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CONTENTS

1. Why look at alternatives to a Medicine degree?

2. Six subjects related to Medicine

3. 15 careers in healthcare without a medical degree

4. What to do if I don’t get into Medicine?

Why look at alternatives to a Medicine degree?

If your heart is set on becoming a doctor, you might not consider what to study instead of medicine. You may dream of becoming a surgeon or GP and think no other career will do. Even so, you should consider an alternative to a medicine degree for your 5th UCAS choice because you can only apply to four medical schools.

Or maybe you don’t want to go to medical school. You might not want to study for five or more years – or owe five years-worth of student loans. Maybe you know you won’t meet the entry requirements. Instead, you might be looking for a degree similar to medicine but shorter, or the best healthcare degrees beside medicine.

In either case, you probably know that getting a place on a medical course is tough:

• Medical schools have a limited number of places because these are capped by the government.
• Medicine is a popular subject with a huge number of applicants. In 2024, over 24,000 students applied for around 10,000 places.
• You must meet high entry requirements (usually at least AAA–A*AA at A Level) – but so will many of the students who apply.

So you need a back-up plan if you don’t get into medical school. Or you might be looking for medical degree alternatives because you want to find a related career. And we’ve got a list of subjects and healthcare careers for you to consider.

Six subjects related to Medicine

These six sciences are all good alternatives to a medicine degree, and worthy contenders as a UCAS 5th choice for medical students. Each explores an area adjacent to medicine – whether biological systems, treatments or technology. Plus they offer knowledge that could be invaluable if you pursue a graduate-entry medical course.

If you’re looking for the best UCAS 5th choice because you want to study medicine, some courses may offer the option of transferring onto a medicine degree. Others may offer guaranteed interviews to study graduate medicine. To be considered for this, you’ll need to achieve top grades in your studies. You’ll also face stiff competition.

Biological Sciences

A biological sciences degree may cover cell biology, genetics, microbiology, physiology and pathology, among other topics. As an alternative to a medicine degree, it’s more generalist than biomedical science. But it can still lead to a career close to medicine, whether in clinical trials or vaccine development, or as a physician associate or anaesthesia associate (with further training).

Find Biological Sciences courses or see our subject guide.

Biomedical Science

Often seen as the best non-medicine degree choice for UCAS, biomedical science combines medicine with health science and biology to explore the internal body. Medical science focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions. Depending on the course, you could cover anatomy, physiology, genetics and microbiology among other areas. Take a degree accredited by the Institute of Biomedical Sciences, and you could work for the NHS as a biomedical scientist.

Find Biomedical Science courses or see our subject guide.

Chemistry

If your UCAS 5th choice for medicine is chemistry or biochemistry, it can help you learn how medicines affect biological systems. Some degrees specifically focus on medicinal chemistry, giving you a head start on understanding drug interactions. It could lead to a career as a clinical biochemist, helping to manage disease through blood tests or analysis of tissue samples.

Find Chemistry courses or see our subject guide.

Medical Technology & Bioengineering

This subject area fuses science and technology to aid the diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of diseases. Careers include medical imaging and radiography, prosthetics and orthotics (see our list of 15 alternative careers to medicine, below).

Find Medical Technology & Bioengineering courses or see our subject guide.

Neuroscience

A neuroscience degree combines biology, chemistry and sometimes psychology. It’ll teach you about the human brain and nervous system, and brain dysfunctions such as epilepsy, strokes, Alzheimer’s and more. If you’re looking for a UCAS 5th choice for medicine, some neuroscience degrees can be a pathway into a graduate medical degree.

Find Neuroscience courses or see our subject guide.

Pharmacology & Pharmacy

Perhaps you’re wondering about pharmacy vs a medicine degree. Pharmacy focuses on developing, dispensing and monitoring medications, while pharmacology explores how drugs and toxins interact with the body. Pharmacy is a useful 5th UCAS choice for medical students. We know of pharmacists who’ve gone on to train as doctors, and their knowledge of treatments and medicines has been invaluable in their new career. In the NHS, pharmacists can now also assess and treat minor clinical ailments.

