Course summary

The University of Buckingham is:

• Home of the two-year degree, the University of Buckingham, based in the South East of England, is ranked 6th for Student Satisfaction in the UK (National Student Survey, 2020).

• We are proudly independent and not-for-profit, and offer courses in Allied Health, Business, Computing, Education, Humanities, Law, Medicine, Psychology and Security and Intelligence. We are one of the few universities in the UK that offer September and January start dates for almost all of our courses.

• Based in Buckingham on a riverside campus, we are only 20 minutes’ from Milton Keynes central station and a short drive from Bicester, Aylesbury, Banbury and Northampton. There is free parking on-site and we are within easy reach of London and Oxford.

• Our award-winning small class tutorials ensure every student is known by name and supported throughout their studies, including by dedicated personal tutors.

• As pioneers of the two-year degree, we offer a condensed version of the traditional three-year degree, meaning you can gain a full honours degree and complete your studies a whole year earlier. Alternatively, you can complete both your undergraduate and master’s degree with us in just three years: saving you time and money.

• Student-led – An ePortfolio is used to encourage a learner-centred approach with the support of educational supervisors. The ePortfolio contains tools to identify educational needs, and enables the setting of learning goals, reflective learning and personal development.

• Competency-based – The curriculum outlines competencies that trainees must reach by the end of the programme. The curriculum is directly linked to the ePortfolio as it defines standards required for good medical practice and formal assessments.

• Continuation of Good Medical Practice – building on existing training the curriculum contains important emphasis on generic competencies necessary for practice as a surgeon.

• Supervision – each student has a series of supervisors with clearly defined roles and responsibilities overseeing training including their Clinical Supervisor, Educational Supervisor, University Tutor, Pathways to Postgraduate Training in Surgery Director, and Dean of Postgraduate Medicine.

• Appraisal meetings with supervisors – regular appraisal meetings and review of competence progression are set out in the ePortfolio.

• Dissertation – Literature review of 10,000 words.