the requirement to offer all four subjects at one examination. In Part I, the examiners may publish the name of a candidate as having passed one, two, three, or four subjects, and the examiners may in addition publish the name of a candidate as having passed one Part only of any of the subjects 1, 2, or 3. In Part II, a candidate must offer all four subjects at one examination, provided that a candidate who has failed at his or her first attempt in any subject or subjects may offer subject 8 or any Part or Parts of subjects 5, 6, or 7 at a subsequent examination (in accordance with clause 4 above). In Part II, the examiners may publish the name of a candidate as having passed one, two, three, or four subjects, and the examiners may in addition publish the name of a candidate as having passed one Part only of any of the subjects 5, 6, or 7.
6. A candidate shall be deemed to have passed the First Examination if he or she has satisfied the examiners in all the subjects of Parts I and II as specified in clause 2 above.
7. A candidate who has passed Part I of the First Examination shall be deemed to have passed the First Public Examination.
8. No candidate shall be admitted to the examination for Part II of the First Examination without first having passed all the subjects of Part I, save in exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the Medical Sciences Board following application from the candidate's society. No candidate may offer any subject or Part of a subject in Parts I and II of the First Examination on more than two occasions, save in exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the Medical Sciences Board following application from the candidate's society.
9. The examiners may award a Distinction to candidates of special merit in either Part I or Part II of the examination, provided that all examinations for all four subjects specified for that Part in clause 2 above have been offered in their entirety and passed at one examination at the first scheduled opportunity which shall be the candidate’s first attempt, except in exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the Board of Examiners following application from the candidate’s society.
10. The examiners may award a Pass with Merit to candidates of special merit in any of the individual subjects 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, or 7, provided that all four subjects of Part I or of Part II of the examination have been offered in their entirety at one examination. The award of Pass with Merit shall be based on performance in Part B of a subject and shall be confined to candidates who have passed Part A of that subject at the same sitting which shall be the first scheduled opportunity and the candidate’s first attempt, except in exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the Board of Examiners following application from the candidate’s society.
11. No candidate shall be admitted to the First Examination unless he or she has been through the standard selection procedures for the standard medical course (including sitting the Biomedical Admissions Test – BMAT), has met the published entry requirements for admission to the standard medical course, and his or her name has been entered on the University Register of Medical Students.

B

A Core Syllabus and a Composite Syllabus (Core plus Extension) for each of Parts I and II will be published annually at the start of Michaelmas Term by the Medical Sciences Board. The syllabuses will make appropriate reference to related issues of clinical significance. In each subject, candidates will be expected to have a general understanding of the components specified in the syllabus, including methods of study and quantitative analysis of experimental results.

In subjects 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7 two papers will be set, Paper A and Paper B. Paper A shall be no longer than 1 hour and 25 minutes in duration, and shall be a computer-based assessment of breadth of knowledge and understanding of the Core Syllabus. Paper B shall be set to examine deeper knowledge and understanding of a choice of topics included in or closely relating to the Composite Syllabus. For Subjects 1, 2, and 3, Paper B shall be two hours in duration, and for Subjects 5, 6, and 7, Paper B shall be three hours in duration.

Part I

1. Organisation of the Body
2. Physiology and Pharmacology
3. Biochemistry and Medical Genetics
4. Population Health 1: Medical Sociology

One one-and-a-half-hour paper will be set on the syllabus specified in the Core Syllabus for Part I.

Part II

5. Applied Physiology and Pharmacology
6. The Nervous System
7. Principles of Pathology
8. Psychology for Medicine

One two-hour paper will be set on the syllabus specified in the Core Syllabus for Part II.

General Regulations of the First Examination

Candidates shall submit notebooks, initialled as satisfactory by the demonstrators, or other certified evidence of satisfactory practical work in the courses associated with each subject of the First Examination, with the exception of Medical Sociology and Psychology for Medicine. The practical course for Subject 2 includes the course in elementary statistics defined in the Composite Syllabus for Part I. Each notebook shall be accompanied by a certificate signed by the candidate indicating that the notebook submitted is the candidate's own work. The notebooks or evidence shall be available to the examiners at a time prescribed by the examiners prior to the written examination and shall be taken into consideration by them. Candidates whose notebooks or other evidence are unsatisfactory may be required by the examiners to submit to further examination. Failure to submit an initialled notebook or certified evidence shall result in the candidate being failed in the relevant subject of the examination, unless the candidate has an adequate attendance record at the relevant practical classes and provided the examiners are satisfied, after taking account of the candidate's examination script and any further examination as they shall deem necessary, that the candidate has a satisfactory knowledge and understanding of the practical course.

Evidence of satisfactory practical work and of attendance at a practical course is normally admissible by the examiners for a period extending no longer than to the end of the academic year following the year in which the course was pursued.

Candidates may be required to undergo oral examination.

§4. Qualifying Examination in the Principles of Clinical Anatomy

A

There shall be a Qualifying Examination in the Principles of Clinical Anatomy for medical students who have passed the First Examination for the Degree of Bachelor of Medicine and who are seeking admission to a course in clinical medicine in Oxford or elsewhere. The examination shall be governed by the following provisions.

(a) The examination shall be under the supervision of the Medical Sciences Board.
(b) No candidate shall be admitted to this Qualifying Examination unless his or her name has been entered on the Register of University Medical Students and he or she has previously passed the First Examination for the Degree of Bachelor of Medicine.
(c) The syllabus and obligations required of candidates, and the method of examination, shall be as prescribed from time to time by regulations of the Medical Sciences Board.

B

The syllabus shall be published annually in Trinity Term by the Medical Sciences Board. Candidates shall submit notebooks, initialled as satisfactory by the demonstrators, or other certified evidence of satisfactory practical work associated with the course. The examination will consist of in-course assessment of a form approved by the Medical Sciences Board. Any candidate whose performance in any part of this assessment is judged to be unsatisfactory may be reassessed during the course or at some duly advertised time during the Long Vacation by such means as may be deemed appropriate by the examiners. In determining whether a candidate has passed the examination, the examiners will take account of the candidate's overall record of assessment without necessarily requiring a satisfactory performance in every constituent part.

The Director of Pre-Clinical Studies or his or her deputy is required to make available to the examiners evidence (in the form of a list of names, signed by the Director or his or her deputy) to certify that each candidate has a satisfactory attendance record at the course in the Principles of Clinical Anatomy. Any candidate whose record of attendance is deemed unsatisfactory by the examiners shall be liable to undergo additional examination by such means as may be deemed appropriate by the examiners, or he or she may be failed at the discretion of the examiners.

Candidates may be required to undergo oral examination.

§5. Subjects and Method of the Examination for the Preliminary Examination in Medicine

A

1. A candidate may be admitted to the Preliminary Examination in Medicine provided that his or her name is on the Register of Clinical Students and he or she has been admitted to the Degree of Bachelor of Arts with Honours or has obtained a degree of another university deemed adequate for the purpose by the Medical Sciences Board, and that he or she has satisfied such additional qualifications as the Medical Sciences Board may from time to time prescribe in its regulations.
2. The Preliminary Examination in Medicine shall consist of two parts. Part I may be offered not earlier than three terms, and Part II not earlier than six terms, from the date of entry onto the Register of Clinical Students.
3. The examination shall comprise such subjects and papers as the Medical Sciences Board shall from time to time by regulation determine.
4. The examiners may award a Distinction to candidates of special merit in either Part I or Part II of the examination, provided that all the subjects in that Part have been offered and passed at one examination.
5. The examination shall be under the supervision of the Medical Sciences Board.

