MD/PhD Program Equivalents in Europe?

[Xenops]

In the U.S., there are programs where it's a joint program with the student earning an MD along with a PhD in a related field. These programs can be 8 years or longer, but the appeal of the programs is that these are often covered by grants and stipends.

While I am interested in going to medical school in Europe, to practice and live there, but I also really enjoy research. I was wondering if there are joint programs like I described above. A preliminary search for French schools told me that there are joint programs (Faculty of Medicine - Université Paris-Sud ), but you have to apply for grants to cover your study costs (CampusBourses - v1.20) If I am understanding the French correctly, the cost of PhD programs are about 1,000 euros a month (La Recherche en France - ED 446 Biologie - Santé)

Currently I am learning French (I'm guessing at about A2 level) and I am not bound to go to English-only programs: it only makes sense to study in the language that you will practice in. I am also not bound to going only to French-speaking programs, I'm willing to study another language.

In short, my questions are: 1. are there such joint programs in European countries? 2. Would they accept international students, providing they speak the local language? 3. Is it possible that there are programs where the international student would get their education covered, and even get a stipend?

Thank you for your time.

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[Malthusian99]

In the U.S., there are programs where it's a joint program with the student earning an MD along with a PhD in a related field. These programs can be 8 years or longer, but the appeal of the programs is that these are often covered by grants and stipends.

While I am interested in going to medical school in Europe, to practice and live there, but I also really enjoy research. I was wondering if there are joint programs like I described above. A preliminary search for French schools told me that there are joint programs (Faculty of Medicine - Université Paris-Sud ), but you have to apply for grants to cover your study costs (CampusBourses - v1.20) If I am understanding the French correctly, the cost of PhD programs are about 1,000 euros a month (La Recherche en France - ED 446 Biologie - Santé)

Currently I am learning French (I'm guessing at about A2 level) and I am not bound to go to English-only programs: it only makes sense to study in the language that you will practice in. I am also not bound to going only to French-speaking programs, I'm willing to study another language.

In short, my questions are: 1. are there such joint programs in European countries? 2. Would they accept international students, providing they speak the local language? 3. Is it possible that there are programs where the international student would get their education covered, and even get a stipend?

Thank you for your time.

A very good question indeed and refreshing to have a genuinely different approach .

Medical degrees in Europe are somewhat different to the U.S. in that they tend to me centralised (apart from a few odd schools and systems) and as such these degrees tend to be six years (B.Med and M.Med). Upon getting your Masters you would typically become a Médecin Assistant/Assistanzarzt at a hospital or clinic and it's usually here that would enrol on a doctorate program where you would work with the Professor of your department/specialisation on a research topic. In my country this is two-years but I know that it can vary.

This is the traditional route but as you have very rightly pointed out there are special programs where you can get both degrees; however, these are few and far between and tend to be on an ad hoc basis (as in you first apply for a usual MD program and then enrol for a doctorate once your studies are done).

Regarding your second question, it's very difficult to generalise about financing as this varies from country to country and you're better off first selecting a country you want to study in and then ask more directly. In my country, for example, no study support is provided by the state (there are special fee exemptions for kids from under privileged kids but again, rare).

 

[Xenops]

A very good question indeed and refreshing to have a genuinely different approach .

Medical degrees in Europe are somewhat different to the U.S. in that they tend to me centralised (apart from a few odd schools and systems) and as such these degrees tend to be six years (B.Med and M.Med). Upon getting your Masters you would typically become a Médecin Assistant/Assistanzarzt at a hospital or clinic and it's usually here that would enrol on a doctorate program where you would work with the Professor of your department/specialisation on a research topic. In my country this is two-years but I know that it can vary.

This is the traditional route but as you have very rightly pointed out there are special programs where you can get both degrees; however, these are few and far between and tend to be on an ad hoc basis (as in you first apply for a usual MD program and then enrol for a doctorate once your studies are done).

Regarding your second question, it's very difficult to generalise about financing as this varies from country to country and you're better off first selecting a country you want to study in and then ask more directly. In my country, for example, no study support is provided by the state (there are special fee exemptions for kids from under privileged kids but again, rare).

Hello Malthusian,

Thank you kindly for the reply. I have been reading the recent posts in the Europe subforum, and I have appreciated your earlier contributions, and I was rewarded by having you reply.

Another source of mine has confirmed that the dual MD/PhD equivalent is rather rare, and indeed, it would be easier to tackle the degrees one at a time rather than try to find such a program. Another advised that I should only consider PhD programs if I can secure funding: he probably means that since academia can be a difficult place to find jobs, it would be better to have the least amount of debt possible.

May I ask which country you are from?