MBBS Syllabus & Subjects 2024

MBBS syllabus teaches students theoretical as well as practical knowledge on different branches of medical science namely Anatomy, Biochemistry, Physiology, Pharmacology and also subjects such as Community Medicine, Dermatology and Venereology, Surgery, Orthopaedics, etc. The syllabus of MBBS course is divided into three chapters- Pre-Clinical, Para-Clinical, and Clinical. MBBS course duration is of 5 years and 6 months. The MBBS syllabus for first year consists of three main subjects, while second year MBBS syllabus contains seven subjects. In the third year MBBS syllabus, there are three subjects followed by six subjects in fourth year MBBS. Along with syllabus, students are also required to complete an internship of six months as a part of MBBS syllabus. 

NMC or the National Medical Commission that previously used to be known as the Medical Council of India is the body, which is in charge of the development of the curriculum of the MBBS course. The MBBS course in total consists of 19 subjects.

Students who aspire to study MBBS courses need to clear NEET and the NEET syllabus is a combination of subjects studied in class 11 and 12. Physics, Chemistry, and Biology are the most important subjects to prepare for the medical entrance exam NEET.

The first year MBBS syllabus consists of Anatomy, Biochemistry, and Physiology.

Second year MBBS subjects consist of community medicine, pharmacology, pathology, microbiology, forensic medicine, toxicology, clinical postings and OPD. 

The third year of MBBS syllabus consists of Community Medicine, ENT and Ophthalmology.

The fourth year MBBS syllabus consists of a number of subjects including Psychiatry, Dermatology, Venereology, Paediatrics, Anaesthesiology, Orthopaedics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

Anatomy, Biochemistry and Physiology are the MBBS subjects taught in Semester 1 and Semester 2. There are 2 semesters in the pre-clinical phase of MBBS syllabus whereas there are 3 semesters in the para-clinical phase of MBBS syllabus. The MBBS syllabus in the paraclinical phase consists of Forensic Medicine, Pathology, Community Medicine, Microbiology, Pharmacology, Clinical Posting in different wards. The OPD studies also begin at this phase. There are 4 semesters in the clinical phase of MBBS syllabus and the subjects taught in this phase are Community Medicine, Psychiatry, Dermatology, Gynaecology, Paediatrics, etc. Here is a tabular list of the phases and the MBBS subjects taught in different phases.

The syllabus of MBBS is divided into three parts and each part is followed by a compulsory internship period of a year. 

• The preclinical phase of syllabus is spread across the first two semesters of the MBBS course and different subjects that are taught in this phase are Anatomy, Biochemistry, and Physiology. 
• Students at this stage also have to conduct practicals on various subjects such as Gross anatomy, Microanatomy, Embryology, Genetics, Neuroanatomy, etc. as a part of the MBBS syllabus. 

• The paraclinical phase begins from the second year of the MBBS course and it consists of different MBBS subjects such as Pathology, Pharmacology, Forensic Medicine, Toxicology, Microbiology, etc.
• At this phase, candidates are also introduced to community medicine as a part of the MBBS course. 
• At the paraclinical stage the MBBS subjects are spread over three semesters- third to fifth.  
• During the para-clinical phase of the MBBS course, students are also posted in different wards of the hospital and need to take up OPD responsibilities. 

• Students begin studying community medicine from phase 2 of their MBBS syllabus and course.
• Students also learn about medicine and different allied MBBS subjects like dermatology, psychiatry, obstetrics, gynaecology, etc.
• Candidates at this stage also gain knowledge about surgery and its allied fields like Anesthesiology, ENT, Ophthalmology, Orthopaedics, etc.
• The clinical postings of candidates continue throughout the clinical stage.

There are exams in the MBBS course which is scheduled in three different phases:

• First, the Professional Exam, which takes place at the end of the second semester.
• Second, the Professional Exam at the end of the fifth semester.
• Final, Professional Exam, which takes place at the end of the ninth semester. 

Here is a tabular list of MBBS subjects included in the MBBS course syllabus:

MBBS Syllabus: Core Subjects

Here are the MBBS core subjects that students are required to study during their MBBS course:

• Community Medicine
• Medicine
• Surgery
• Orthopaedics
• Gynaecology
• Paediatrics
• Ophthalmology
• Otorhinolaryngology
• Casualty

Check the list of MBBS elective subjects:

• Dermatology and Sexually Transmitted Diseases
• Psychiatry
• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• Anaesthesia
• Radio-diagnosis
• Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
• Forensic Medicine and Toxicology
• Blood Bank and transfusion

There are many specialisation offered by MBBS such as:

• General Medicine
• General Surgery
• Paediatrics
• Obstetrics and Gynaecology
• Dermatology
• Orthopaedics
• ENT
• Psychiatry
• Anaesthesiology
• Plastic Surgery
• Neuro Surgery
• Cardio-Thoracic surgery
• Paediatric Surgery
• Gastroenterology
• Endocrinology
• Clinical Haematology
• Nephrology
• Cardiology
• Immunology
• Craniologist
• Pathologist

The MBBS course consists of a 12 months of compulsory rotating internship in any hospital or healthcare centre. Completing this internship is crucial for students to get hands-on experience and skill enhancement. 

During this period, candidates also get to focus on their interpersonal skills and communication skills by talking to patients and coming up with a diagnosis with their professional knowledge.

The concerned medical department provides students with a logbook of their own and their posting keep changing during intervals. It is also notified by the respective departments. The period of posting is stated as specified below:

The entire MBBS syllabus and MBBS course is divided into 23 specialisations, nine compulsory subjects and 8 elective subjects. MBBS course’s theoretical aspect focuses on different things such as human anatomy, medicine, and surgery.

An MBBS course begins with the process of familiarising students with the advanced medical terminology while training them on various fundamental concepts of surgery. Internships are extremely important and are promoted as a part of the MBBS course so that students get to understand surgeries, different medical procedures and patient care management.

Workshops and internships are a part of each semester so that students are prepared for a career in the healthcare field. 

Topics that are covered in the MBBS course are:

• 23 specialisation
• 9 compulsory subjects
• 8 elective subjects
• Projects and dissertation
• Practical sessions
• Internships and workshops
• Conferences

MBBS course is heavily project based and candidates get hands-on experience from the course and are prepared to work in challenging environments in the healthcare industry. Some of the common MBBS Project topics include:

• Epidemic versus Pandemic
• Child Health Care
• Medical humanitarian mission in the developing countries
• Homoeopathic medicine- the placebo effect
• Virus infections, its causes and treatments