B

The examination will be in two parts. A core syllabus and an extension syllabus for each of Parts I and II will be published annually at the start of the Michaelmas Term prior to the examination by the Medical Sciences Board.

Part I

The examination will assess candidates’ core knowledge and understanding of core material, and clinical skills and critical-appraisal skills. Candidates must pass all seven components listed below in order to pass the examination. Candidates who fail any component(s) of the examination at the first attempt need re-sit only the component(s) that they have failed, provided that all components are passed within a single academic year; except that, where a candidate has been granted leave by the Board to sit a component or components for a third time (under the provisions of the General Regulations for Part I of the Preliminary Examination in Medicine), the Board may also, at its discretion, waive the requirement for the candidate to pass all components within a single academic year.

1. Core Material Candidates will be required to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the principles of basic medical science as defined in the core syllabus for Part I. Two papers will be set. Paper One (one hour) will consist of questions requiring short answers, and may require candidates to select answers from a list of options. Paper Two (two hours) will be in the format of problem-based questions. Each question will be marked pass or fail, and a cumulative pass/fail mark will be given for a candidate's overall performance in the two papers. The marks from these papers will not contribute to the award of a Distinction.
2. Paper 3: Ethics (one hour) Candidates will be required to write one essay in response to a choice of question topics.
3. Paper 4: Systems of the Body (one and a half hours) Candidates will be required to write one essay from a choice of questions, which will relate to extension topics notified to candidates at the start of the academic year. Candidates will be given credit for demonstrating their breadth of reading beyond the core syllabus, for their ability to synthesise evidence from different sources and produce a coherent argument, and for discussion of experimental evidence from primary literature. During the examination, candidates will have access to such databases of medical literature as may be prescribed from time to time by the Medical Sciences Board and notified to candidates at the beginning of the academic year.
4. Paper 5: Critical Appraisal (two hours) This paper will assess candidates’ ability to critically appraise primary research material. The primary research paper, or extracts from a number of papers, may report laboratory-based or clinical research. The literature will contain experimental, public health or clinical data for interpretation but may also include descriptions of experimental methods. Candidates may be required to offer criticism of the experimental method, or of the interpretation of the results, or to draw their own inferences from the published data. Candidates must attempt all questions.
5. Clinical Skills Candidates will be required to demonstrate, in a practical examination, their ability to take a clinical history and to perform a clinical examination of the systems of the body specified in the core curriculum and, to apply such practical skills as may be defined in the core syllabus published by the Medical Sciences Board. The examination will include an assessment of candidates' communication skills with patients, orally and/or in writing, and of their professional behaviour.
6. Submitted Essay: Systems of the Body
1. (i) Form and subject of the essay Candidates will be required to submit an essay on a topic approved by the examiners. The submitted essay shall be of not more than 3,000 words, excluding any tables, figures, diagrams or references. It must be in a format prescribed by the Graduate-entry Education Committee and published in the Notes of Guidance for the Preliminary Examination in Medicine. A list of suggested essay titles, and the topics to which they relate, approved by the Chair of Examiners in consultation with the module organisers, shall be published no later than the end of Week 5 of the Michaelmas Term in the academic year of the examination. Candidates may also propose their own titles. The essay may relate to any of the topics set out in the Notes of Guidance for the Preliminary Examination in Medicine except that candidates may not submit an essay that closely relates to work that they have previously submitted for any university examination. A candidate wishing to offer an essay with a title not on the approved list must apply for approval of their proposed title by no later than the end of Week 0 of Hilary Term in the academic year of the examination. Application shall be made via the Course Administrator in the Medical School Office and shall include the proposed title, a brief outline of the subject matter, and the topic or topics to which it relates. Decision on the application shall be made by the Chair of Examiners in consultation with the module organisers and shall be communicated to the candidate as soon as possible and in any case not later than Week 2 of Hilary Term in the academic year of the examination.
2. (ii) Registration No later than the end of Week 0 of Hilary Term in the academic year of the examination, every candidate must register the title of their essay via the Course Administrator in the Medical School Office.
3. (iii) Authorship The essay must be the candidate’s own work. Candidates’ tutors, or their deputies nominated to act as advisors, may discuss with candidates the proposed field of study, the sources available, and the method of treatment, but on no account may they read or comment on any written draft. Every candidate shall sign a certificate to the effect that this rule has been observed and that the essay is their own work. The certificate, sealed in a separate envelope, should be addressed to the Chair of Examiners for the Preliminary Examination in Medicine Part I and submitted alongside the essay.
4. (iv) Submission The essay (two paper copies and an electronic copy) must be submitted to the Chair of Examiners for the Preliminary Examination in Medicine Part I, c/o the Examination Schools, High Street, Oxford, not later than noon on the Friday of Week 0 of Trinity Term.
7. Longitudinal Case Study combined with Behavioural Sciences Commentary Candidates will be required to complete a Longitudinal Case Study during their clinical course, details of which will be published each year in the clinical course handbook. This coursework must be submitted to the candidate’s GP Tutor by Friday of Week 9 of Hilary Term. The clinical course organiser will then forward each case study to the Chair of Examiners by the end of Week 0 of Trinity Term, together with a certificate, signed by the relevant clinical supervisor, of satisfactory performance by the candidate in the Longitudinal Case Study. Candidates will separately submit an essay covering an aspect of Behavioural Sciences, which will relate to the longitudinal case study. This essay will contribute to the award of a Distinction.
1. (i) Form and subject of the essay Candidates will be required to submit a Behavioural Sciences commentary, relating to the patient described in the Longitudinal Case Study, in the form of an essay of not more than 3,000 words, excluding any tables, figures, diagrams or references. It must be in a format prescribed by the Graduate-entry Education Committee and published in the Notes of Guidance for the Preliminary Examination in Medicine. The essay must refer to aspects of Behavioural Sciences from a list published at the beginning of the academic year by the Graduate-entry Education Committee and included in the Notes of Guidance for the Preliminary Examination in Medicine. The number of such topics to be covered in the essay will be determined from time to time by the Graduate-entry Education Committee and will be published with the list and included in the Notes of Guidance.
2. (ii) Authorship The essay must be the candidate’s own work. Candidates’ tutors, or their deputies nominated to act as advisors, may discuss with candidates the proposed field of study as it relates to the patient, the sources available, and the method of treatment, but on no account may they read or comment on any written draft. Every candidate shall sign a certificate to the effect that this rule has been observed and that the essay is their own work; and the candidate’s tutor or advisor shall countersign the certificate confirming that, to the best of their knowledge and belief, this is so. The certificate, sealed in a separate envelope, should be addressed to the Chair of Examiners for the Preliminary Examination in Medicine Part I and submitted alongside the essay.
3. (iii) Submission The essay (two paper copies and an electronic copy) must be submitted to the Chair of Examiners for the Preliminary Examination in Medicine Part I, c/o the Examination Schools, High Street, Oxford, not later than noon on the Friday of Week 0 of Trinity Term.

General regulations for Part I of the Preliminary Examination in Medicine

The examination will be set at the end of the extended Trinity Term and at the end of the Long Vacation.

Examiners may award Distinctions for outstanding performance in Papers 3, 4 and 5, together with the Submitted Essay and Behavioural Sciences element of the Longitudinal Case Study, by candidates sitting the examination for the first time.

