Medicine study in Hungary at the University of Debrecen takes 6 years / 10 semesters + 1 year intern-ship/.
The reason why the course is 6 years because the 6th year is equivalent of FY1 in UK (after graduation where you do foundation year for two years). So after graduation if you chose to come to UK, you can skip FY1 and continue from FY2. Otherwise, the ‘actual’ medical programme is 5 years long. One advantage of doing 6 years is that you gain a Doctor of Medicine degree (MD degree) which is better than if you do 5 years in UK and get a Bachelors Degree. I would recommend you to look at the 6 years course. I know it may seem like a long way, but trust me it will be worth it in the long run.
Those who finish it successfully and graduate will get an M.D. degree. The curriculum of the medical program meets all the requirements prescribed by the European medical curriculum, outlined by the Association of Medical Schools in Europe in 1993. The degree received is accepted in all EU countries and several other countries around the world.
The courses taught in English, however learning basic medical Hungarian is required in order to be able to communicate with patients from the third year on.
The syllabuses and classes of all courses correspond to European standards. The total number of contact hours in medical education is over 5,500, which can be divided into three main parts: basic theoretical training (1st and 2nd year), pre-clinical subjects (3rd year) and clinical subjects (4th and 5th year) followed by the intern-ship (6th year). The proportion of the theoretical and practical classes is 30% to 70%; whereas the students/instructors ratio is about 8/1.
Blocks and Subjects
During the first two years the curriculum focuses on theoretical aspects of medicine that lay the foundation for subsequent medical subjects.
In the 3rd year, disciplines exploring the theoretical foundations of diseases, as well as the preliminaries of internal medicine and surgery are taught.
In the 4th and 5th years training in pharmacology begins and the study of clinical subjects continues.
During the 6th and final year students take their final examinations in internal medicine, surgery, gynaecology, neurology, psychiatry and paediatrics.
Internal Medicine 10 weeks
Paediatrics 7 weeks
Surgery 5 weeks
Obstetrics and Gynaecology 5 weeks
Neurology 4 weeks
Psychiatry 4 weeks
Preparatory Period for the State Examination 1 month
Each final exam is preceded by a two or three month intern ship period. Students in the final year are required to submit a thesis. The last academic year is concluded with a comprehensive final state examination in which the future medical doctors must demonstrate their competence in the most important practical and theoretical aspects of general medicine. Students having passed all examinations and having successfully defended their theses are granted an M.D. degree.
Elective Courses
Required elective courses form a part of the undergraduate training in general medicine. These are, in the Clinical Sciences, based on clinical reality, and practical issues and aspects of direct patient care e.g., patient management, therapeutics and diagnostics. For the Theoretical Sciences these electives are based on aspects of basic research, social sciences, economic and legal sciences.
Medical Activity at the Faculty of Medicine
The Faculty of Medicine is not only the second largest medical school in Hungary, but it is also one of the largest Hungarian hospitals, consisting of 49 departments; including 18 different clinical departments with more than 1,800 beds. It is not only the best-equipped institution in the area but it also represents the most important health care facility for the day-to-day medical care in its region. The Kenézy Gyula County Hospital (with some 1,400 beds) is strongly affiliated with the University of Debrecen and plays an important role in teaching the practical aspects of medicine. There are also close contacts between the University and other health care institutions, mainly (but not exclusively) in its closer region. The University of Debrecen has a Teaching Hospital Network consisting of 19 hospitals in Israel, Japan and South Korea. It is also of importance that the University of Debrecen has a particularly fruitful collaboration with the Nuclear Research Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in Debrecen, allowing the coordination of all activities that involve the use of their cyclotron in conjunction with various diagnostic and therapeutic procedures (e.g. Positron Emission Tomography ‘PET’).
Scientific Research at the Faculty of Medicine
Scientific research is performed both at the departments for basic sciences and at the laboratories of clinical departments. The faculty members publish about 600 scientific papers every year in international scientific journals. According to the scientometric data, the Faculty is among the 4 best of the more than 80 Hungarian research institutions and universities. Lots of scientists reach international recognition, exploiting the possibilities provided by local, national and international collaborations. Internationally acknowledged research areas are Biophysics, Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Immunology, Experimental and Clinical Oncology, Hematology, Neurobiology, Molecular Biology, Neurology, and Physiology. The scientific exchange program involves numerous foreign universities and a large proportion of the faculty members are actively involved in programs that absorb foreign connections (the most important international collaborators are from Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the USA).
