Statutes and Ordinances of the University of Cambridge
CHAPTER VII
pp. 475–495
DEGREES, DIPLOMAS, AND OTHER QUALIFICATIONS

The provisions contained in this Chapter are Regulations of the General Board

In this section

DEGREES IN MEDICINE AND SURGERY

Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery

NEW CURRICULUM REGULATIONS1

(Curriculum Regulations)

Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery

CURRICULUM REGULATIONS

Amended by Notices (Reporter, 2017–18, pp. 112 and 849)

1. These regulations, which shall be known as the Curriculum Regulations for the degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, shall apply to those students who begin their clinical course on or after 1 September 2015.

2. On completing the requisite number of terms,2 a student who has passed in Parts I, II, and III of the Final M.B. Examination as prescribed in these regulations shall be qualified to supplicate for the degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery. The short titles of these degrees shall be M.B., B.Chir.

Definitions.

3. In these regulations unless the context shall require otherwise:

  1. (a)the term Faculty Board shall mean the Faculty Board of Clinical Medicine;
  2. (b)the term Regius Professor shall mean the Regius Professor of Physic;
  3. (c)the term Associate Teaching Hospital or Associate Teaching General Practice shall mean a hospital or health-care provider, or other institution associated with the University, which has been approved by the Faculty Board of Clinical Medicine to provide clinical placements for medical students;
  4. (d)the term instruction shall mean instruction given in the University or elsewhere and may include practical instruction;
  5. (e)the term approved course shall mean a course approved for the purpose of these regulations by the Faculty Board of Clinical Medicine;
  6. (f)the term approved courses of clinical instruction shall mean courses or placements which are held in the University, University Hospital, Associate Teaching Hospital, or Associate Teaching General Practice, or other institution associated with the University as the Faculty Board may approve for the purpose of these regulations, and which have been approved by the Faculty Board as courses appropriate to a Part of the Final M.B. Examination;
  7. (g)the term year of clinical study shall mean a period of twelve consecutive months (including not more than eight weeks’ vacation) during which a student has attended full-time approved courses of clinical instruction as defined in Regulation 3(f);
  8. (h)the term evidence shall mean:
  9. (i)in the case of study in another university, evidence signed by a responsible officer of the university concerned;
  10. (ii)during the period of clinical study defined in Regulation 3;
  11. (iii)evidence signed by the Director of Medical Education or another officer authorized by the Director;
  12. (i)the term satisfactory completion shall mean that the student has performed appropriately in an examination or submitted work which satisfies the Faculty Board of Clinical Medicine which shall publish annually in the Michaelmas Term a statement in the Reporter outlining the requirements for satisfactory completion;
  13. (j)the term satisfactory performance shall mean performance which satisfies the Director of Medical Education or another officer or officers authorized by the Director;
  14. (k)the term M.B./Ph.D. Programme student shall mean a student who, having been approved by the Faculty Board for admission to a course combining research and clinical instruction in the University, has subsequently been admitted as a Graduate Student by the Board of Graduate Studies;
  15. (l)the term Cambridge Graduate Course student shall mean a student who holds an Honours Degree of this or a recognized university and has been approved by the Faculty Board for admission to a four-year course in medicine (Cambridge Graduate Course in Medicine);
  16. (m)the term Medical Students Register shall mean a register of students who are deemed fit to practise medicine. A student may be removed temporarily or permanently from the Register if he or she is deemed no longer a fit person to have the privilege of access to patients. Subject to the powers of the Council and of the General Board and of a Fitness to Practise Appeal Panel, the Register shall be maintained by the Faculty Boards of Biology and Clinical Medicine through the Fitness to Practise Committee.
Examinations.

4. There shall be a Second Examination and a Final Examination for the degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, referred to in these regulations as the Second M.B. Examination and the Final M.B. Examination.

Supplementary regulations.

5. The Faculty Board, after consulting other bodies concerned, shall have power to issue from time to time supplementary regulations defining or limiting all or any of the Parts, subjects, papers, or sections of the Second M.B. Examination or the Final M.B. Examination. Due care shall be taken that sufficient notice is given of any alteration of such supplementary regulations.

Evidence of instruction.

6. Where a candidate for any of the examinations prescribed in these regulations is required by them to produce evidence of instruction or of any other matter, the candidate’s entry shall not be considered to have been made earlier than the day on which the Registrary receives that evidence or the last part of it to be submitted.

Examination attempt.

7. A student shall be deemed to have had an attempt at an examination under these regulations (including an attempt at any subject or component assessed by that examination) if he or she:

  1. (a)has taken her or his place for the examination and the formal start of the examination is recorded, irrespective of whether the student began or completed any part of the examination;
  1. (b)except by special permission of the Faculty Board granted in exceptional circumstances, if the student fails to take her or his place for the examination, and her or his examination entry has not been withdrawn.

8. No student shall be a candidate for any subject of the Second M.B. Examination unless he or she has previously satisfied the University’s matriculation requirements.

9. The Faculty Board shall have power to grant exemption from all or part of the matriculation requirements to a student who is deemed by the Board to have attained a satisfactory standard in an examination or examinations approved by the Board for this purpose in an appropriate subject or subjects.

Second M.B. Examination.

10. The subjects of the Second M.B. Examination shall be as follows:

Biology of Disease (BOD)

Functional Architecture of the Body (FAB)

Head and Neck Anatomy (HNA)

Homeostasis (HOM)

Human Reproduction (HR)

Introduction to the Scientific Basis of Medicine (ISBM)

Mechanisms of Drug Action (MODA)

Molecules in Medical Science (MIMS)

Neurobiology with Human Behaviour (NHB)

Preparing for Patients (PFP)

Social and Ethical Context of Health and Illness (SECHI)

provided that a candidate taking the Cambridge Graduate Course in Medicine shall not be examined in the subject PFP.

  1. (a)The examinations in BOD, HOM, and MIMS shall each consist of a written paper of one hour, which shall contain compulsory short-answer questions (Section I), and a practical examination of two hours (Section II).
  2. (b)The examinations in MODA shall consist of a written paper of one and a half hours which shall contain compulsory short-answer questions (Section I), a practical examination of two hours (Section II), and one written paper of two hours containing essay questions (Section III).
  3. (c)The examination in HR shall consist of a written paper of one hour, which shall contain compulsory short-answer questions (Section I), and a practical examination of one hour (Section II).
  4. (d)The examination in NHB shall consist of a written paper of one and a half hours, which shall contain compulsory short-answer questions (Section I), and a practical examination of one hour (Section II).
  5. (e)The examination in SECHI shall consist of a written paper of ninety minutes.
  6. (f)The examination in ISBM shall consist of a written paper of forty-five minutes.
  7. (g)The examinations in PFP shall each consist of the submission of records of such coursework done by candidates as shall be specified from time to time by the Faculty Board of Clinical Medicine after consultation with the Faculty Board of Biology.
  8. (h)The examination in HNA shall consist of a practical paper of forty-five minutes consisting of two sections (Section I and Section II).
  9. (i)The examination in FAB shall consist of a combined written and practical paper of an hour and a half, which shall contain short answer questions (Section I) and a practical examination (Section II).

11. The Second M.B. Examination shall be held as follows:

  1. (a)The examinations in BOD, FAB, HOM, HR, MIMS, MODA, and NHB shall be held twice a year, as follows:
  2. (i)in the Easter Term, on the dates prescribed for Part Ia and Part Ib of the Medical Sciences Tripos3;
  3. (ii)in September, beginning on the Monday next but one before the first day of the Michaelmas Term.
  4. (b)The examinations in ISBM, HNA, and SECHI shall be held twice a year on the last day of Full Lent Term and in the week beginning on the Monday next but one before the first day of the Michaelmas Term.
  5. (c)Records of coursework for PFP shall be submitted, in accordance with detailed arrangements approved by the Faculty Board after consultation with the Faculty Board of Biology.
Approved courses of instruction.

12. A candidate for the Second M.B. Examination shall be required to have diligently attended approved courses of instruction appropriate to the subject or subjects to be offered in the examination. Approved courses recognized for this purpose shall be listed in Schedule A to these regulations; the Faculty Board shall have power to amend this Schedule from time to time as they think fit. The Faculty Board shall have authority to approve for this purpose additional courses offered by a university other than Cambridge, or, in exceptional circumstances, to waive the requirement. The Second M.B. Examination may be taken by an unmatriculated student who has satisfied this requirement and who is certified on behalf of a College to the Registrary to be a bona fide candidate for admission to the College.