Candidates may be required, at the discretion of the examiners, to undergo an oral examination which may include a further clinical examination.

No candidate may enter for the examination on more than two occasions, save in exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the Medical Sciences Board following application from the candidate’s society.

Part II

The examination will consist of seven components. Candidates must pass all seven components listed below in order to pass the examination. Candidates who fail any component(s) of the examination at the first attempt need re-sit only the component(s) that they have failed, provided that all components are passed within a single academic year; except that, where a candidate has been granted leave by the Board to sit a component or components for a third time (under the provisions of the General Regulations for Part II of the Preliminary Examination in Medicine), the Board may also, at its discretion, waive the requirement for the candidate to pass all components within a single academic year.

1. Paper 1: Medicine (two hours) This paper will test core knowledge and understanding through problem-based questions. This material may include basic and applied science, differential diagnosis of common diseases and simple first-line clinical investigations. The paper will be marked pass/fail only. The marks from this paper will not contribute to the overall mark in the examination, nor to the award of a Distinction.
2. Paper 2: Clinical Science (two hours) This paper will relate to extension topics notified to candidates at the start of the academic year and will require candidates to answer two questions. Candidates will be given credit for demonstrating their breadth of reading beyond the core syllabus, for their ability to synthesise evidence from different sources and produce a coherent argument, and for discussion of primary literature.
3. Paper 3: Data Interpretation (two hours) This paper will assess candidates’ ability to critically appraise primary research material. The primary research paper, or papers (normally not more than two), will report clinical research. The literature will contain experimental, epidemiological, or clinical data for interpretation, including public health data. Candidates may be required to offer criticism of the experimental method, or of the interpretation of the published data (including epidemiological data), or to draw their own inferences from the published data. Candidates must attempt all questions.
4. Extended Essay on a Public Health topic
1. (i) Form and subject of the essay Candidates will be required to submit an essay on a topic related to Public Health aspects of the diagnosis or management of a clinical case they have seen during their clinical attachments in the second year of the course. The submitted essay shall be of not more than 3,000 words, excluding any tables, figures, diagrams or references. It must be in a format prescribed by the Graduate-entry Education Committee and published in the Notes of Guidance for the Preliminary Examination in Medicine. The essay must refer to aspects of Public Health from a list published at the beginning of the academic year by the Graduate-entry Education Committee and included in the Notes of Guidance for the Preliminary Examination in Medicine. The number of such topics to be covered in the essay will be determined from time to time by the Graduate-entry Education Committee and will be published with the list and included in the Notes of Guidance.
2. (ii) Validity Candidates must submit with their essay a certificate from the Clinical Tutor in Medicine or in Surgery, or from a consultant in charge of the patient, confirming that the student has seen the patient described in the essay. As a prologue to the essay, candidates should include a summary of the clinical case to which the essay refers. The summary should not usually exceed 250 words, but will not be included in the overall word count for the essay.
3. (iii) Authorship The essay must be the candidate’s own work. Candidates’ tutors, or their deputies nominated to act as advisors, may discuss with candidates the proposed field of study, the sources available, and the method of treatment, but on no account may they read or comment on any written draft. Every candidate shall sign a certificate to the effect that this rule has been observed and that the essay is their own work. The certificate, sealed in a separate envelope, should be addressed to the Chair of Examiners for the Preliminary Examination in Medicine Part II and submitted alongside the essay.
4. (iv) Submission The essay (two paper copies and an electronic copy) must be submitted to the Chair of Examiners for the Preliminary Examination in Medicine Part II, c/o the Examination Schools, High Street, Oxford, not later than noon on the Friday of Week 1 of Trinity Term.
5. Extended Synoptic Essay on a Science topic
1. (i) Form and subject of the essay Candidates will be required to submit an essay on a topic approved by the examiners, illustrating a technique or scientific application across several fields of clinical or basic science. The submitted essay shall be of not more than 3,000 words, excluding any tables, figures, diagrams or references. It must be in a format prescribed by the Graduate-entry Education Committee and published in the Notes of Guidance for the Preliminary Examination in Medicine. A list of suggested essay titles, and the topics to which they relate, approved by the Chair of Examiners in consultation with the Chair of the Graduate-entry Education Committee, shall be published no later than the end of Week 5 of the Michaelmas Term in the academic year of the examination. Candidates may also propose their own titles. Candidates may not submit an essay that closely relates to work that they have previously submitted for any university examination. A candidate wishing to offer an essay with a title not on the approved list must apply for approval of their proposed title by no later than the end of Week 0 of Hilary Term in the academic year of the examination. Application shall be made via the Course Administrator in the Medical School Office and shall include the proposed title, a brief outline of the subject matter, and the topic or topics to which it relates. Decision on the application shall be made by the Chair of Examiners in consultation with the Chair of the Graduate-entry Education Committee and shall be communicated to the candidate as soon as possible and in any case not later than Week 2 of Hilary Term in the academic year of the examination.
2. (ii) Registration No later than the end of Week 0 of Hilary Term in the academic year of the examination, every candidate must register the title of their essay via the Course Administrator in the Medical School Office.
3. (iii) Authorship The essay must be the candidate’s own work. Candidates’ tutors, or their deputies nominated to act as advisors, may discuss with candidates the proposed field of study, the sources available, and the method of treatment, but on no account may they read or comment on any written draft. Every candidate shall sign a certificate to the effect that this rule has been observed and that the essay is their own work. The certificate, sealed in a separate envelope, should be addressed to the Chair of Examiners for the Preliminary Examination in Medicine Part II and submitted alongside the essay.
4. (iv) Submission The essay (two paper copies and an electronic copy) must be submitted to the Chair of Examiners for the Preliminary Examination in Medicine Part II, c/o the Examination Schools, High Street, Oxford, not later than noon on the Friday of Week 1 of Trinity Term.
6. A clinical long case, followed by a viva Candidates will be assessed on their clinical history and examination skills, including their communication skills and professional behaviour, and knowledge of differential diagnosis and first-line investigations.
7. An Objective Structured Clinical Examination or similar problem-based clinical assessment Candidates will be assessed on their ability to perform a clinical examination of the systems of the body specified in the core curriculum, and on their practical skills, and on their ability to interpret and use clinical data.
8. In addition to the above examination, candidates will be required to have satisfactorily completed the following courses of instruction during Year 2:
1. (a) Practical skills and procedures (defined in the core curriculum) to be assessed in-course. A completed checklist of these skills and procedures, signed by the appropriate Clinical Tutor or other representative nominated by the Course Director, is required as a qualification for entry to the examination. These skills may be re-sampled during the end-of-year clinical assessment.
2. (b) The Laboratory Medicine Course (as prescribed for the Second Examination for the Degree of BM, Year 1)
3. (c) Medicine (as prescribed for the Second Examination for the Degree of BM, Year 1)
4. (d) Surgery (as prescribed for the Second Examination for the Degree of BM, Year 1)

General regulations for Part II of the Preliminary Examination in Medicine

The examination will be set towards the end of Trinity Term and at a time to be specified by the examiners during the Long Vacation.

Examiners may award Distinctions for outstanding performance in Papers 2 and 3, and the two extended essays, by candidates sitting the examination for the first time.

Candidates may be required, at the discretion of the examiners, to undergo an oral examination which may include a further clinical examination.

