Updated On - May 16th 2022, Updated By - ishika

MBBS Vs MD

MBBS Vs MD: MBBS vs MD is generally a concept of talk among most of the students assuming to get a medical course. These two courses are among the most famous courses to get into the medical field but they are totally different from each other. The primary difference between these two courses is that MBBS is a bachelor-level course, whereas MD is a master-level course. 

To be eligible for admission to the MBBS program, applicants must have passed the NEET Exam after scoring high marks in PCM as the main subject in their 12th grade. One of the basic requirements for admission to MD programs is completion of MBBS courses.

MBBS stands for Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery. Specifically, it is a 4 years 5 months undergraduate program offered to the students who are 12th pass out and want to take the next step towards the medical field. Alternatively, MD refers to a Doctor of Medicine, a two-year postgraduate course meant for those who have graduated with MBBS. For the students who want to know about the MBBS Vs MD, the key factors describing the difference between MBBS and MD have been collated in the upcoming sections.

Latest Updates

  • Medical Counseling Committee has published the NEET PG round 2 counseling result
  • Conduct of NEET-PG 2022 has been rescheduled for 21 May 2022. The online application window to submit applications for NEET-PG 2022 shall continue till 25.03.2022 (till 11:55 PM).
  • NEET PG 2022 registration last date is extended. NOW those students who want admission to the MD course can fill out the registration form by 25 March 2022. The admit cards for NEET PG entrance exam will be released on 16 May 2022. Click here to fill the registration form.
  • Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has postponed the counselling date  for NEET PG 2022 for round 2. The last date of counseling is 14 February 2022.
  • The supreme court of India has declared that the 70% of PG courses seats will be reserved for Christian students in Christian Medical College VellorePost Graduate Diploma in Family Medicine (PGDFM) admission is open in  CMC Vellore

What is MBBS?

Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, commonly known as MBBS, is a bachelor-level course offered with a course duration of 5.5 years. The MBBS has always been among those courses that are dreamed of by every student to pursue due to the sense of success that it offers.

The process of admission to the MBBS course is purely based on the applicant’s scores in the NEET-UG exam conducted at the national level. The scores of applicants in the exam are considered by all institutions as the process for providing admission to the MBBS course. MBBS admission is offered by multiple institutions, like the AIMS, KMC Manipal, KMC Mangalore, etc.

What is MD?

MD stands for Doctor of Medicine and is a 3 years duration course. The students who have completed their MBBS course and want to continue their education in the medical field towards the next level should opt for this course. For all the interested students, admission to MD course is offered based on the scores of applicants in the entrance exam.

The MD admission is offered in numerous specializations such as the cardiology, Endocrinology, Neonatology, Neurology, etc. Some of the most favoured exams for admission to MD course under all the specializations are the JIPMER PG, DUMET, NEET PG, etc.

MBBS Vs MD: Course Details

Almost 500+ medical colleges offer MBBS course admission through the NEET exam; MBBS and MD is the first professional course in medicine and surgery after graduation. In India, the MBBS program is five and half years duration course, and MD is offred after MBBS In India, the duration of the MD program is 3 years. The admission to MD is given to aspirants who qualify in the NEET entrance examination.

MBBS is an undergraduate-level course, whereas MD is a postgraduate course. For admission to MBBS, students who have passed 12th can apply for MBBS, while MD is meant for the graduates with an MBBS degree. 

Focusing on their duration, the MBBS is a four years and two months course, integrated with the 12 months internship. Conversely, the duration of MD is two years. For MD, candidates have to choose among the specialisations which encompass: Anaesthesiology, Anatomy, Biochemistry UG PG, Biophysics, Dermatology and Venereology, Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Microbiology, Physiology, Radiotherapy, and many more. Further, the admission process is different for MBBS and MD. This aspect has been elaborated in the section presented below.

MBBS Vs MD Admission

The most important thing to be considered by the MBBS aspirants is the admission process followed by the different colleges offering this course. As per the findings, 352 colleges offer MBBS in India, and more than 80,000 students take admission to MBBS each year. 

Now, coming to the main point, that is the admission process. In India, admission to the MBBS course is offered based on the marks scored in the NEET entrance exam, conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA). Over the past years, the two medical universities, namely, All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) and Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) conducted their own entrance examination to select the students for the particular medical course. But now, all such autonomous entrance examinations for medical admissions have been dismissed, and medical admissions are conducted only through NEET. This applies to both governments as well as private institutions offering MBBS admission. 

Alternatively, admission to the MD course is granted based on the entrance exam, such as NEET PG/ INI CET, conducted for taking admission to postgraduate medical courses. Apart from this, most students want to pursue MS (Master of Surgery) at the postgraduate level in three specialisations: Surgery, Otolaryngology, and Orthopaedics.

Here, the most common concerns of the aspirants would be about the eligibility criteria. Henceforth, the next section will illuminate the eligibility criteria for MBBS and MD in detail.

Entrance Exam for MBBS Admission

To get admission in the MBBS course there is a national level entrance test conducted which is NEET-UG. In total of 522 medial colleges MBA admission is done on the basis of the NEET entrance examination. Those who want to pursue MBBS course student must have Physics, Chemistry, Biology as their major subjects in class 11th and 12th. For general category students 50 percentile is required to clear the NEET merit list.

MBBS VS MD Eligibility Criteria

As stated earlier, MBBS and MD differ based on the course level and the admission process. Accordingly, the eligibility criteria of MBBS and MD also varies. It could be better understood by following the points presented below:

MBBS Eligibility Criteria:

  • Students who have passed Intermediate class in science stream with a minimum of 55%. Students must have biology, physics, chemistry as main subjects.