No student whose name does not appear on the Medical Students Register shall be a candidate for any subject of the Second M.B. Examination.

  1. Exemption.
    13.(a) The Faculty Board shall have power to grant exemption from any subject or subjects of the Second M.B. Examination to a candidate for admission as a clinical student from a university other than Cambridge, provided that the student has satisfied the conditions of Regulation 12 and has attained a satisfactory standard, as prescribed by the Faculty Board, in corresponding subjects taken in an examination for a degree of a university other than Cambridge.
  2. (b)The Faculty Board shall inform the Registrary as early as possible of the names of those candidates who have been granted exemption from any subject or subjects of the Second M.B. Examination and who have satisfied the requirements in Regulation 13(a).
Re-examination.

14. A candidate who is unsuccessful in the examination in any subject of the Second M.B. Examination shall be eligible for re-examination, provided that, except by special permission of the Faculty Board granted in exceptional circumstances and subject to any conditions determined by them,

  1. (a)a student who fails to satisfy the Examiners in any subject other than PFP shall not be a candidate for re-examination in that subject later than nine months after her or his first attempt in that subject;
  2. (b)a student whose submission for any course of PFP fails to satisfy the Examiners shall be required to submit a revised report for that course not later than the end of the current academical year;
  3. (c)subject to Regulation 29, no student shall be a candidate in any subject on more than two occasions in total.

The Faculty Board shall not normally grant a student special permission under Regulation 14(c) on more than two separate occasions.

Final M.B. Examination.

15. The Final M.B. Examination shall consist of three Parts: Parts I, II, and III. Each Part shall consist of a number of written and clinical components. The number shall be determined by the Faculty of Clinical Medicine, and a list of the components shall be published in the Michaelmas Term. A timetable for each sitting of the examinations shall be published by the Registrary after consultation with the Faculty Board, before the division of the Easter Term each year for the calendar year next following. The examinations shall normally be held in accordance with the following timetable.

Part I shall be held in July and Part II shall be held in the Easter Term. The written component(s) of Part III shall be held in the Michaelmas Term and the clinical component(s) of Part III shall be held in the Easter Term.

Part I and Part II shall also be held in September; the written components of Part III shall also be held in the Lent Term. The Examiners, at their discretion, may give permission for a student to be re-examined for one or more clinical components of Part III before the end of June.

16. The Examiners may, at their discretion, award a distinction to any candidate who has passed all Parts of the Final M.B. Examination at the first attempt, and may examine any candidate for distinction viva voce.

Candidature for the Final M.B. Examination shall be subject to the restrictions and conditions specified in Regulations 17–22 below.

17. Before taking any Part of the Final M.B. Examination a student shall have obtained a degree deemed appropriate by the Faculty Board and, with the exception of Cambridge Graduate Course students, shall have completed the Second M.B. Examination by having passed all the subjects thereof. No student whose name does not appear on the Medical Students Register shall be a candidate for any Part of the Final M.B. Examination.

18. A student who proposes to be a candidate for any Part of the Final M.B. Examination shall produce evidence of having satisfactorily completed the approved courses of clinical instruction appropriate to that Part. With the exception of Cambridge Graduate Course students, and except by permission of the Faculty Board in exceptional circumstances and subject to any conditions determined by them, a student’s course of clinical instruction shall not count towards the requirements of the Final M.B. Examination

  1. (a)if it began before the student’s completion of the Second M.B. Examination;
  2. or(b)if it began before the student obtained the degree required under Regulation 17 above.

19. A student who has failed to complete satisfactorily any part of the approved courses of clinical instruction, including permitted reassessments as specified by the Faculty Board of Clinical Medicine, shall not be permitted to progress to the next course of clinical instruction. A Cambridge Graduate Course student who has not successfully completed the Second M.B. Examination, shall not be permitted to be a candidate for Part II of the Final M.B. examination.

  1. 20.(a) A student who is a candidate for the first time for Part I, Part II, or Part III shall offer all components.
  2. (b)A student shall not be a candidate for the first time for Part I until at least nine months have elapsed since the beginning of the student’s course of clinical study.
  3. (c)A student shall not be a candidate for the first time for Part II unless
  4. (i)he or she has completed one year and eight months of clinical study in the University,

and unless

  1. (ii)[with the exception of M.B./Ph.D. Programme students who began the clinical course prior to 1 September 2015]4 the student has previously passed in Part I.
  2. (d)A student shall not be a candidate for the first time for the written components of Part III unless
  3. (i)he or she has completed two years and two months of clinical study in the University,

and unless

  1. (ii)the student has previously passed in Part II and [with the exception of M.B./Ph.D. Programme students who began the clinical course prior to 1 September 2015]4 in Part I.
  2. (e)A student shall not be a candidate for the first time for the clinical components of Part III unless
  3. (i)he or she has completed two years and six months of clinical study in the University,

and unless

  1. (ii)the student has previously passed in the written components of Part III, in Part II and [with the exception of M.B./Ph.D. Programme students who began the clinical course prior to 1 September 2015]4 in Part I.
  2. [(f)The Faculty Board shall have the power to grant exemption from any component of Part I of the Final M.B. Examination to any M.B./Ph.D. Programme student who began the clinical course prior to 1 September 2015, providing that the student has attained a satisfactory standard, as prescribed by the Faculty Board, in corresponding examinations taken since the student began the clinical course.]4

21. Except by special permission of the Faculty Board in exceptional circumstances and subject to any conditions determined by them, no student shall be a candidate for any Part of the Final M.B. Examination, if more than ninety-six months have elapsed since he or she began the preclinical medical course, except that

  1. (a)no Affiliated Student shall be a candidate for any Part of the Final M.B. Examination, if more than eighty-four months have elapsed since he or she began the preclinical medical course;
  2. (b)no Cambridge Graduate Course student shall be a candidate for any Part of the Final M.B. examination, if more than seventy-two months have elapsed since he or she began the Cambridge Graduate Course;
  3. (c)no M.B./Ph.D. Programme student shall be a candidate for any Part of the Final M.B. Examination, if more than 132 months have elapsed since he or she began the preclinical medical course (or 120 months in the case of an Affiliated Student);
  4. (d)no student satisfying the requirements in Regulation 13(a) shall be a candidate for any Part of the Final M.B. Examination if more than forty-eight months have elapsed since he or she began the clinical medical course.
Re-examination.

22. If at the first attempt a student fails to satisfy the Examiners in any component(s) of Part I, Part II, or Part III, he or she shall be eligible for re-examination in the relevant component(s) under conditions set by the Faculty Board, taking them separately or together, provided that

  1. (a)a candidate for re-examination in Part III in any academical year following that in which he or she first took the examination shall offer all components of Part III; and
  2. (b)subject to Regulation 29, if a candidate fails to satisfy the Examiners in any component of Part I, Part II, or Part III on one occasion subsequent to her or his first candidature for that component, he or she shall not be re-examined in that component again except by special permission of the Faculty Board in exceptional circumstances and subject to any conditions determined by them. The Faculty Board will not normally grant special permission for a student to be re-examined, if he or she has already been granted such permission on two separate prior occasions, either for Second M.B. or for Final M.B. Examinations.

23. For grave cause a student may be required by the Faculty Board to defer taking a Part of the Final Examination until he or she has received the permission of the Faculty Board to do so.

Examiners.

24. The arrangements for the appointment of Examiners shall be as follows:

  1. (a)The Faculty Board shall nominate for each subject of the Second M.B. Examination a Senior Examiner and such number of other Examiners and Assessors as are required to conduct the examination, provided that for sittings of subjects of the Second M.B. Examination held under Regulation 11(a)(i) the Examiners shall be the Examiners appointed for those subjects in the Medical Sciences Tripos;
  2. (b)The Regius Professor shall be an Examiner and Chair of Examiners for all Parts of the Final M.B. Examination, provided that, on the nomination of the Regius Professor, any Professor who is medically qualified, or any Doctor of Medicine who is a member of the Regent House, may be appointed to deputize for the Regius Professor for the purpose of this regulation. In addition, the Faculty Board shall nominate for each specialty of Part I, Part II, and Part III of the Final M.B. Examination, a Senior Examiner and such number of other Examiners as the Faculty Board may deem sufficient. Such Examiners shall be appointed to serve for the calendar year next following their appointment.