§6. Subjects and Method of the Second Examination for the Degree of Bachelor of Medicine

A

1. 1A candidate may be admitted to the Second Examination if his or her name has been entered on the University Register of Clinical Students and he or she has satisfied one of the following conditions:
1. (a) he or she has passed in all the subjects of the First Examination and the Qualifying Examination in the Principles of Clinical Anatomy and has either been admitted to the Degree of Bachelor of Arts with Honours or obtained a bachelor's degree at another university; or
2. (b) he or she has passed in all the subjects of the Preliminary Examination in Medicine; or
3. (c) he or she has both
  1. (i) successfully completed at a university in the United Kingdom a GMC-approved course of study in medical sciences that has included the subjects of the First Examination and the Principles of Clinical Anatomy, and is deemed by the Medical Sciences Board to qualify the candidate for admission; and
  2. (ii) obtained a bachelor's degree in science or arts at a university, such degree having been approved by the Board.
2. The Second Examination for the Degree of Bachelor of Medicine shall be under the supervision of the Medical Sciences Board. The Board shall have power to require candidates for admission to any part of the Second Examination to produce certificates of attendance at courses of practical instruction, and such other certificates as the Board may from time to time determine, and to define the form of such certificates. It shall be the duty of the Registrar to see that these conditions are observed.
3. The subject of the Second Examination shall be clinical medicine in all its aspects.
1. (a) The Second Examination shall cover three years, the subjects for each year being prescribed by regulation of the Medical Sciences Board.
2. (b) Each of Years 1 and 2 shall involve a form of assessment prescribed by regulation of the Board which shall be notified to candidates. No candidate shall commence Year 2 or 3 until he or she has satisfactorily completed Year 1 or 2 respectively (except that a candidate shall be permitted to commence Year 2 if he or she has passed in all the subjects in the Preliminary Examination in Medicine), unless the Director of Clinical Studies, at his or her discretion and in exceptional circumstances, decides that the candidate may proceed to the next year of study on condition that he or she should undertake remedial work and if necessary be reassessed at a later date.
3. (c) Year 3 shall involve written and clinical examinations and may involve oral examinations. No candidate shall be examined on the Year 3 Vocational Skills Course until he or she has passed the assessments for Years 1 and 2 and the Year 3 General Clinical Studies Course.
4. A candidate who has passed in all the subjects of the Preliminary Examination in Medicine shall be exempted from the Year 1 assessments of the Second Examination and shall be permitted to proceed directly to commence Year 2.
5. The examiners may award a Distinction for outstanding performance over the three years. Criteria for Distinctions will be determined by the Medical Sciences Board.
6. The examiners may award merits in each of the examined subjects in Years 1, 2 and 3.
7. Breach of the Code of Conduct for Medical Students, as approved and from time to time amended by Council's General Purposes Committee on the recommendation of the Medical Sciences Board, may be deemed to be a ground for removal of a student's name from the University Register of Clinical Students according to procedures which shall always be subject to approval by Council's General Purposes Committee on the recommendation of the Medical Sciences Board.
8. The provisions of the appropriate regulations, concerning the times of holding examinations and the entry of names, and the special regulation concerning dress shall not, unless otherwise prescribed by regulation of the board, apply to Years 1 and 2, except in the case of a formal examination set by the examiners of these stages, as prescribed by regulation of the Board.

B

1. Syllabus and Examination

The Second Examination shall be divided as detailed below.

YEAR 1

In Year 1, students are required to satisfy the examiners in:

(a) The Laboratory Medicine Course (concerning the application to human disease of the principles of Laboratory Medicine, including Histopathology, Microbiology and Infection, Clinical Biochemistry, Immunology and Haematology);
(b) Medicine;
(c) Surgery.

Each candidate will be assessed according to the methods approved by the Medical Sciences Board and notified to candidates before the commencement of each course of instruction.

Candidates must satisfy the relevant head of department or his or her deputy, or the Director of Clinical Studies or his or her deputy, that they have attended a course of instruction, and attained the necessary skills, knowledge and understanding in:

(a) The Patient Doctor 2 Course (being an introduction to clinical methods, history taking and physical examination);
(b) Anaesthetics;
(c) Clinical Pharmacology;
(d) Communication Skills;
(e) Medical Ethics and Law;
(f) Primary Health Care;
(g) Radiology;
(h) Special Study approved on behalf of the Medical Sciences Board.

No candidate shall commence Year 2 until he or she has satisfactorily completed Year 1, unless the Director of Clinical Studies at his or her discretion should, in exceptional circumstances, decide that the candidate may proceed to Year 2 on condition that he or she should undertake remedial work and if necessary be reassessed at a later date.

YEAR 2

In Year 2, students are required to satisfy the examiners in:

(a) Neurology and Neurosurgery;
(b) Obstetrics and Gynaecology (including Genito-Urinary Medicine);
(c) Orthopaedics, Rheumatology, Trauma and Emergency Medicine;
(d) Paediatrics;
(e) Palliative Care, Primary Health Care, and Population Health 2: Public Health;
(f) Psychiatry.

Each candidate will be assessed according to the methods approved by the Medical Sciences Board and notified to candidates before the commencement of each course of instruction.

Candidates must satisfy the relevant head of department or his or her deputy, that they have attended a course of instruction in, and attained the necessary skills, knowledge and understanding in:

(a) Clinical Geratology;
(b) Dermatology;
(c) Ophthalmology;
(d) Otolaryngology.

No candidate shall commence Year 3 until he or she has satisfactorily completed Year 2, unless the Director of Clinical Studies at his or her discretion should, in exceptional circumstances, decide that the candidate may proceed to Year 3 on condition that he or she should undertake remedial work and if necessary be reassessed at a later date.

YEAR 3

In Year 3, students are required to satisfy examiners in General Clinical Studies and Vocational Skills. Each candidate will be assessed according to the methods approved by the Medical Sciences Board and notified to candidates before the commencement of each course of instruction. Students who fail an assessment will have to forfeit part or all of the elective for a period of intensive clinical training.

1. General Clinical Studies

Students are required to satisfy the examiners in:

(a) Medicine and Surgery encompassing Communication Skills, Radiology, and Clinical Pharmacology; and
(b) Specialties studied but not previously formally examined (namely Clinical Geratology, Dermatology, Ophthalmology, and Otolaryngology).

Candidates must satisfy the Director of Clinical Studies that they have attended a course of instruction in Special Study and Clinical Options approved by the Medical Sciences Board.

2. Vocational Skills

Students are required to satisfy the Director of Clinical Studies or his or her deputy that they have provided work to a satisfactory standard in:

(a) Special Study and Clinical Options as approved by the Medical Sciences Board;
(b) A Course to prepare students for work as a Foundation 1 doctor;
(c) An Elective (students who fail an assessment may be required to complete remedial clinical work. These students will forfeit part, or all, of the elective and instead will be required to produce a satisfactory report at the end of an additional clinical attachment);
(d) A student assistantship with a clinical team; and
(e) An assessment in procedural skills.

2. Assessment

YEARS 1, 2, AND 3

Proposals for the assessment of candidates in Years 1, 2, and 3 of the examination shall be drawn up by each specialty group, or in the case of Year 3 by the Board’s Clinical Education Committee and submitted for approval to the Medical Sciences Board, at such times as the Board shall determine. The form or forms of assessment are chosen from among the following:

(a) clinical examination including long and short cases;
(b) competency check sheets, logbooks, or portfolios;
(c) examination and comment (written or viva voce) on specimens;
(d) objective structured clinical examinations;
(e) poster presentations;
(f) case presentations;
(g) written tests, which may consist in whole or in part of, for example, multiple choice questions, short answer questions, extended matching questions or essays;
(h) case histories and commentaries;
(i) prepared essays;
(j) viva voce examinations; and
(k) other tests individually approved by the Board.