Find Pharmacology & Pharmacy courses or see our subject guide.

15 careers in healthcare without a medical degree

If you’re asking yourself what the closest career to medicine is, then there are many undergraduate courses that lead to specific careers in healthcare. Each offers the chance to work with patients and make a real difference to their quality of life.

Several of these are also worthy healthcare degrees for a UCAS 5th option. If you don’t get into medical school, your UCAS 5th choice for medicine may be a pathway to a graduate-entry medicine degree. Some of these require a science as a first degree, but others will consider graduates of any discipline. You may need relevant science A Levels.

Depending on what and where you study, NHS funding may be available. Some roles are also available as degree apprenticeships in England, alongside subjects like Healthcare Science.

We’ve not included Dentistry in this list as it’s more equivalent to medicine in terms of competition for places and course duration. If you want to know more about studying this subject, read our guide to dentistry.

Dietetics

Dietetics may not immediately spring to mind as an alternative to a medicine degree. But these days, exciting research is uncovering new links between what we eat and our health outcomes. In the NHS, dieticians use their expert knowledge to manage patients’ dietary conditions.

Find a Dietetics course or read our subject guide.

Midwifery

If you’re wondering what degree to do instead of medicine, midwifery could suit you if you want a high degree of autonomy. You’d be the lead healthcare professional for women with uncomplicated pregnancies, facilitating childbirth as well as providing healthcare support before and after. 

Find a Midwifery course or read our subject guide.

Nursing

Nursing is a great alternative to a medicine degree, offering a huge variety of career pathways. You could focus on adult, child, learning disability or mental health nursing. You could specialise in areas such as accident and emergency, neonatal or neurology. If you become a theatre nurse, you can train as a surgical care practitioner, supporting a surgeon as first or second assistant.

Find a Nursing course or read our subject guide.

Occupational Therapy

If you want a career in healthcare without a medical degree, occupational therapy could be a good choice. Occupational therapists provide support to help patients adjust to changes arising from their illness, disability or old age. It involves problem solving and a focus on practical solutions. You could recommend equipment to make tasks easier or teach new skills, helping to make a real difference to people’s lives.

Find an Occupational Therapy course or read our subject guide.

Operating Department Practice

A degree similar to medicine but shorter, operating department practice puts you at the heart of the operating theatre. Your course is likely to cover anatomy, physiology, anaesthetic and perioperative or surgical practice. You’ll be involved in patient care and work with the surgical team, whether assisting the anaesthetic doctor, ensuring equipment is scrubbed for surgery, or in patient care.

Find an Operating Department Practice course.

Optometry or Orthoptics

Some of the alternatives to a medicine degree specialise in a specific part of the body. Optometry and orthoptics each have a slightly different focus on eyesight – if you’ll excuse the pun.

Optometrists examine the eyes, identifying defects in vision and prescribing corrective lenses. You’d also check eye health and refer patients for specialist medical treatment.

Orthoptists specialise in how eyes move and work with the brain to create vision. You’d provide non-surgical treatment, and often work in hospitals alongside ophthalmologist doctors.

If you like the idea of helping people with their eyesight, both are good healthcare courses to apply for instead of medicine.

Find an Optometry or Orthoptics course or read our subject guide.

Osteopathy

Another degree related to medicine is osteopathy. Osteopaths diagnose, treat and prevent various health issues by manipulating joints or massaging muscles. Osteopathy is one of the allied health professions recognised by the NHS. Follow this route and you’re likely to work in private practice, though NHS patients may sometimes be referred for treatment.

Find an Osteopathy course.

Paramedic Science

If you want a fast-paced career that’s close to medicine, you could consider a qualification in paramedic science. Paramedics are often the first responders in an emergency, with the autonomy to take key decisions about the immediate treatment of a patient. Paramedics may also be attached to a GP practice or community care team, to assess patients in the community.