25. The Faculty Board shall appoint for each calendar year such number of persons as they may deem sufficient to act as Collectors and Assistant Collectors of Cases, provided that the persons so appointed shall be not less than three in number and shall include one Physician and one Surgeon. The Collectors and Assistant Collectors of Cases shall invite such patients and shall make such arrangements as may be required for the clinical examinations in Part I, Part II, and Part III of the Final M.B. Examination. The Faculty Board shall appoint for each clinical examination such numbers of persons as they deem sufficient to act as Clinical Assessors, who shall provide marks and comments to the appointed Examiners.

26. The Examiners and Assessors in each subject or component of each examination shall observe the following requirements:

  1. (a)the Examiners shall be jointly responsible for all the questions set in the written paper and the practical examination (if any) of that subject or component;
  2. (b)no candidate shall be judged to have failed in any subject unless his or her work has been assessed by at least two Examiners or Assessors.
Class-lists.

27. Separate class-lists shall be published for each subject of the Second M.B. Examination and for each Part of the Final M.B. Examination. The names of successful candidates in the several lists shall be arranged in alphabetical order. The list for Part I, Part II, and Part III of the Final M.B. Examination shall indicate the components of the examination in which the candidate has passed. Subject to Regulation 16, special merit may be recognized by the award of a mark of distinction.

28. The Chair of Examiners shall communicate to the Registrary the marks of all the candidates for the component of a Part, or subject, of the examination with which he or she is concerned. The Registrary shall communicate to Tutors or other designated College officers, for transmission to their pupils, the marks of their pupils and such other information as may be considered advisable.5

29. A student may seek review of a decision made by the Faculty Board of Clinical Medicine in respect of that student who has applied exceptionally for an additional attempt at a Second M.B., or Final M.B. Examination under Regulations 14 or 22(b); or exceptionally for an extension of time to complete the course under Regulation 21. A request for review shall be made under the Procedure for the Review of Decisions of University Bodies established by the General Board.6

Temporary Regulations

30. Notwithstanding Regulation 1, candidates for the M.B./Ph.D. Programme who began the clinical course before 1 September 2015 shall be examined under these regulations and the text in square brackets in Regulation 20 shall apply.

31. Notwithstanding Regulation 14, a student who commenced the preclinical course prior to 1 September 2015 may apply to the Faculty Board for special permission to be a candidate in any subject for a third time, regardless of the number of occasions on which such permission has previously been given.

32. Notwithstanding Regulation 21, a student who commenced the preclinical course prior to 1 September 2015 shall be able to apply to the Faculty Board for special permission to be a candidate if more than ninety-six months have elapsed since he or she began the preclinical medical course.

SCHEDULE A
Approved courses of instruction for the Second M.B. Examination

In addition to the courses offered as specific preparation for the subjects for the Second M.B. Examination, the following courses have been approved by the Faculty Board of Clinical Medicine as appropriate courses of instruction for certain subjects of the Second M.B. Examination.

Subjects in the Second M.B. Examination

Subject in Natural Sciences Tripos Examinations

Biology of Disease

or

NST Ib Pathology

NST II Pathology

Mechanisms of Drug Action

or

NST Ib Pharmacology

NST II Pharmacology

Molecules in Medical Science

or

NST Ib Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

NST II Biochemistry

Homeostasis

and

NST Ia Physiology of Organisms

NST Ib Physiology

SUPPLEMENTARY REGULATIONS

Second M.B. Examination

Amended by Notice (Reporter, 2017–18, p. 112)

Biology of Disease (BOD)

The examination in BOD will be treated from the standpoint of abnormal biology. It will include the variations that may occur in the structure and functions of living cells, tissues, and organs, together with the biology of parasites, bacteria, and viruses. Section I will consist of compulsory short-answer questions on the lecture material. Section II will consist of a two-hour practical examination which will include laboratory work and questions on practical aspects and problem solving.

Functional Architecture of the Body (FAB)

Combined Sections I and II will consist of a combination of ‘wet’ specimens/clinical photos at a number of stations, and MCQs at the other stations, testing knowledge of tissue anatomy, aspects of organogenesis, and the topographical, functional, and applied anatomy of the human body.

Head and Neck Anatomy (HNA)

The examination will require knowledge of the structure and function of the human head and neck.

Homeostasis (HOM)

Section I will consist of computer-marked and short-answer questions on nerve and neuromuscular transmission, muscle, autonomic nervous system, cardiovascular system, respiration, kidney, salt and water balance, digestion, absorption, and temperature regulation. Section II will consist of questions on the practical work in experimental physiology and histology.

Human Reproduction (HR)

Section I will consist of compulsory short-answer questions and Section II will consist of practical questions.

Introduction to the Scientific Basis of Medicine (ISBM)

The examination will consist of compulsory short-answer or computer-marked questions on the ISBM course.

Mechanisms of Drug Action (MODA)

Section I, which will include or consist entirely of short-answer questions, will require knowledge of the actions of drugs on whole organisms and mammalian systems, and also of the mode of drug action at the cellular, subcellular, and molecular levels. Section II will consist of a practical examination, which will include questions on data handling and problem solving; laboratory work will not be involved. Questions that require an elementary knowledge of statistical procedures may be included in both sections of the examination.

Molecules in Medical Science (MIMS)

The examination will test knowledge and understanding of the material contained in the MIMS course. Section I will consist of short-answer questions on the lectures. Section II will consist of questions on practical aspects, including interpretation and handling of data.

Neurobiology with Human Behaviour (NHB)

The examination in NHB will require knowledge of the structure and functions of the central nervous system and the special sense organs, neuroanatomy, experimental psychology and some of its applications to medicine. Particular topics will include neuropharmacology; learning and memory; perception and information processing; intelligence and development; emotion and its physiological basis; and social psychology. Section I will include or consist entirely of compulsory short-answer questions. In Section II, candidates will be examined on practical aspects of neuroanatomy and in experimental neurophysiology; questions may be included which require an elementary knowledge of statistical procedures.

Preparing for Patients (PFP)

Each candidate shall submit to the Examiners such written work for each strand of Preparing for Patients as shall be required by the Faculty Board of Clinical Medicine.

Social and Ethical Context of Health and Illness (SECHI)

The written paper will require knowledge of social science perspectives that relate to medicine.

Special Regulations for the Conferment of the Degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery

Persons entitled to supplicate.

1. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Ordinances, candidates for the degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, of which the short titles are M.B. and B.Chir., shall be entitled to supplicate for and to receive those degrees in the manner provided for by the following regulations.

2. A candidate for the Final M.B. Examination may supplicate for the degrees of M.B. and B.Chir. by causing a Supplicat in the form shown in Schedule A to these regulations to be delivered to the Registrary by the authorities of his or her College in the manner prescribed in Regulation 1 for admission to degrees not later than the first day of the examination. Degrees may be conferred under these regulations, notwithstanding late delivery of a supplicat, provided that the necessary documents have been sent to the Registrary in time for proper consideration and for the completion of the list referred to in Regulation 3, but the candidate shall incur a fine of £1.

List of names.

3. Not later than the third day of the examination the Registrary shall sign and cause to be posted on a board in the Schools Arcade a list of names of persons whose supplicats have been received, and who have completed the requirements of the Statutes and Ordinances for proceeding to the degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, save for the completion of the Final M.B. Examination, for which they are candidates. The list shall be headed as shown in Schedule B to these regulations.

Non placet.

4. If any member of the Regent House informs the Vice-Chancellor in writing, not later than the day following the posting of the list referred to in Regulation 3, that he or she intends to non placetthe conferment of a degree upon any person named in the list, the Vice-Chancellor shall cause that person's name to be struck out from the list and that person shall not be entitled to proceed to a degree under these regulations but may supplicate for a degree under the regulations for admission to degrees.

List of successful candidates.

5. Not later than the day next but one following that on which the publication of the lists of successful candidates for the Final M.B. Examination is completed, the Registrary shall sign and cause to be posted on a board in the Schools Arcade a list of those persons named in the list referred to in Regulation 3 whose names have not been struck out in pursuance of Regulation 4 and who have completed the Final M.B. Examination. The list shall be headed as shown in Schedule C to these regulations.