In clinical subjects, all assessments shall include a test of clinical competence. In addition, reports on candidates’ attendance and general aptitude shown during the course of instruction shall be made by those responsible for the course and taken into consideration in association with the performance of candidates in the assessment.

A candidate shall be warned (in writing with a copy to the Director of Clinical Studies) by those responsible for the course in question before the assessment takes place, if his or her attendance and general aptitude are such as seems likely to jeopardise his or her chances of passing the assessment.

The first assessment of candidates shall be carried out during or at the conclusion of each component of the course by the staff, as appointed by the head of the relevant department, or, in the case of Year 3, by the examiners and/or assessors. Candidates in Years 1 and 3 shall be permitted a maximum of three attempts to pass an assessment. In Year 2 the Examination Board may require candidates to be assessed in a specified module or modules on one further occasion. Candidates in Year 2 shall be permitted a maximum of two attempts in order to pass Year 2.

It shall be the responsibility of the staff concerned, under the supervision of the Medical Sciences Board, to give the candidates and the relevant examiners and/or assessors, reasonable notice of the dates on which the assessments will take place, to decide on the outcome of each assessment, and to keep departmental records of each assessment. A candidate should not normally be assessed exclusively by staff members who have been responsible for his or her instruction.

YEAR 1

A candidate in Year 1 who fails to reach a satisfactory standard in any part of the assessment at the first attempt may offer himself or herself for reassessment on one further occasion and will only be required to be reassessed in the part or parts of the assessment they have failed. If a candidate fails to reach a satisfactory standard at the second attempt in any part of the assessment, the head of department concerned, or his or her deputy, shall require the candidate to be reassessed in the part or parts of the assessment previously failed after completing the necessary coursework; this assessment shall be carried out and adjudged by the staff appointed by the relevant head of department and in the presence of an external examiner. In the event that a candidate’s performance is judged to be unsatisfactory at this third attempt then his or her name shall be removed from the Register of Clinical Students subject to appeal to the Medical Sciences Board.

YEAR 2

A candidate in Year 2 who fails to reach a satisfactory standard in any individual course module assessment at the first attempt and is required by the Examination Board to be reassessed, will only be required to be reassessed in the part or parts of the assessment they have failed. A candidate must reach the threshold pass mark for Year 2 (from the sum of cumulative marks awarded from each course module assessment) and satisfy the Examination Board in a minimum of five out of the six modules, or the candidate will be deemed to have failed the second year of the course. A candidate who has been deemed to have failed will be allowed only one further attempt to pass Year 2 and will be required to repeat the second year of the course in its entirety. In the event that a candidate’s performance is judged to be unsatisfactory at this second attempt then his or her name shall be removed from the University Register of Clinical Students subject to appeal to the Medical Sciences Board.

YEAR 3

A candidate in Year 3 who fails to reach a satisfactory standard at the first attempt in any part of the assessment in medicine and surgery will be deemed, normally, to have failed the complete assessment and may offer himself or herself for reassessment on one further occasion. This reassessment will be undertaken in the presence of an external examiner. A candidate in this position will usually be required to be reassessed in all parts of the assessment, unless the examiners specifically direct that there be reassessment only in the part or parts in which the candidate has failed to reach a satisfactory standard. If a candidate fails to reach a satisfactory standard at the second attempt in any part of the assessment, then the candidate shall be deemed to have failed the complete assessment. The examiners shall require the candidate to be reassessed after completing the necessary coursework; this assessment shall be carried out and adjudged by the examiners, which shall include an external examiner. In the event that a candidate’s performance is judged to be unsatisfactory at this third attempt then his or her name shall be removed from the University Register of Clinical Students subject to appeal to the Medical Sciences Board.

3. The Duties of the Examiners

YEAR 1

In the first assessment of candidates in Year 1 each relevant pair of examiners shall be required to attend, and if they so wish participate, on at least one occasion each year.

In the reassessment of any candidate who has been deemed to have failed the whole assessment in Year 1, the external examiner shall be present and may participate if he or she wishes.

Year 3 examiners may assist with the assessment in Year 1.

YEAR 2

In the first assessment of candidates in the individual course module assessments of Year 2 each relevant pair of examiners/specialty advisors shall be required to attend, and if they so wish participate, on at least one occasion in each year.

YEAR 3

Assessment of General Clinical Studies

The examination shall be arranged and conducted by the Year 3 Examination Board under the direction of the Chair of Examiners and the Principal Examiners in Medicine and Surgery. When fewer than ten candidates present themselves the examination shall be arranged and conducted by the Chair of Examiners and the Principal Examiners in Medicine and Surgery. In considering whether a candidate has passed the assessment, the examiners may fail a candidate who does not satisfy them in one part of the assessment, even if he or she has satisfied them in other parts at that stage.

Assessment of Vocational Skills

Candidates shall be required to submit to the examiners such evidence as they require of the successful completion of their work. In considering whether candidates shall have passed the assessment, the examiners may fail a candidate who has provided either none or insufficient evidence of satisfactory completion of one part of the course, even if he or she has satisfied them in other parts of the course.

§7. Degree of Master of Surgery

A

1. Any person may supplicate for the Degree of Master of Surgery provided that:
1. (a) either
  1. (i) he or she has been admitted to the Degree of Bachelor of Surgery and has entered upon the thirtieth term from his or her matriculation, or in the case of a person who has incorporated as a Bachelor of Surgery, the thirtieth term from the date of matriculation at the University of Cambridge, or in the case of a person who has been admitted to the Second Examination for the Degree of Bachelor of Medicine under the provisions of the appropriate regulation, the twenty-first term from his or her matriculation;
2. or
  1. (ii) he or she holds the Degree of Master of Arts of the University (other than a degree by decree or special resolution or a degree honoris causa), has previously been entered in the Register of University Medical Students and has passed the First Examination for the Degree of Bachelor of Medicine of this University, holds a medical degree of another British university qualifying him or her to practise medicine, and has entered upon the thirtieth term from his or her matriculation;
3. (b) he or she has passed the FRCS or equivalent examination, and passed the examination hereinafter prescribed.
2. The examination shall consist of a thesis, and may include a viva voce examination to test the candidate's general competence in his or her own field.
3. No candidate shall be admitted to the examination earlier than the sixteenth term from the date of passing the Second Examination for the Degree of Bachelor of Medicine or an equivalent final medical examination from a university approved by Council.2
4. A candidate shall submit as evidence of his or her fitness to supplicate for the degree a thesis upon a subject previously approved by the Medical Sciences Board, or with the previous approval of that board a book or papers which have already been published under his or her own name. A candidate may submit joint publications provided that a substantial portion of the work submitted has been written solely by him or her. He or she shall make his application to the Medical Sciences Board through the Registrar, and shall at the same time submit:
1. (a) evidence that the subject of his or her thesis or published work has been approved by the Medical Sciences Board;
2. (b) four printed or typewritten copies of an abstract, of around 400 to 450 words and not exceeding 600 words, summarising the scope of the thesis or other evidence, the techniques used, and the principal findings;
3. (c) a certificate from the proper officer of his or her society that his or her application has the approval of that society;
4. (d) the fee prescribed in the appropriate regulation (see Appendix I);
5. (e) such number of copies of his or her evidence in such form as the board may by regulation direct.
The thesis or other evidence shall be accompanied by a certificate signed by the candidate indicating that it is the candidate's own work except where otherwise indicated. If the thesis or published work has not been submitted for examination before the sixteenth term after approval has been given under this clause, the candidate is required to seek reapproval of his or her submission.
5. On receipt of any such application, the Registrar shall submit it to the Medical Sciences Board. The board shall thereupon appoint two examiners whose duties shall be:
1. (1) to consider the evidence sent in by the candidate under the provisions of the preceding clause; provided that they shall exclude from consideration in making their report any part of the evidence that either
  1. (a) has already been accepted, or is being concurrently submitted for any degree in this or any other University, and shall have the power to require the candidate to produce for their inspection the complete thesis so accepted or concurrently submitted; or
  2. (b) does not represent the candidate's own work;
2. (2) if they think fit to examine the candidate orally;
3. (3) to report to the board through the Registrar;
4. (4) to return to the Registrar, with their report, the copy or copies of the evidence submitted by the candidate.
6. On receipt of the report of the examiners, it shall be the duty of the board to decide whether to permit the candidate to supplicate for the Degree of Master of Surgery, but permission shall in no case be given unless the examiners have reported that the work as embodied in his or her evidence and tested by his or her examination has resulted in an original contribution to knowledge deserving publication (whether or not already published) based on clinical and/or experimental observations, and that it is in their opinion of sufficient merit to entitle the candidate to supplicate for the Degree of Master of Surgery.
7. If the board approves the evidence as of sufficient merit for the degree, the board shall notify its decision in the University Gazette and one copy of the thesis or of each of the papers and books submitted as evidence shall remain in the possession of the University for deposit in Bodley's Library.