Find a Paramedic Science course or read our subject guide.

Physician Associate

A physician associate degree is another university course like medicine. You’ll learn to diagnose and treat patients under the supervision of a doctor, working in hospitals or GP practices. A key difference is that physician associates don’t prescribe medication. You can select physician associate as a UCAS 5th choice, as it’s offered as an undergraduate integrated master’s degree at several universities.

Find a Physician Associate course.

Physiotherapy

If you study physiotherapy as an alternative to medicine, you will learn about anatomy, physiology and biomechanics (movement). You’ll make clinical decisions about the treatment of patients, helping them to regain mobility whether it’s due to injury, illness or disability. Career options include work in NHS hospitals, community settings or sports-related roles.

Find a Physiotherapy course or read our subject guide.

Podiatry

Podiatry is the treatment of feet. It might not be your first thought as an alternative to a medicine degree, but feet can give early indications of problems elsewhere in the body. Tingling could be a sign of diabetes or nerve damage; swollen ankles may indicate high blood pressure. You could also help patients to retain their mobility and therefore their independence.

Find a Podiatry course or read our subject guide.

Prosthetics & Orthotics

Prosthetics or orthotics could be a great alternative to medical school if you’re interested in physics and movement. Prosthetists use their skills to design and fit artificial limbs, replacing the missing limb. You’ll see plenty of these devices at events like the Paralympics or Invictus Games. Orthotists make and fit splints or braces to the body to help correct mobility impairment caused by nerves, muscle or bone.

Find a Prosthetics or Orthotics course or read our subject guide.

Psychology

If you’re wondering what to study instead of medicine, psychology would be a fascinating subject to take. You might explore cognitive processes, developmental psychology or neurophysiology. Taking an accredited course could lead an NHS career as a clinical psychologist. You won’t prescribe medication but will test and implement interventions to improve patients’ lives.

Find a Psychology course or read our subject guide.

Radiography

Another vital career in healthcare that you can study without a medical degree is radiography. Diagnostic radiographers use X-rays and imaging technology such as MRI or CT scanning to help doctors identify a range of conditions. Therapeutic radiographers go a step further, helping to treat the causes of cancer or other diseases using radiation therapy.

Find a Radiography course or read our subject guide.

Speech & Language Therapy

If you’re still wondering what to study instead of medicine, how about speech and language therapy? Speech and language therapists solve issues with speech â€“ and with eating, drinking and swallowing. Modules may include biomedical science, linguistics, physiology and child development. While most speech therapists work with children, you could also assist adults with communication or swallowing difficulties.

Find a Speech and Language Therapy course or read our subject guide.

What to do if I don’t get into Medicine?

What if you don’t want an alternative to studying medicine? It can be tough to get knocked back if you don’t get into medical school. But many successful doctors took other paths to reach their goal, such as studying a Biomedical Science BSc or a Pharmacy MPharm beforehand.

If you don’t get into medical school, you will need to know why. If you got an interview but didn't get offered a place, ask for feedback – it may tell you more about why you weren't selected.

It’s unlikely that you’ll find any places for a medicine degree in Clearing.

If you didn’t get the exam grades, you could resit your A Levels. Resit requirements vary between medical schools. Some won't accept them. Others might require higher grades for resit exams.

 If you meet the resit grades, you could look options such as January entry, or reapply in the next UCAS cycle. You won't be alone if you do this: for 2024 entry, over 3,500 applicants to medical school were reapplying.

Or you could consider a long-term plan. Some of the alternatives covered in this article offer great preparation for a career in medicine. Unlike students who take medicine as a first degree, you’ll go into your studies armed with in-depth knowledge in science or healthcare. This may inform your future career as a doctor, leading to specialisms you might not otherwise have considered.

In that case, you can use UCAS Extra or Clearing to apply for one of the degrees similar to medicine listed above.