6. The posting of the list referred to in Regulation 5 shall constitute the conferment of the degree of B.Chir. upon each of the persons named in it. The names of the persons upon whom the degree has been conferred under this regulation shall be published in the Reporter as soon as is convenient after the posting of the list.

M.B. Degree.

7. Any person who has received the degree of B.Chir. in accordance with these regulations may, not later than twelve calendar months after receiving that degree, supplicate for the degree of M.B. in the manner provided for in the regulations for admission to degrees.

8. If at the expiry of twelve months from the conferment of the degree of B.Chir. upon any person in the manner provided for by these regulations no Supplicat in the prescribed form has been received by the Registrary for that person to be admitted at a Congregation to the degree of M.B., his or her name shall be included in a list, headed as shown in Schedule D to these regulations, which the Registrary shall sign and cause to be posted on a board in the Schools Arcade.

9. The posting of the list referred to in Regulation 8 shall constitute the conferment of the degree of M.B. upon each of the persons named in it. The names of such persons shall be published in the Reporter as soon as is convenient after the posting of the list.

Fees.

10. There shall be no additional fees for the conferment of the degrees of M.B. and B.Chir. under these regulations.

SCHEDULE A
DEGREES OF BACHELOR OF MEDICINE AND BACHELOR OF SURGERY

To be conferred in accordance with the special regulations for the conferment of the degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery.

Supplicat reverentiis vestris

ut gradus assequatur Baccalaurei in Medicina et Baccalaurei in Chirurgia. Eundem (Eandem) confirmamus tam moribus quam doctrina idoneum (idoneam) esse ad hos gradus assequendos.

SCHEDULE B
DEGREES OF BACHELOR OF MEDICINE AND BACHELOR OF SURGERY

To be conferred in accordance with the special regulations for the conferment of the degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery.

I hereby certify that the following persons have completed the requirements of the Statutes and Ordinances for proceeding to the degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, save for completion of the Final M.B. Examination, for which they are candidates:

SCHEDULE C
DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF SURGERY

I hereby certify that the following persons have completed the requirements of the Statutes and Ordinances for proceeding to the degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, that their names have been posted in accordance with the special regulations for the conferment of those degrees and have not been struck out by the Vice-Chancellor, and that in pursuance of those regulations the degree of Bachelor of Surgery is hereby conferred upon them:

SCHEDULE D
DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF MEDICINE

In pursuance of the special regulations for the conferment of the degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, the degree of Bachelor of Medicine is hereby conferred upon the following persons who received the degree of Bachelor of Surgery on (date):

Doctor of Medicine

Amended by Grace 8 of 10 May 2018

Qualifications required.

1. In order to qualify for the degree of Doctor of Medicine a candidate shall be required to give proof, in accordance with the provisions of these regulations, of a significant original contribution in the science, art, or history of medicine.

Standing of candidates.

2. Any person may apply in accordance with Regulation 6 of these regulations to become a candidate for the degree of Doctor of Medicine who

  1. either(a)holds a primary degree of the University,
  2. or(b)has been admitted
  3. (i)to some office in the University or to a Headship or a Fellowship of a College, and
  4. (ii)to the degree of Master of Arts under Statute B II 2 or to a degree of the University by incorporation,
  5. or(c)holds a medical appointment approved from time to time by the Faculty Board for Clinical Medicine for the purpose,
  6. and also holds
  7. eithera medical degree giving entitlement to provisional or full registration with the General Medical Council,
  8. ora degree recognized by that Council for the purpose of full registration,
  9. ora medical degree approved by the M.D. Committee for the purpose of candidature.

No person whose candidature has been approved under Regulation 6 shall submit a dissertation or any other work until four years have elapsed since he or she was admitted

  1. eitherto the degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery,
  2. orto the degree of Bachelor of Surgery under Regulation 5 of the special regulations for the conferment of the degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery,
  3. orto a medical degree of another university as defined above.
M.D. Committee.

3. There shall be an M.D. Committee which shall consist of:

  1. (a)the Regius Professor of Physic or a deputy appointed by the Regius Professor;
  2. (b)the Assessor to the Regius Professor of Physic, appointed in accordance with the provisions of Regulation 4;
  3. (c)eight members of the Faculty of Clinical Medicine;
  4. (d)not more than six persons co-opted by the Committee.
Quorum.

Members in class (c) shall be appointed annually by the Faculty Board of Clinical Medicine in the Michaelmas Term to serve for one year from 1 January following their appointment. Members in class (d) shall serve until the end of the calendar year in which they are co-opted. The Committee shall elect annually one of their own number as Chair. Six members of the Committee shall constitute a quorum.

Assessor to the Regius Professor.

4. The Assessor to the Regius Professor of Physic, who must be a member of the Senate and a graduate in Medicine, shall be appointed not later than the division of the Michaelmas Term in each year by the General Board on the nomination of the Faculty Board to act for one year from 1 January following the date of appointment. The Assessor shall be Secretary of the Committee, for which duty the Faculty Board may, subject to the approval of the General Board, pay a stipend.

5. If either the Chair of the M.D. Committee or the Assessor is prevented at any time by illness or other cause from performing any of the duties prescribed in these regulations, the General Board, on the nomination of the Faculty Board of Clinical Medicine, shall appoint a member of the Senate who is a graduate in Medicine to act as a deputy.

Applications.

6. A person who wishes to become a candidate for the M.D. Degree shall submit an application to the M.D. Committee. The application shall specify:

  1. (a)the applicant’s proposed subject of study or research, including a plan of the work to be undertaken and an account of the methods to be used;
  2. (b)the place where the work is to be undertaken;
  3. (c)the name of a member of the Faculty of Medicine who has agreed to act as the candidate’s Supervisor for the research project specified;
  4. (d)the method of financing the work;
  5. (e)a letter of support for the application from the intended Supervisor and Head of the Department;
  6. (f)a fee in respect of an admissions charge as recommended by the Board of Graduate Studies for an application for admission as a Graduate Student.

The M.D. Committee shall make recommendations on the admission of the candidate to the Degree Committee for the Faculty of Clinical Medicine and the Board of Graduate Studies.

If the Degree Committee and the Board of Graduate Studies approve an applicant for admission to the programme, the applicant’s name shall be entered on the Register of Graduate Students.

The Degree Committee shall determine the conditions, if any, of an applicant’s registration and shall assign the term from which he or she is to be admitted.

Fee.

7. A candidate whose application has been approved shall pay the University Composition Fee for the course.

Examination.

8. The examination for the degree of M.D. shall consist of:

  1. (a)the submission of a dissertation embodying the results of the candidate’s study or research, which shall be submitted in accordance with the provisions of Regulations 9 and 10;
  2. (b)an oral examination (‘the Act’) on the subject of the dissertation and the general field of knowledge within which it falls.

By special permission of the Degree Committee, candidates may submit with the dissertation published work which they wish the Examiners to consider; such work may be considered by the Examiners at their discretion.

9. A candidate who has paid the relevant fee due under Regulation 7 shall submit to the Degree Committee, not earlier than the end of the second year after approval of the application under Regulation 6 and not later than six years after the date of such approval, unless given special permission by the Degree Committee to delay submission until a later date:

  1. (a)three copies of the dissertation, in a form recommended by the M.D. Committee and approved by the Degree Committee;
  2. (b)two copies of a summary of about 300 words in length;
  3. (c)two copies of any published work which the candidate wishes to submit under Regulation 8.

10. In submitting their dissertations, candidates shall state, generally in a preface and specifically in notes or in a bibliography, the sources from which their information is derived, the extent to which they have availed themselves of the work of others, and the portions of the dissertation which are claimed as original. They shall also be required to declare that the dissertation submitted is not substantially the same as any that they may have submitted for another degree or for a diploma or similar qualification at this or any other university. A dissertation, apart from quotations, shall be written in English. The Degree Committee shall have power to specify a maximum length for dissertations, in consultation with the M.D. Committee.

Consideration of work submitted.

