The Medicinæ Doctor or Doctor of Medicine (M.D. or D.M.) is a doctorate level degree held by medical doctors. See Physician or Medicine for a fuller discussion of the holders of this degree and their field of study.
The M.D. in Canada and the United States is a doctorate level degree. It is a first professional doctorate degree much like the J.D. ( juris doctor ) is. All programs require a previous undergraduate degree or some undergraduate coursework to be completed before acceptance into a medical school. The M.D. typically is earned in 4 years.
In the United Kingdom and in countries that follow its tradition, medical doctors instead graduate as Bachelors of Medicine and Surgery, usually abbreviated as 'MB BS' or 'BM BCh'. The Doctor of Medicine and Master of Surgery are higher doctorates reserved for those who have contributed significantly to the academic study of medicine and surgery respectively. (It follows that the title of "Dr." is technically honorary for the majority of practising physicians in the UK.)
In Finland, physicians hold the degree of Licenciate in Medicine, and as in the UK, the Doctor of Medicine (lääketieteen tohtori) is a higher degree reserved for those who have held a doctoral dissertation.
In Canada, the M.D. is the basic medicaldegree required to practise medicine; as well, in most provinces, the provincial college of physicians and surgeons grants practice rights to American-trained osteopathic physicians.
Medicaldegrees are professional degrees and are distinct from research doctorates (Doctor of Philosophy, or Ph.D.), which require a graduate thesis (doctoral dissertation).
At most medical schools, the first two years primarily involve classroom instruction in both lecture and laboratory formats while the final two years are comprised of a series of clerkships in clinical departments such as family practice, surgery, internal medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, and obstetrics/gynecology.
A medical school, or faculty of medicine, is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, which is involved in the education of future medical practitioners (medical doctors) as well as their accreditation to legally practice medicine.
Medical schools are often highly competitive, with medical schools accepting only a few number of applicants based primarily on test scores such as the MCAT or other standardized entrance examinations.
All medical students are permitted entry from the highest level of secondary school: VWO, the entrant is not required to have a previous bachelor's degrees qualification.
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