B

M.Ch.

1. Dissertations, theses, or published work for the M.Ch. must be submitted in English unless for exceptional reasons the Medical Sciences Board otherwise determines at the time of approving the subject of a dissertation or thesis, or granting leave to submit published work, as the case may be.

2. Candidates are required to send three copies of any dissertation, thesis, book, or papers submitted. Dissertations or theses must be either printed or typewritten and should not normally exceed 50,000 words (excluding appendices and case reports). Only in exceptional circumstances and with the approval of the Medical Sciences Board is it permitted to exceed this limit.

3. Candidates are required to submit at the same time as their application four printed or typewritten copies of an abstract, of around 400 to 450 words and not exceeding 600 words, summarising the scope of the dissertation, thesis, or published work, the techniques used, and the principal findings. One copy of the abstract will be used for the appointment of judges or examiners. One copy must be bound into the copy of the dissertation or thesis which, if the applicant is successful, will be deposited in the Bodleian Library. The abstract may also be bound into the other two copies of the dissertation, thesis, or published work if the candidate so desires. Each copy of the abstract shall be headed with the title of the dissertation, thesis, or published work, the name and college of the candidate, the degree for which it is submitted, and the term of submission.

4. Unless the board has excused the candidate from this requirement, the dissertation or thesis must be typed on one side of the paper only with a margin of 3 to 3.5 cms on the left-hand edge of each paper. The dissertation, thesis, or published work must have a stabbed binding with covers of stout manila or stiff cardboard and a canvas back, or must be stitched and bound in a stiff case. (It should be noted that the dissertation, thesis, or published work must be bound and that a loose-leaf binder of the screw-in type is not acceptable.)

Candidates are advised to pack each copy of the dissertation, thesis, or published work into a separate parcel, ready in all respects, except the address, to be posted to the judges or examiners when appointed. Each parcel should bear the candidate's name and college and the words ‘M.Ch. THESIS’ as appropriate in BLOCK CAPITALS in the bottom left-hand corner. The separate copies thus packed should be sent to the Examination Schools, High Street, Oxford OX1 4BG, in one covering parcel.

5. Oral Examination for the M.Ch.

(1) The examination may be attended by any member of the University in academic dress. No person who is not a member of the University may attend it except with the consent of both judges or examiners.
(2) The place, day, and hour of the examination shall be fixed by the judges or examiners, who shall be responsible for informing the candidate thereof by post prepaid, and it shall be the duty of the candidate to ensure that any letter addressed to him is forwarded to him if away. The judges or examiners shall allow reasonable time for receiving an acknowledgement from the candidate of their summons. The day shall be fixed by the judges or examiners to suit their own convenience, but they are asked, in order that the candidate may know what arrangements he may safely make, to give the candidate early information of the date fixed, even though it may be some considerable time ahead.
(3) Notice of the examination shall be given by the judges or examiners to the Registrar.
(4) If, owing to illness or other urgent and unforeseen cause, a judge or examiner is unable to attend the examination, it shall be postponed to a later date, provided that, if the Vice-Chancellor is satisfied that postponement will be a serious hardship to the candidate, he may authorise another person to attend the examination as a substitute. Such substitute shall not be required to sign the report, but he shall receive such remuneration as the Vice-Chancellor and Proctors shall determine.

§8. Status of Student for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine3

1. Any person may supplicate for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine if either:
1. (1) he or she has been admitted to the Degree of Bachelor of Medicine and has entered upon the thirty-sixth term from his or her matriculation, or, in the case of a person who has been admitted to the Oxford Graduate Entry Medical Course, the thirtieth term from the date of his or her matriculation, or, in the case of a person who has incorporated as a Bachelor of Medicine, the thirty-sixth term from the date of his or her matriculation at the University of Cambridge, or, in the case of a person who has been admitted to the Second Examination for the Degree of Bachelor of Medicine under the provisions of §6, cl. 1 of this section, the twenty-seventh term from his or her matriculation; or
2. (2) he or she holds the Degree of Master of Arts of the University (other than a degree by decree or resolution or an honorary degree), has previously been entered in the Register of University Medical Students and has passed the First Examination for the Degree of Bachelor of Medicine of this University, holds a degree qualifying him or her to be placed on the Medical Register, and has entered upon the thirty-sixth term from his or her matriculation.
2. It shall be the duty of the Registrar to keep a Register of those admitted to the status of Student for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine.
3. On application for admission to the status of Student for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine, the applicant shall state whether he or she will wish to submit as his or her dissertation a series of papers or books, as permitted under §12, cl. 3 of this section.

§9. Registration for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine

1. Except in the case of submission of published work as a dissertation for the degree, no student shall submit a dissertation until at least the beginning of the sixth term after the Medical Sciences Board has granted his or her admission.
2. A student must carry out the bulk of the research for the dissertation during the period in which he or she is registered.
3. If the dissertation, including published work submitted as a dissertation, has not been submitted for examination before the fifteenth term after admission has been granted, a student shall be required to seek readmission.