11. Each dissertation shall be referred to two Examiners, appointed by the Degree Committee on the recommendation of the M.D. Committee. Each Examiner shall make an independent report to the Degree Committee on the dissertation. If the Examiners do not agree in their recommendations or if for any other reason the Degree Committee or the Board of Graduate Studies need a further opinion or opinions on the merit of the work submitted, the Degree Committee may appoint an additional Examiner or additional Examiners, provided that not more than one additional Examiner shall be appointed without leave of the Board of Graduate Studies. Each additional Examiner so appointed shall make an independent report on the dissertation to the Degree Committee. Each Examiner shall receive a fee and shall, if appropriate, be entitled to claim travelling expenses and a subsistence allowance as specified in the Schedule.

Conduct of the Act.

12. The Act shall be conducted by the two Examiners appointed under Regulation 11 and chaired by the Assessor, or her or his deputy. The Examiners shall jointly examine the candidate viva voce on questions connected with the work submitted as well as on other medical subjects and sign a joint certificate of the result. If the Examiners do not agree in their recommendations or if for any other reason the Degree Committee or the Board need a further opinion or opinions on the merit of the work submitted, the Degree Committee may appoint an additional Examiner or additional Examiners, provided that not more than one additional Examiner shall be appointed without leave of the Board. Each additional Examiner so appointed shall make an independent report on the dissertation to the Degree Committee.

Re-examination.

13. If a candidate fails to satisfy the Examiners in the oral examination, the Degree Committee may permit the candidate to be re-examined by the same Examiners. Permission so given shall be communicated to the Secretary of the Board of Graduate Studies and shall not be given on more than one occasion. Each Examiner who takes part in an examination under this regulation shall be paid an additional fee as specified in the Schedule in addition to any fees to which he or she may be entitled under Regulation 11, and may also claim travelling expenses in accordance with the provisions of that regulation.

Approval for degree.

14. The Board of Graduate Studies shall be the deciding authority on all recommendations for the award of the degree. If, after considering the reports of the Examiners on a candidate’s dissertation and on her or his performance in the oral examination, the Degree Committee are satisfied that the candidate’s work is of the requisite standard for the degree, showing evidence of significant original contribution to the advancement of the science, art, or history of medicine, a resolution of the Committee to that effect, with the names of those present and voting on either side, shall be communicated to the Board of Graduate Studies, together with the reports of the Examiners. If the Board, after receiving such communication, at a meeting at which not less than five members of the Board are present, resolve that the candidate be approved for the degree, the Secretary of the Board shall publish a notice of the candidate’s approval for the award of the degree unless the candidate has requested the removal of her or his name from the published list in accordance with a procedure approved from time to time by the General Board.

15. If, after considering the reports of the Examiners of a dissertation, the Degree Committee are of the opinion that a candidate’s dissertation is not of the requisite standard for the degree, they may recommend to the Board of Graduate Studies that the candidate be permitted to submit a revised dissertation. The communication conveying such a recommendation shall contain the names of those present and voting on either side, and shall be accompanied by the reports of the Examiners. The Board may permit a candidate to submit a revised dissertation on not more than one occasion.

16. If, after considering the reports of the Examiners, the Degree Committee are of the opinion that a candidate’s work is not of the requisite standard for the degree (and if they do not recommend that the candidate be allowed to submit a revised dissertation) their resolution to that effect, with the names of those present and voting on either side, shall be communicated to the Board of Graduate Studies, together with the reports of the Examiners. The Secretary of the Board shall communicate this decision to the candidate.

17. A candidate who is not approved for the M.D. degree under Regulation 16

  1. (a)shall be eligible to submit a dissertation which is substantially the same in candidature for the M.Sc. Degree; or
  2. (b)providing the candidate meets the eligibility requirements, may apply to be a candidate for the M.D. degree by the Special Regulations; such application may be made on not more than one occasion, after a period of not less than five years from the date of the applicant’s original examination for the Degree.
Work to be deposited in the Library.

18. Before being admitted to the degree, a successful candidate examined by dissertation shall deposit with the Secretary of the M.D. Committee two copies of the dissertation and of the summary, both the dissertation and the summary being in a form approved by the M.D. Committee. The Secretary of the M.D. Committee shall deposit copies of the dissertation and the summary in the University Library and in the Medical Library, where they shall be available for consultation and for making copies for interlibrary loan purposes.

Prizes.

19. All the dissertations submitted by candidates under these regulations who have been approved for the M.D. Degree in each academical year shall be considered by the M.D. Committee for any Prize, Medal, or other emolument that is awarded for work done by a candidate for the degree; the Committee may be advised by the Assessor in this matter.

Temporary Regulation

20. These regulations shall apply for candidates whose registration as a candidate for the degree commences on or after 1 March 2012.

SCHEDULE
Payments to Examiners

To an Examiner for examining and reporting on a dissertation and for taking part in the conduct of an oral examination: £165.

To an additional Examiner not participating in an oral examination: £100.

To the Assessor: £45.

To an Examiner conducting an additional oral examination (Regulation 13): £42.

Each External Examiner shall receive in addition travelling expenses, in accordance with Regulation 14 of the regulations for the Ph.D., M.Sc., and M.Litt. Degrees, and the M.Phil. Degree by dissertation.

DOCTOR of MEDICINE (M.D.): SPECIAL REGULATIONS

Amended by Grace 8 of 10 May 2018

Qualifications required.

1. In order to qualify for the degree of Doctor of Medicine a candidate shall be required to give proof, in accordance with the provisions of these regulations, of a significant original contribution in the science, art, or history of medicine.

Standing of candidates.

2. Any person may apply in accordance with Regulation 5 of these regulations to become a candidate for the degree of Doctor of Medicine who

  1. either(a)holds a primary degree of the University,
  2. or(b)has been admitted to
  3. (i)some office in the University or to a Headship or a Fellowship of a College, and
  4. (ii)to the degree of Master of Arts under Statute B II 2 or to a degree of the University by incorporation,
  5. and also holds
  6. eithera medical degree giving entitlement to provisional or full registration with the General Medical Council,
  7. ora degree recognized by that Council for the purpose of full registration,
  8. ora medical degree approved by the M.D. Committee for the purpose of candidature.

No person whose candidature has been approved under Regulation 5 shall submit a dissertation or any other work until four years have elapsed since he or she was admitted

  1. eitherto the degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery,
  2. orto the degree of Bachelor of Surgery under Regulation 5 of the special regulations for the conferment of the degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery,
  3. orto a medical degree of another university as defined above.

3. A person shall not be eligible to proceed to the M.D. Degree under these regulations if he or she has been approved for the M.D. Degree under the regulations requiring registration as a Graduate Student.

4. A graduate of the University who has been examined for the M.D. Degree under the regulations requiring registration as a Graduate Student, but has not been approved for the M.D. Degree, may become a candidate under these regulations after a period of not less than five years from the date of submitting a dissertation or a revised dissertation, as the case may be, for the M.D. Degree.

Applications.

5. A person who wishes to become a candidate for the M.D. Degree under these regulations shall submit an application to the M.D. Committee. The application shall specify:

  1. (a)the applicant’s proposed subject of study or research, including a plan of the work to be undertaken and an account of the methods to be used;
  2. (b)the place where the work is to be undertaken;
  3. (c)the name of a member of the Faculty in which the research is to be carried out who has agreed to advise the candidate on the research project specified;
  4. (d)the method of financing the work;
  5. (e)a letter of support for the application from the intended adviser and Head of her or his Department;
  6. (f)an application fee as specified in the Schedule to these regulations.

6. The M.D. Committee may refer the proposal to one or more referees for their opinion before deciding to approve, reject, or suggest some modification to the applicant’s proposal. A referee appointed for this purpose will receive a fee as set out in the Schedule. The Assessor shall communicate the decision of the M.D. Committee to the applicant. If the proposal is rejected, all but £500 of the application fee shall be returned to the candidate.

Examination.

7. The examination for the degree of M.D. under the Special Regulations shall consist of:

  1. (a)the submission of a dissertation embodying the results of the candidate’s study or research, which shall be submitted in accordance with the provisions of Regulations 8 and 9;
  2. (b)an oral examination (‘the Act’) on the subject of the dissertation and the general field of knowledge within which it falls.

By special permission of the M.D. Committee, candidates may submit with the dissertation published work which they wish the Examiners to consider; such work may be considered by the Examiners at their discretion.