  • Students who have passed the NEET exam are eligible to get admission to MBBS courses in any private and government college of India.

  • Applicants must be a minimum of 17 Years of age to get admission in any medical college.

MD Eligibility Criteria:

The eligibility criteria for MD admission varies across the universities/institutes. Some colleges accept the national level entrance exam, while some prefer the merit of the marks scored at the undergraduate level (MBBS).

  • Aspirants must hold an MBBS degree with at least 50% marks in aggregate from a recognised university/college/institution.
  • The selection process is based on the entrance exams such as NEET PG/ INI CET/ PGIMER/ AIPGMEE, etc. Additionally, a personal interview or group discussion would be conducted.

MBBS Vs MD Course Fees

It has been justified that MBBS and MD are two distinct medical courses aimed to deploy theoretical knowledge supplemented with the practicals relevant to the topics being covered in the curriculum. Accordingly, the fees for these courses vary among the government/ private institutes, even among the countries. Of Course, the fees charged by the government institution will be less than the private colleges. Before taking admission to any of the MBBS or MD institutions, one must explore and compare the fee structure. Generally, the fee charged by the governmental institutes for MBBS starts from INR 1,628 to INR 20,000, whereas, in private premises, it is 3 Lakhs - 56 Lakhs. For MD courses, the total fee ranges between INR 10,000 to INR 20 lakhs. 

MBBS Vs MD Scope

After completing MBBS/MD, one can have numerous career prospects in the medical areas ranging from government to public sectors across the globe. The medical areas include hospitals, nursing homes, laboratories, pharmaceuticals, health centers, medical institutes, medical research centers, etc. The various benefits have been pointed out below:

  • Looking at the present scenario, the need for students certified with a medical degree is growing massively. There are several job profiles open for medical students: Doctor, Junior Doctor, Physician, Surgeon, Scientists, Medical professor, and many more. 
  • One can start a business of their own in the medical area. Along with medical knowledge, various competencies are acquired by the learners, including empathy, patience, communication, teamwork and leadership. 
  • Regarding the government recruitment jobs, an MBBS or MD completed person is recruited in the government armed forces in which they can be employed as a doctor for the Indian Army and Railways.
  • Coming to the salary aspect, the average salary paid to the MBBS graduate is Rs. 3 to 7 lakhs and for those holding MD postgraduate degree, it starts from Rs.2.2 lakhs to Rs.20 lakhs. 

MBBS vs MD Jobs

Students who are pursuing either the MBBS course or the MD course both have an opportunity for making a successful career. Since the level of both the courses is different, the job profiles and salary packages of the students will also get different accordingly.

Students who are pursuing the MBBS course will be able to apply for a job after they have got the licence from the medical council of India. They can opt for doing practice in their selected field in either their clinics or in private or government clinics. The average salary that students can get after pursuing the MBBS course is around INR 8.12 lakh to INR 17.45 lakh.

MBBS vs MD Salary

MBBS is a bachelor level course opted by students for getting into the medical line and MD is a master’s level course that helps the students level up in the medical prospect. Therefore the average MBBS vs MS salary will also differ.

Students after completing their MBBS course can expect to get a salary package of around INR 2.12 lakh to INR 12.95 lakh. On the other side after completing an MD course, applicants can expect to get average pay of around INR 10.25 lakh to INR 24.15 lakh.

Conclusion

The points covered in the complete article concentrated on the fundamental difference between MBBS and MD. To sum up, all the key differences have been depicted in the table given below:  

Basis of difference

MBBS

MD

Full Name

Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery

Doctor of Medicine

Conducting Body

National Testing Agency (NTA)

  • For NEET PG : National Board of Examination
  • For INI CET: AIIMS 

Entrance Exam

NEET 

NEET PG, INI CET, PGIMER, AIPGMEE, etc

Course Duration

4 years 5 months

2 years

Eligibility Criteria

Class XIIth with medical stream

MBBS degree with 50% marks 

Admission Process

Marks scored in NEET

Entrance exam scores + Personal/ Group Discussion

Course Fees

  • Ranges from 1600 to 20, 000 (Govt. )
  • Starts from 3 Lakhs to 56 Lakhs (Private)

INR 10 K to 20 Lakhs

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

Q1. What is meant by MBBS and MD?

Ans. MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery) is an undergraduate-level course, whereas MD (Doctor of Medicine) is a postgraduate program offered under preferred specialisation.

Q2. Who can pursue MBBS?

Ans. Students who have completed 12th with physics, chemistry and biology can apply for MBBS. However, the selection will be based on the NEET scores. 

Q3. What are the career prospects after MBBS?

Ans. After completing the MBBS, one can choose to go for a Master’s by taking admission to MD medical course. Apart from it, one can start their professions by getting jobs in the healthcare and medical sectors. 

Q4. What are the benefits of pursuing MD after MBBS?

Ans. After joining MD after MBBS, one can boost their educational qualification and start their career with well-reputed designations such as a doctor, surgeon physician, etc.

Q5. Which entrance exam is conducted for MBBS admission?

Ans. For MBBS admission, one has to clear the NEET entrance examination conducted by NTA.

Q6. Is the admission process of MBBS/MD the same across the globe?

Ans. No, the MBBS/ MD admission process varies across the globe.

Q7. What is the course duration of MBBS ?

Ans. The duration of the MBBS course is 4.5 years.

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