§10. Advisers of Students for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine

1.
1. (1) Except in the case of students submitting published work as a dissertation for the degree, every student on admission as a Student for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine shall be allocated to an Adviser in Oxford appointed by the Medical Sciences Board in the student's area of research.
2. (2) In the case of students working outside Oxford, each student shall be required to seek additional advice from a senior member of the academic or clinical staff at the institution at which the research is to be pursued; and the student shall notify the Medical Sciences Board of the name of that person and provide a written statement signed by that person confirming that he or she is willing to undertake the role of an additional Adviser.
2.
1. (1) It shall be the duty of the Adviser to offer support and assistance to the student in the manner prescribed in the Memorandum of Guidance for Advisers and Students for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine as published from time to time by the Medical Sciences Board.
2. (2) The Adviser shall submit reports on the progress of the student's work at the beginning of each Michaelmas and Trinity Term, and the reports of Advisers outside Oxford shall, in the case of the relevant students, also be received by the Adviser in Oxford.
3. (3) It shall be the responsibility of the Adviser at the host institution (whether that is Oxford or elsewhere) to inform the Medical Sciences Board if he or she is of the opinion that the student is unlikely to reach the standard required for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine.
3.
1. (1) Except when approval has been given for submission of published work as a dissertation for the degree, it shall be the duty of every Student for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine to seek the advice of the Adviser (or, in the case of students working outside Oxford, both Advisers) at an early stage of the proposed research and to seek comments on his or her dissertation before its submission.
2. (2) During the course of the research the student shall maintain contact with the Adviser or Advisers in the manner prescribed in the Memorandum of Guidance for Advisers and Students for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine.

§11. Confirmation of status as a Student for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine

1.
1. (1) Except in the case of submission of published work as a dissertation, a student registered for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine must, not later than the sixth term and not earlier than the third term after that in which he or she was admitted to the status of Student for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine, apply to the Medical Sciences Board for confirmation of that status.
2. (2) Except in the case of students submitting published work as a dissertation, all Students for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine shall have their status confirmed before they may make an application for the appointment of examiners.
2. Students applying for confirmation of status shall submit their application to the Medical Sciences Board through the Registrar; and each application shall be accompanied by:
1. (1) a report on the work undertaken since registration;
2. (2) a statement from the Adviser at the place where the work is being undertaken commenting on whether the student's progress provides firm evidence that the work when completed is likely to reach the standard required for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine.
3.
1. (1) If, after considering a student's application for confirmation of status, the Medical Sciences Board concludes that the student's progress does not warrant confirmation, the board may permit the submission of a further application not later than the third term after the original application.
2. (2) If the second application is unsuccessful, the student's name shall be removed from the Register of Students for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine.
4. Except in the case of submission of published work as a dissertation for the degree, a Student for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine shall cease to hold that status unless it has been confirmed within nine terms of his or her admission to that status.

§12. Examination of Students for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine

1. A Student for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine who has, where applicable, fulfilled the requirements set out in §§9 and 11 of this section, and whose status has not expired, may apply to the Medical Sciences Board for the appointment of examiners and for leave to supplicate for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine.
2. Students admitted to the Degree of Doctor of Medicine prior to April 2002 will be given the option of examination under the regulations introduced in April 2002.
3.
1. (1) A Student for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine may
2. either
  1. (a) submit a dissertation upon a subject which, together with the proposed manner of treating it, has previously been approved by the Medical Sciences Board;
3. or
  1. (b) in exceptional circumstances, submit as his or her dissertation a series of papers or books published at least twelve months before the proposed date of submission, if the previous approval of the Medical Sciences Board has been given after considering the seniority of the student (who shall be required to have held a career-grade post for a period of at least fifteen years prior to submission), and the opinions of any referees who may be consulted.
4. (2) Submission of published works as a dissertation shall be permitted only when there is evidence of outstanding quality in the scientific papers or other works intended for submission; it shall also be a requirement that the published works be accompanied by a general introduction and a general conclusion and that they form a continuous theme.
4. Applications for the appointment of examiners and for leave to supplicate shall be made to the Medical Sciences Board through the Medical Sciences Graduate School Office4 and shall include:
1. (1) a statement by the candidate that the thesis is his or her own work, except where otherwise indicated;
2. (2) a statement by the candidate of what part, if any, of the thesis has already been accepted, or is concurrently being submitted, for any degree or diploma or certificate or other qualification in this University or elsewhere;
3. (3) a statement, where applicable, from the Adviser at the place where the research was undertaken certifying that the candidate has sought his or her advice as appropriate;
4. (4) a statement from the candidate's college in support of the application;
5. (5) two printed or typewritten copies of an abstract of the thesis, which shall not normally exceed 300 words in length.
5. Where the Medical Sciences Board has given approval for submission of published work as a dissertation, two printed or typewritten copies of the thesis may be submitted by the student immediately after approval, in a format which is in accordance with the instructions obtainable from the Medical Sciences Board through the Medical Sciences Graduate School Office.
6. In all other cases, students shall submit an application in accordance with clause 4 above up to four months in advance of submitting two printed or typewritten copies of the thesis in a format which is in accordance with the instructions obtainable from the Medical Sciences Board through the Medical Sciences Graduate School Office.
7. If a student has not submitted his or her thesis for examination within twelve months from submission of the application under the provisions of clause 4 above, then the application shall lapse.
8.
1. (1) On receipt of an application the Medical Sciences Board shall appoint two examiners, neither of whom shall be the student's Adviser, and one of whom shall be external to the University.
2. (2) The duties of the examiners shall be:
  1. (a) to consider the thesis and the abstract of it submitted by the candidate, except that they shall exclude from consideration in making their report any part of the thesis that either has already been accepted, or is concurrently being submitted, for any degree or diploma or certificate or other qualification in this University or elsewhere, or does not represent the candidate's own work;
  2. (b) to examine the candidate orally in the subject of his or her thesis, unless, in exceptional circumstances in the case of submission of published work as a dissertation, the board agrees, on the recommendation of the examiners, to dispense with this requirement;
  3. (c) to report to the Medical Sciences Board through the Registrar on the scope, character, and quality of the work submitted, in the manner prescribed in clause 10 below;
  4. (d) to return to the candidate the copies of the thesis and abstract.
9.
1. (1) The Medical Sciences Board shall have power to make regulations concerning the notice to be given of the oral examination, and of the time and place at which it may be held.
2. (2) The examination may be attended by any member of the University in academic dress, while non-members may attend only with the consent of the examiners.
3. (3) The Vice-Chancellor and Proctors after consultation with the board may decide (either at their own discretion or at the request of the student or the supervisor or department) to forbid the attendance of any person or all persons (other than the examiners and the candidate) or to impose any condition on attendance if and to the extent that such action is in their view necessary to protect the interests of the University or the candidate or both, and the examiners shall be informed accordingly and shall include this information in the notice of examination.
10. Having completed the examination, the examiners may make one of the following recommendations in their report to the Medical Sciences Board, or they may alternatively proceed in accordance with the provisions of clause 10 below:
1. (1) that the board grant the student leave to supplicate for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine, if making this recommendation, the examiners shall include in their report statements that:
  1. (a) the student possesses a comprehensive knowledge of the particular field of learning in which the thesis falls;
  2. (b) the thesis embodies original observations on either clinical or experimental material;
  3. (c) the work done by the student and embodied in the thesis has resulted in an original and substantial contribution to medical science;
  4. (d) the thesis is presented in a lucid and scholarly manner;
  5. (e) the student has presented a satisfactory abstract of the thesis;
  6. (f) in their opinion the thesis merits the award of the Degree of Doctor of Medicine;
2. (2) that the board offer the student the option of reference of the thesis back to him or her in order that he or she may revise it for re-examination for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine on not more than one occasion, on the basis that the thesis has not reached the standard required for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine; if making this recommendation, the examiners shall annex to their report to the board a statement, for transmission to the student, setting out the respects in which the thesis falls below the standard required for the degree and what changes are necessary for it to reach that required standard, and setting a deadline (subject to the agreement of the board) for resubmission;
3. (3) that, in the case of a student whose thesis has already been referred back on one occasion, the student's application for leave to supplicate be refused; if making this recommendation, the examiners shall annex to their report a statement, for transmission to the student, setting out the respects in which the thesis falls below the standard required for the degree.
11.
1. (1) If the examiners are satisfied that the student's thesis is of sufficient merit to qualify for the degree but consider, nevertheless, that before the thesis is deposited the student should make minor corrections (which are not sufficiently substantial to justify reference back for re-examination), they shall require the student to correct the thesis to their satisfaction before they submit their report.
2. (2) If the student has not completed these corrections within three calendar months of the date of the oral examination, his or her name shall be removed by the Registrar from the Register of Students for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine, except that the board may, on good cause shown by the student, grant an extension of time of three further calendar months in which the student may fulfil this requirement before the removal of his or her name from the Register.
3. (3) No subsequent extension shall be granted, but it shall be open to a student who has failed to fulfil this requirement within those three or six months in total, as the case may be, to apply to the board for reinstatement as a Student for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine, with the support of his or her college and Adviser(s), upon submission to the Registrar of a copy of his or her thesis incorporating the required corrections, and upon payment of such reinstatement fee as may from time to time be prescribed by Council by decree; leave to supplicate shall not be granted until this fee has been paid.
12. The Medical Sciences Board may exempt a candidate who is being re-examined under the provision of clause 10(2) above from a further oral examination, if the examiners are able to certify that they are satisfied without examining the candidate orally that they can recommend to the board in the terms required by clause 10(1) above that he or she be given leave to supplicate for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine.
13. In an exceptional case in which the Medical Sciences Board is unable to accept the examiners' recommendation, or in which the examiners cannot reach an agreed recommendation, the board shall have power to appoint one or two new examiners, as it deems necessary, to conduct such further examination of the candidate as the board may require.
14.
1. (1) A student who has been granted leave to supplicate by the board shall be required to submit to the Registrar a copy of his or her thesis, incorporating any amendments or corrections required by the examiners and approved by the board, with a view to deposit in the Bodleian or other appropriate university library.
2. (2) Leave to supplicate shall in all cases be conditional upon fulfilment of this requirement.
15.
1. (1) It shall be the duty of the Registrar to notify the student of the board's decision as soon as may be.
2. (2) The Registrar shall also be responsible for publishing at the end of each academic year (except in so far as it may be necessary not to publish any name in order to comply with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998) the names of those students to whom permission to supplicate has been granted during that year, together with a statement of the subject of the thesis written by each.
16. When, on the conclusion of an investigation of a complaint made by a student, the Proctors recommend that a student be re-examined, the board shall have power to hold a new examination.

