What subject do I need to study to become a Doctor?

Thinking about becoming a Doctor? We could not encourage you more! It’s a great job if you have what it takes to be a good doctor. However, you need to make sure you study the right A-Levels to apply to a Medical School, which is the first step on the journey to becoming a Doctor. Read on to find out what subjects are needed to become a doctor.

What subjects do you need to become a Doctor?

Usually, to become a Doctor, you will need to study 2 science or mathematics subjects for your A-Levels. Science subjects being Biology/Human Biology, Chemistry, Physics and sometimes Psychology. Mathematics subjects being Maths or Further Maths. Before applying to a Medical School, you need to make sure what subjects they require – some will need you to do Biology OR Chemistry, and some will want you to do Biology AND Chemistry.

It gets complicated with the third subject; non-Oxbridge schools will usually require any ‘academically rigorous’ subjects. Cambridge and Oxford Colleges do require the third subject to be either Science or Mathematics. Brighton and Sussex Medical school actively encourage the third subject to be a humanities or arts subject in order to “broaden academic horizons.”

Subjects not to study if you want to be a Doctor

As mentioned above, there are subjects not considered academically rigorous and Medical Schools may reject your application altogether if they see any of these in your A-Levels results. General Studies and Critical Thinking are almost always disregarded by Medical Schools so will not provide any advantage in the academic part of your application and as mentioned already, may lead to rejection.

Subjects including Citizenship and Global Perspectives tent to be disregarded as well but not by all the medical schools. Information about what subjects are disregarded by Medical Schools is usually not publically available on Medical School’s websites. Medical Schools themselves encourage applicants to reach out to the admission teams of particular Medical Schools to find out what subjects they don’t consider academically rigorous.

To find more detailed information on what subjects are needed to become a doctor and what else you need to do to get into Medical School, read our in-depth guide: Medical school requirements UK.