Doctors don't usually earn master's degrees, and there are no master's degrees that lead to a medical degree. At least, medical school is not considered a graduate school. The way it has been created is more like a professional school, where students receive specific training for a career (medical) and receive a board certification during the course of study. As a medical student who graduated in medicine, I realize that the definitions can be a bit blurry.
Are you ready to understand everything better? Let's take a look at some of the main comparisons and differences between the two forms of education. Probably the biggest distinction you can make between medical school and graduate school (and not get confused) is when it comes to the field of study. To become a licensed physician, you must obtain a medical degree from a medical school by studying medicine. In graduate school, you can study a ton of different subjects (including the individual subjects that are part of a medical school's curriculum).
One of the reasons for the confusion over the question is that (at least to the general public), both graduate students and medical students appear older than normal undergraduate students. Although, of course, I do my best to promote going back to school and changing professions at any age (see my article about studying medicine after 30 as an example), we must take into account the average age of both. According to research by the Council on Graduate Schools (Source), the average age of graduate students in the U. S.
UU. is 28 years old. Therefore, although the students in each of them may appear older than undergraduate students aged 17 to 24, it is the medical students in general who are, on average, younger. Comparatively, medical school is more expensive. Consider the fact that most medical degrees last for 4 years and it doesn't take a genius to realize that medical school generally requires a much larger financial investment (or loan).
While both industries are likely to be shaken by innovation and artificial intelligence in the future, higher education tends to generate better overall job prospects at the individual level. A medical student's prospects are probably more definitive to measure, given the wide range of graduate degrees. As mentioned earlier, classifying a medical degree outside of graduate (or undergraduate) school can be a bit tricky. Penn State's pre-medical medicine (PMM) program, mentioned here in my article; Best Pre-Medical Schools in Pennsylvania (costs, admission information at 26% of extracurricular activities), is an example here. And there are several programs similar to this one that, in fact, blur the lines.
But what's also important to mention is how medical school works in different countries. In my own native United Kingdom, for example, medicine is always taught at the undergraduate level. Which means that doctors can generally reach the consultant (assistant) level much earlier than in the United States. Based on the data, it is clear that it is much harder to get into medical school than graduate school. As this Forbes article suggests, acceptance rates are dropping while requests are rising.
That trend has caused admission rates at 10 of the most difficult schools to fall to 2.6 percent or less. The newly formed Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson Medical School has an admission rate of only 0.5 percent. So, while some graduate programs are undoubtedly competitive to enter (especially those in top-tier schools), graduate schools have a larger volume of programs spread across many different disciplines. Never having studied a master's degree (or a doctorate).
From a curricular perspective, if we analyze something like biochemistry at the medical school level and compare it to a graduate program, it is correct to say that the level of detail is lower in medical school. Graduate programs delve deeper into their field of study and usually require some unique level of research. But both also include a lot of exams (thankfully, resources like ExamLabs can help in this regard). Medical school covers a lot of content quickly and then moves to more clinical-based teaching. The top 20 schools, such as Harvard and Stanford, are said to view students with impressive graduate backgrounds favorably, but there are also plenty of cases where it hasn't counted much either.
Most of what makes it easier to get into medical school comes down to incredible extracurricular activities and personal statements, rather than a standard master's degree - especially if your field of study is not related to medical sciences. Born and raised in the United Kingdom, Will entered medicine late (3) after a career in journalism. He likes football, he learned Spanish after 5 years in Spain and his work has been published all over the web. This presents future medical students with employment and service options outside of the school curriculum. Students who are actively involved in interacting with patients and providing superior medical care benefit greatly from clinical experience in medical school.
You would be more likely to convince medical school admissions committees of your commitment to the field if you could independently find clinical, volunteer, and networking opportunities instead of relying solely on a graduate school - although these activities are not academic requirements they look fantastic on your curriculum when you apply for medical schools. Ensuring a network of colleagues to facilitate assistance and advice on a project during medical school can dramatically improve a student's ability to present and publish their work. Many biomedically-oriented master's programs dedicate a substantial number of modules to biostatistics, epidemiology, and data analysis - earning a master's degree in science can offer multiple advantages for aspiring doctors with research interests through rigorous courses and with an intention to help students pursue medical studies; these programs develop student's analytical skills and theoretical information necessary for understanding complicated challenges related with medical practice.