8. A candidate shall submit to the Degree Committee for the Faculty of Clinical Medicine, not later than six years after the date of such approval under Regulation 6, unless given special permission by the Degree Committee to delay submission until a later date:

  1. (a)three copies of the dissertation, in a form recommended by the M.D. Committee and approved by the Degree Committee;
  2. (b)two copies of a summary of about 300 words in length;
  3. (c)two copies of any published work which the candidate wishes to submit under Regulation 7.

9. In submitting their dissertations, candidates shall state, generally in a preface and specifically in notes or in a bibliography, the sources from which their information is derived, the extent to which they have availed themselves of the work of others, and the portions of the dissertation which are claimed as original. They shall also be required to declare that the dissertation submitted is not substantially the same as any that they may have submitted for another degree or for a diploma or similar qualification at this or any other university. A dissertation, apart from quotations, shall be written in English. The Degree Committee shall have power to specify a maximum length for dissertations, in consultation with the M.D. Committee.

Consideration of work submitted.

10. The Degree Committee shall refer each application to the M.D. Committee, who may refer it to one or more referees for their opinion and advice before deciding that the dissertation constitutes prima facie a qualification for the degree. A referee so appointed shall receive a fee as specified in the Schedule to these regulations. If such a person is subsequently appointed an Examiner, the fee shall form part of the fee due to her or him as an Examiner.

11. If the Degree Committee, having been advised by the M.D. Committee, decide that the work submitted does not constitute prima facie a qualification for the degree, and no Examiners are to be appointed, a resolution of the Committee to that effect, with the names of those present and voting on either side, shall be communicated to the Secretary of the Board of Graduate Studies, who shall communicate the decision to the candidate. In such a case all but £600 out of the fee paid by the applicant under Regulation 5 shall be returned.

12. Each dissertation judged under Regulation 10 to constitute prima facie a qualification for the degree shall be referred to two Examiners, appointed by the Degree Committee on the recommendation of the M.D. Committee. Each Examiner shall make an independent report to the Degree Committee on the dissertation. If the Examiners do not agree in their recommendations or if for any other reason the Degree Committee or the Board of Graduate Studies need a further opinion or opinions on the merit of the work submitted, the Degree Committee may appoint an additional Examiner or additional Examiners, provided that not more than one additional Examiner shall be appointed without leave of the Board of Graduate Studies. Each additional Examiner so appointed shall make an independent report on the dissertation to the Degree Committee. Each Examiner shall receive a fee and shall, if appropriate, be entitled to claim travelling expenses and a subsistence allowance as specified in the Schedule.

Conduct of the Act.

13. The Act shall be conducted by the two Examiners appointed under Regulation 12 and chaired by the Assessor, or her or his deputy. The Examiners shall jointly examine the candidate viva voce on questions connected with the work submitted as well as on other medical subjects and sign a joint certificate of the result. If the Examiners do not agree in their recommendations or if for any other reason the Degree Committee or the Board need a further opinion or opinions on the merit of the work submitted, the Degree Committee may appoint an additional Examiner or additional Examiners, provided that not more than one additional Examiner shall be appointed without leave of the Board. Each additional Examiner so appointed shall make an independent report on the dissertation to the Degree Committee.

14. If a candidate fails to satisfy the Examiners in the oral examination, the Degree Committee may permit the candidate to be re-examined by the same Examiners. Permission so given shall be communicated to the Secretary of the Board of Graduate Studies and shall not be given on more than one occasion. Each Examiner who takes part in an examination under this regulation shall be paid an additional fee as specified in the Schedule in addition to any fees to which he or she may be entitled under Regulation 12, and may also claim travelling expenses in accordance with the provisions of that regulation.

15. The Board of Graduate Studies shall be the deciding authority on all recommendations for the award of the degree. If, after considering the reports of the Examiners on a candidate’s dissertation and on her or his performance in the oral examination, the Degree Committee are satisfied that the work submitted by the candidate and her or his performance in the Act are of the requisite standard for the degree, a resolution of the Committee to that effect, with the names of those present and voting on either side, shall be communicated to the Board of Graduate Studies, together with the reports of the Examiners. If the Board, after receiving such communication, at a meeting at which not less than five members of the Board are present, resolve that the candidate be approved for the degree, the Secretary of the Board shall publish a notice of the candidate’s approval for the award of the degree unless the candidate has requested the removal of her or his name from the published list in accordance with a procedure approved from time to time by the General Board.

16. If, after considering the reports of the Examiners of a dissertation, the Degree Committee are of the opinion that a candidate’s dissertation is not of the requisite standard for the degree, they may recommend to the Board of Graduate Studies that the candidate be permitted to submit a revised dissertation. The communication conveying such a recommendation shall contain the names of those present and voting on either side, and shall be accompanied by the reports of the Examiners. The Board may permit a candidate to submit a revised dissertation on not more than one occasion.

17. If, after considering the reports of the Examiners, the Degree Committee are of the opinion that a candidate’s work is not of the requisite standard for the degree (and if they do not recommend that the candidate be allowed to submit a revised dissertation) their resolution to that effect, with the names of those present and voting on either side, shall be communicated to the Board of Graduate Studies, together with the reports of the Examiners. The Secretary of the Board shall communicate this decision to the candidate.

18. If a candidate’s application for the degree under these regulations fails, he or she may reapply on one occasion only, after a period of not less than five years from the date of the original application.

19. A candidate whose application for the M.D. Degree under these regulations is not approved shall not be eligible to be approved for the M.Sc. Degree.

20. No candidate for the degree shall be present at the deliberations either of the Degree Committee or of the Board of Graduate Studies in respect of her or his own candidature.

21. No fee shall be payable on admission to the degree.

Work to be deposited in the Library.

22. Before being admitted to the degree, a successful candidate examined by dissertation shall deposit with the Secretary of the M.D. Committee two copies of the dissertation and of the summary, both the dissertation and the summary being in a form approved by the M.D. Committee. The Secretary of the M.D. Committee shall deposit copies of the dissertation and the summary in the University Library and in the Medical Library, where they shall be available for consultation and for making copies for interlibrary loan purposes.

Prizes.

23. All the dissertations submitted by candidates under these regulations who have been approved for the M.D. Degree in each academical year shall be considered by the M.D. Committee for any Prize, Medal, or other emolument that is awarded for work done by a candidate for the degree; the Committee may be advised by the Assessor in this matter.

Temporary Regulation

24. These regulations shall apply to all candidates whose proposal is submitted as a candidate for the degree on or after 1 March 2012.

SCHEDULE
Payments to Examiners

To a referee whose opinion is sought on the proposal (Regulation 6) or on a dissertation (Regulation 10): £45.

To an Examiner for examining and reporting on a dissertation and for taking part in the conduct of an oral examination (Regulation 12): £135.

To an additional Examiner not participating in an oral examination (Regulation 13 or 16): £100.

To the Assessor: £45.

To an Examiner conducting an additional oral examination (Regulation 14): £42.

Each External Examiner shall receive in addition travelling expenses, in accordance with Regulation 14 of the regulations for the Ph.D., M.Sc., and M.Litt. Degrees, and the M.Phil. Degree by dissertation.

Application fee (Regulation 5): £1,866.

DOCTOR of MEDICAL SCIENCE (Med.Sc.D.)

Amended by Grace 8 of 10 May 2018

Qualifications required.

1. In order to qualify for the degree of Doctor of Medical Science a candidate shall be required to give proof, in accordance with the provisions of these regulations, of distinction in the science, art, or history of medicine.

Standing of candidates.

2. Any person may apply in accordance with Regulation 6 of these regulations to become a candidate for the degree of Doctor of Medical Science who

  1. either(a)is of not less than eight years’ standing from admission to her or his first degree of the University,
  2. or(b)is of not less than eight years’ standing from admission to her or his first degree of some other university and has been admitted
  3. (i)to some office in the University or to a Headship or a Fellowship of a College, and
  4. (ii)to the degree of Master of Arts under Statute B II 2 or to a degree of the University by incorporation,
  5. and also holds
  6. eithera medical degree giving entitlement to provisional or full registration with the General Medical Council,
  7. ora degree recognized by that Council for the purpose of full registration,
  8. ora medical degree approved by the M.D. Committee for the purpose of candidature.