1. Admission

Students qualified under the appropriate regulation may apply for admission as a Student for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine to the Medical Sciences Board through the Registrar. Such application shall be accompanied by:

(i) a completed application form (obtainable from the Medical Sciences Graduate School Office);
(ii) a statement of not more than 1,500 words outlining the proposed scope of the research to be undertaken and provisional thesis title;
and, in the case of students wishing to submit published work, the following additional information:
(iii) a list of the works to be submitted, details of their publication, and a statement on whether any part of the work to be submitted has previously been accepted for a degree. A student who submits work that has been produced in collaboration shall state in respect of each item the extent of his or her own contribution. This statement must be certified by each of the senior and primary authors (where he or she is not the student) in the case of each piece of collaborative work submitted.

A set of published works may constitute an acceptable dissertation but only if with the addition of a general introduction and general conclusion they form a continuous theme.

2. Confirmation of Status

Students who have been admitted to DM status, and intend to submit a dissertation for a thesis, must, not later than six terms and not earlier than three terms after admission to DM status, apply for confirmation of that status.

The requirements for confirmation of status are:

(i) completion by the student of the appropriate form (obtainable from the Medical Sciences Graduate School Office);
(ii) submission by the student of a report of no more than 2,500 words on the work undertaken since registration, including a comprehensive outline of the research topic, details of progress made, and the anticipated timetable for submission of the thesis;
(iii) completion of the appropriate form (obtainable from the Medical Sciences Graduate School Office) by the Adviser at the place where the work is being undertaken.

The application shall be directed to the Graduate Studies Committee of the Medical Sciences Board, which shall appoint two assessors competent in the student's area of research (who may include the Adviser in Oxford in the case of students working outside Oxford). The assessors shall submit to the board's Graduate Studies Committee a report (using a form obtainable from the Medical Sciences Graduate School Office) after considering the student's report and, if necessary, interviewing the student. Before a decision is reached on whether or not confirmation of status should be approved the Graduate Studies Committee shall take into account the comments made on the application by the Adviser at the place of work and that Adviser's biannual reports.

If the Graduate Studies Committee does not consider that the student's progress warrants confirmation of status it may either: (a) permit the resubmission of the application on one further occasion not later than the third term after the original application; or (b) reject the application.

A copy of the assessors' report, amended as necessary by the Graduate Studies Committee, will normally be made available to the student.

3. Theses

The requirements for the submission of a thesis are as follows:

(i) The completion by the student of the appropriate form (obtainable from the Medical Sciences Graduate School Office). The form may be submitted immediately in the case of students submitting published work as a dissertation and up to four months in advance of submitting the thesis in the case of other students.
(ii) The submission of two printed or typewritten copies of the thesis and two printed or typewritten copies of an abstract, formatted and supplied according to the instructions obtainable from the Medical Sciences Board through the Medical Sciences Graduate School Office.

4. Oral Examination

(i) The place, day, and hour of examination shall be fixed by the examiners, who shall be responsible for informing the student by post, and it shall be the duty of the student to ensure that any letter addressed to him or her is forwarded to him or her if away. The examiners shall allow reasonable time for receiving an acknowledgement from the student of their summons. The day shall be fixed by the examiners to suit their own convenience but they are asked, in order that the student may know what arrangements he or she may safely make, to give the student early information of the date fixed, even though it may be some considerable time ahead.
(ii) Notice of the examination shall be given by the examiners to the Research Degrees Team at the Examination Schools, High Street, Oxford, OX1 4BG.
(iii) If, owing to illness or other urgent or unforeseen cause, an examiner is unable to attend the examination, it shall be postponed to a later date, except that, if the Proctors are satisfied that postponement will be a serious hardship to the student, the Proctors may authorise another person to attend the examination as a substitute. The substitute shall not be required to sign the report, but he or she shall receive such remuneration as the Vice-Chancellor and Proctors shall determine.

1. Applications for admission to the Second BM Examination under the provisions of this clause should be addressed to the Medical School Office, Level 2, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headley Way, Oxford, OX3 9DU.

2. i.e. a university approved for the purpose of senior status or a university especially approved for the purpose of this clause.

3. Students whose proposed outlines for submission (or resubmission) of a dissertation have been approved before 1 April 2002 will be examined under the provisions governing the Degree of Doctor of Medicine as they stood before that date (Examination Decrees, 2001, pp. 899-902). Students who were first examined before 1 April 2002 but who will be seeking permission to resubmit after that date will also be re-examined under the old provisions. Judges who examine a student who is required to submit under the old provisions may however, should the thesis not meet the requirements for the award of the degree on initial submission, offer the candidate the option of revising his or her thesis for re-examination (on payment of the appropriate fee) in accordance with clause 10 (2) of subsection 12 below under the legislation as it stood on 1 April 2002.

4. Medical Sciences Graduate School Office, Level 3, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headley Way, Oxford, OX3 9DU.]