No person whose candidature has been approved under Regulations 3–6 shall submit any work until five years have elapsed since he or she was admitted

  1. eitherto the degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery,
  2. orto the degree of Bachelor of Surgery under Regulation 5 of the special regulations for the conferment of the degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery,
  3. orto a medical degree of another university as defined above.
Applications.

3. A candidate for the degree by publication shall apply in writing to the Degree Committee for the Faculty of Clinical Medicine, specifying the published works on which her or his claim to the degree is based. He or she shall also submit:

(a) a summary in not more than 500 words of the field of research covered by these works;

(b) an application fee, as specified in the Schedule to these regulations;

(c) a statement that the work to be submitted is not substantially the same as any work that the candidate may have submitted for a degree, diploma, or other qualification at this or any other university.

Consideration of work submitted.

4. The Degree Committee shall refer each application to the M.D. Committee, who may refer it to one or more assessors for their opinion and advice before deciding that the published work is of outstanding quality and constitutes prima facie evidence of distinction through a substantial and original contribution to the advancement of the science, art, or history of medicine. An assessor so appointed shall receive a fee as specified in the Schedule to these regulations.

5. If the Degree Committee, having been advised by the M.D. Committee, decide that the works submitted do not constitute prima facie a qualification for the degree, a resolution of the Committee to that effect, with the names of those present and voting on either side, shall be communicated to the Secretary of the Board of Graduate Studies, who shall communicate the decision to the candidate. In such a case, £510 out of the fee paid by the candidate under Regulation 3 shall be returned.

6. A candidate whose work has been judged to constitute prima facie a qualification for the degree, shall submit to the Degree Committee, not later than six years after the date of such approval, unless given special permission by the Committee to delay submission until a later date, two copies of the published works on which her or his claim to the degree is based.

7. The Degree Committee shall, on the recommendation of the M.D. Committee, appoint not less than two persons to act as Referees. Each Referee shall submit an independent written report on the works specified in the candidate’s application; these reports shall be treated as confidential documents. Each Referee shall receive a fee, as specified in the Schedule.

Approval for degree.

8. If after considering the reports of the Referees the Degree Committee are satisfied that the candidate’s work is of the requisite standard for the degree, a resolution of the Committee to that effect, with the names of those present and voting on either side, shall be communicated to the Board of Graduate Studies together with the reports of the Referees.

9. The Board of Graduate Studies shall be the deciding authority on all recommendations for the award of the degree. If the Board of Graduate Studies after receiving such a communication resolve that the degree should be conferred, the Secretary of the Board of Graduate Studies shall publish the name of the candidate as approved for the degree of Doctor of Medical Science unless the candidate has requested the removal of her or his name from the published list in accordance with a procedure approved from time to time by the General Board. Such a resolution shall not be valid unless passed with the concurrence of the votes, cast at a meeting, of five members of the Board.

10. If after considering the reports of the Referees the Degree Committee are of the opinion that the candidate’s work is not of the requisite standard for the degree, a resolution of the Committee to that effect, with the names of those present and voting on either side, shall be communicated to the Board of Graduate Studies together with the reports of the Referees. The Secretary of the Board shall communicate this decision to the candidate.

11. No candidate for a degree shall be present at the deliberations of the Degree Committee, the M.D. Committee or the Board of Graduate Studies respecting her or his own case.

SCHEDULE
Payments to Examiners

To an assessor (Regulation 4): £42.

To a Referee (Regulation 7): £175.

The Board of Graduate Studies may approve the payment of reasonable expenses incurred by Referees in the execution of their duties.

Application fee (Regulation 3(b)): £582.

Master of Surgery

Amended by Grace 8 of 10 May 2018

Standing of candidates.

1. Any person may apply, in accordance with Regulation 4 below, to become a candidate for the degree of Master of Surgery who

  1. either(a)holds a primary degree of the University,
  2. or(b)has been admitted (i) to some office in the University or to a Headship or a Fellowship of a College, and (ii) to the degree of Master of Arts under Statute B II 2 or to a degree of the University by incorporation,
  3. and also holds
  4. eithera medical degree giving entitlement to provisional or full registration with the General Medical Council,
  5. ora degree recognized by that Council for the purpose of full registration,
  6. ora medical degree approved by the M.Chir. Committee for the purpose of candidature.

No person whose candidature has been approved under Regulation 4 shall submit a thesis, or other work approved under Regulation 6, until five years have elapsed since he or she was admitted

  1. eitherto the degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery,
  2. orto the degree of Bachelor of Surgery under Regulation 5 of the special regulations for the conferment of the degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery,
  3. orto a medical degree of another university as defined above.
M.Chir. Committee.

2. There shall be an M.Chir. Committee which shall consist of:

  1. (a)the Head of the Department of Surgery, or a deputy, as Chair;
  2. (b)the Professor of Surgery;
  3. (c)the Secretary of the Committee (see Regulation 3);
  4. (d)five members of the Faculty of Clinical Medicine, at least two of whom shall be persons holding Professorships or Readerships in the Faculty;
  5. (e)five practising surgeons, at least one of whom shall be a Consultant Surgeon to the Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and at least two of whom shall be persons not resident in the University.

Members in classes (d) and (e) shall be appointed by the Faculty Board of Clinical Medicine in the Michaelmas Term to serve for two years from 1 January following their appointment. Five members of the Committee shall constitute a quorum.

Secretary.

3. In the Michaelmas Term of every second year the Faculty Board of Clinical Medicine shall appoint a member of the Faculty to act as Secretary of the M.Chir. Committee for two years from 1 January following the date of appointment. Subject to the approval of the General Board, the Faculty Board may pay the Secretary a stipend. If the Secretary is prevented by illness or other cause from performing any of the duties prescribed in these regulations, the Faculty Board on the nomination of the Professor of Surgery shall appoint some other member of the Faculty of Clinical Medicine to act as a deputy.

Applications.

4. A person who wishes to become a candidate for the degree shall send to the Secretary of the M.Chir. Committee

  1. (a)an application on a form obtainable from the Secretary;
  2. (b)details of the applicant's postgraduate appointments and surgical experience;
  3. (c)one copy of any published work that the applicant wishes the Committee to consider;
  4. (d)an application fee of £220.

The Committee shall decide whether or not to approve the applicant as a candidate for the degree, and the Secretary shall inform the applicant accordingly.

Thesis.

5. Except as provided in Regulation 6, a person approved as a candidate for the degree shall submit a thesis specially composed for the purpose,7 containing original observations which may be based on clinical work or laboratory work or a combination of the two. Each candidate shall send to the Secretary of the Committee, on a form obtainable from the Secretary, an application for approval of the proposed title of the thesis; such an application shall include an outline of the work on which the thesis will be based, and shall specify the nature of any special branch of surgery in which the candidate is interested. The Secretary shall submit each application to the Committee, who may refer it to one or more referees for their opinion and advice before deciding whether to approve, reject, or suggest some modification of the candidate's proposal. The Secretary shall communicate the Committee's decision to the candidate.

Previously published work.

6. In exceptional circumstances a candidate may apply to the Committee for permission to submit instead of a thesis work which has been previously published. Such an application shall be accompanied by a declaration that the work in question is not substantially the same as any work that the candidate may have submitted for a degree, diploma, or other qualification at this or any other university. The Secretary shall communicate to the candidate the Committee's approval or rejection of the application.

Submission of thesis.

7. A candidate who has obtained the approval of the Committee under Regulation 5(b) or Regulation 6 shall submit to the Secretary of the Committee, not later than six years after the date of such approval, unless given special permission by the Committee to delay submission until a later date:

  1. (a)three copies of the thesis, in a form approved by the Committee,8 or of published work which the Committee have given the candidate leave to submit under Regulation 6;
  2. (b)if the thesis is based wholly or partly on work already published, three copies of such work;
  3. (c)a submission fee of £500.
Examiners.

8. After preliminary consideration by the M.Chir. Committee the thesis or published work shall be sent to two or more Examiners appointed by the Committee who need not be members of the Committee. The Examiners shall be required to submit independent written reports to the Committee.

Viva voce examination.

9. A candidate may be examined viva voce by the two Examiners appointed under Regulation 8; the Chair or the Secretary of the M.Chir. Committee, or another member of the Committee, shall preside at such an examination. The two Examiners shall sign a joint report on the candidate's performance in the examination.

Reports.

10. The M.Chir. Committee shall consider a candidate's thesis or published work and the reports of the Examiners thereon at a meeting at which not less than five members are present. If in their opinion the thesis is not of a sufficiently high standard the Committee may, on the recommendation of the Examiners, allow the candidate to submit a revised thesis on one occasion only without being required to pay any additional fee.

Approval for degree.

11. If the Committee are satisfied that a candidate's work is of the requisite standard, they shall resolve that the candidate be approved for the degree and the Secretary shall send a certificate to that effect to the Registrary. This certificate and the title of the candidate's thesis or published work shall be published in the Reporter unless the candidate has requested the removal of her or his name from the published list in accordance with a procedure approved from time to time by the General Board.

Payments.

12. The payments to be made to the Secretary of the M.Chir. Committee, and to referees and Examiners, shall be as prescribed in the Schedule to these regulations.

13. A candidate who has been approved for the degree of M.Chir. shall be qualified to proceed to the degree. No fee shall be payable on admission to the degree.

Deposit in Libraries.

14. A successful candidate shall deposit in the University Library and the Medical Library a copy of the thesis or other work submitted in a form approved by the M.Chir. Committee.

SCHEDULE
Payments to Examiners

To the person presiding at a viva voce examination: £45.

To a referee (Regulation 5): £45.

To an Examiner (Regulation 8) for examining and reporting on a thesis and for taking part in a viva voce examination if required to do so: £135.

To an external Examiner who is required to take part in a viva voce examination an additional: £90.

Each external Examiner shall also receive railway fares to and from the place of each examination at which he or she is required to be present together with a subsistence allowance in accordance with Regulation 6 for payments to Examiners and Assessors.

Review of the Results of Examinations for the Degree of Master of Surgery

1. The M.Chir. Committee shall consider any representations made by or on behalf of a candidate which constitute a complaint about the conduct of the examination in that candidate's case for the degree of Master of Surgery provided that such representations shall not be considered unless they are received by the Secretary of the M.Chir. Committee not later than six months after the date on which the result of the examination was communicated by the Secretary to the candidate. In exceptional circumstances the Committee may allow an extension of this deadline of up to three months.

2. If after considering any representations made by or on behalf of a candidate under Regulation 1 the Committee are satisfied that the examination of that candidate was properly conducted and that the complaint is unjustified, the Committee shall so inform the candidate. If they are not so satisfied, they shall have power to reconsider their earlier decision or to refer the representations to a Review Committee constituted in accordance with Regulation 4. The Committee shall inform the candidate of their decision not more than three months following receipt of the representations.

Review Committee.

3. The Committee shall refer to a Review Committee constituted in accordance with Regulation 4 any representations which may be made by or on behalf of a candidate after he or she has been informed of a decision taken by the Committee under Regulation 2 above, provided that such representations shall not be considered unless they are received by the Secretary within six months of the date on which the decision taken under Regulation 2 was communicated by the Secretary to the candidate. In exceptional circumstances the Review Committee may allow an extension of this deadline of up to three months.

Membership.

4. A Review Committee appointed under these regulations shall consist of:

  1. (a)the Vice-Chancellor, or a duly appointed deputy, as Chair;
  2. (b)two persons appointed by the General Board from the panel of members maintained by the Board.

In selecting members of the panel for appointment as members of the Review Committee, the General Board shall exclude any person who has been involved in the particular case at an earlier stage. A person appointed a member of a Review Committee shall serve until the conclusion of the particular case for which he or she was appointed.

Secretary.

5. A person appointed by the Academic Secretary, shall act as Secretary to the Review Committee.

6. For the purpose of these regulations the term ‘complainant’ shall mean the student making a complaint, or on whose behalf a complaint is made.

7. The Secretary to the Review Committee shall notify the complainant of the persons appointed to be members of the Review Committee. The complainant shall be entitled to object for good cause to any member so appointed. The Vice-Chancellor shall rule on any such objection, and his or her decision shall be final. If the Vice-Chancellor allows such an objection, another person shall be appointed to replace the person who was the subject of the objection.

Grounds for complaint.

8. The Review Committee shall consider any representations referred to them under Regulation 2 or Regulation 3 which in the judgement of the Review Committee constitute a complaint on one or more of the following grounds:

  1. (a)that there existed material circumstances relating directly to the examination of which the Examiners were not aware;
  2. (b)that procedural irregularities occurred in the conduct of the examination, which were of such a nature as to cause reasonable doubt as to whether the Examiners would have reached the same conclusion had the irregularities not occurred;
  3. (c)that there is demonstrable evidence of prejudice, bias, or inadequate assessment in the examination process.

If the Review Committee are of the view that a complaint does not fall within any of the grounds specified above, they shall dismiss the complaint and shall inform the complainant and the M.Chir. Committee accordingly.

Statement of complaint.

9. When a representation is to be considered by a Review Committee the complainant shall furnish a full statement of the complaint and of the grounds on which the complaint is based, which shall be submitted to the Review Committee not later than a date to be determined by them. The Review Committee shall appoint a day and time for a hearing at which the complainant shall be entitled to be present and to be accompanied by an adviser or a representative who may speak on his or her behalf.

10. Any statement of a complaint received by the Review Committee under Regulation 9 shall be made available to each of the following:

  1. (a)the M.Chir. Committee;
  2. (b)the Examiners concerned;
  3. (c)any other person or body specified by the Review Committee.

Each of these parties shall be given an opportunity to submit a written statement to the Review Committee in response to the complaint. Such a statement may include the reports of the Examiners or extracts from those reports. The Review Committee shall have power to seek statements from other persons or bodies, as they think fit.

11. Any statement submitted to the Review Committee under Regulation 10 shall be made available to the complainant and to the other parties specified in that regulation, each of whom shall be afforded an opportunity to comment on it.

Decision of Review Committee.

12. A Review Committee shall consider any complaint or any representations referred to them under Regulation 2 or Regulation 3 and shall have power to dismiss the complaint or, if they consider it justified:

  1. (a)to require the M.Chir. Committee to reconsider their earlier decisions on the particular case;
  2. (b)to require the Examiners to re-consider the candidate's submitted work;
  3. (c)to require the Examiners to hold a further oral examination;
  4. (d)to permit the candidate to submit a revised dissertation or thesis, or additional published work, to be examined by the same Examiners;
  5. (e)to require the M.Chir. Committee to appoint one or more additional Examiners to make an independent report or reports on the work submitted by the candidate;
  6. (f)to require the M.Chir. Committee to appoint new Examiners to replace the Examiners previously appointed, and to permit the candidate
  7. either(i)to be re-examined by the new Examiners,
  8. or(ii)to submit a revised dissertation, thesis, or additional published work, to be examined by the new Examiners;
Notification of decision.

13. The Secretary to the Review Committee shall send written notification of the Committee's decision and the reasons for it to the complainant and to the other parties specified in Regulation 10.

14. The decision of a Review Committee on any particular case shall be final.

Temporary Regulation

15. These regulations shall apply to all examinations held on or after 1 October 2003. For the purpose of this regulation an examination shall be deemed to be held on the day on which the candidate's dissertation, thesis, or other submitted work is received by the Secretary.

Footnotes

  1. 1. These regulations were last published in Statutes and Ordinances, 2014, p. 480.a
  2. 2. See the regulations for Residence and Precincts of the University (p. 175); terms kept or allowed before beginning the years of clinical study shall count for this purpose.a
  3. 3. In this sitting of the Second M.B. Examination the papers set are Sections I and II of the papers set in the corresponding subjects of Part Ia and Part Ib of the Medical and Veterinary Sciences Tripos (Medical Sciences Tripos from 1 October 2018).a
  4. 4. The text in square brackets will be removed when there are no longer any candidates for the M.B./Ph.D. Programme who began the clinical course before 1 September 2015.a b c d
  5. 5. See also the regulations for the disclosure of examination marks, p. 253.a
  6. 6. See p. 216.a
  7. 7. The M.Chir. Committee will not normally accept a thesis which is mainly a reprint, copy, or reproduction of work which has already been published, but there is no objection to the incorporation and use within a thesis of the basic results of work which the candidate has already published, provided that reference to such publications is made or reprints supplied or both.a
  8. 8. A successful candidate may apply for the return of one of the copies of the thesis.a