Q1. Is Medicine at UMH taught in English?
+A: No. Instruction is entirely in Spanish, and UMH does not run an English-medium or bilingual track for Medicine.
Faculty of Medicine of Universidad Miguel Hernández is a relatively new faculty in a relatively young university, but the Faculty predates the University as it existed previously in University of Alicante until it was transferred to the new university in 1997. This means that although UMH is a young university, the faculty inherited a number of years of experience of teaching and collaboration with hospitals, which helps to preserve its reputation.
Unlike many private universities in Europe that attract international students aggressively, UMH uses Spain's traditional public university admissions model. Medicine is taught exclusively in Spanish; there is no English-taught or bilingual track. Therefore, lectures, laboratory classes, examination and clinical trainings will require excellent knowledge of Spanish. Thus, applicants should treat Medicine in UMH as an exclusively Spanish-taught medical programme.
The programme has very high admission standards as Medicine of UMH has traditionally had one of the highest admission cut-off scores in Spain based on Spanish EBAU university entrance exam. Recent admission cycles have required scores close to the perfect score on this examination. Thus, this degree belongs to the most competitive medical programmes in Spain.
For Indian and other international students admission procedure differs from the above. The university accepts applications of such candidates through UNEDasiss admission system rather than EBAU. The school certificate should first be officially recognized and converted into its Spanish equivalent; without any further examinations, the converted grade is rarely enough for admission to Medicine.
Thus, most international applicants need to pass the Pruebas de Competencias Específicas (PCE) that are subject-specific examinations conducted via UNEDasiss admission system to increase their chances to get into the programme. Also, candidates whose native language is not Spanish should demonstrate at least B2 level of Spanish language.
After obtaining necessary certificates, the application should be submitted through centralized admissions system of Comunidad Valenciana. In this system candidates are applying not to UMH, but to universities of Valencian community in general, such as University of Alicante and University of Valencia; admission is based on the competition and availability of vacancies.
Many international applicants use special preparation courses for the PCE examination. These preparatory courses are organized by independent agencies rather than by UMH. The quality, course curriculum and price of such courses differ greatly; prospective applicants need to evaluate such organizations carefully.
The greatest strength of UMH is its affordability. At public universities in Valencian Community annual tuition for each programme is set by the community government, not by the university. For domestic and EU students annual tuition for Medicine programme is traditionally in the range of €1,000-€2,000. This makes Medicine in UMH one of the most affordable medical degrees in Western Europe.
As usual, non-EU students pay approximately twice as much as domestic students, yet annual tuition for Medicine for such applicants is usually in the range of €2,000-€4,000, which is significantly less than tuition fee in most private medical universities in Spain or in English-taught medical programmes in Europe. However, these low tuition fees mean nothing for applicants who cannot get admitted to the programme; admission is the main issue rather than tuition.
Practical education of medicine starts right after admission. In the first year of study applicants work with human bodies for anatomy training and have laboratory classes in the latest clinical simulation laboratories that are suitable for procedure and surgical trainings. Thus, practical part of training complements theoretical scientific training of students.
Also, the faculty provides students with opportunities for wider professional development through such activities as bioethics courses, participation in international student congresses, Teddy Bear Hospital project for children of local schools and Green Race charity event. Such activities are incorporated into faculty's educational programme, rather than are optional extracurricular courses. They contribute to development of communication and professional skills of students.
Clinical training happens in Hospital General Universitario de Alicante. Also students have practical training in Hospital Universitario de Sant Joan d'Alacant that is located nearby the university campus. Such collaboration allows students to receive extensive practical training in patient care in various medical specialties. Clinical training thus remains very close to academic programme of the university.
The programme is regulated by Spain's national system of education of medicine and recognized in the European Union and European Economic Area; its graduates can take MIR examination for residency training in Spain. This degree allows practicing medicine in any of EU countries depending on local licensing requirements. This degree thus gives great possibilities for working in Europe.
According to current published data, UMH does not have the WFME International Quality Label that some Spanish medical schools have. This issue mainly concerns graduates interested in some ECFMG pathways to residencies in the USA. However, for graduates willing to work in Spain, Europe or in India, it is of little importance; career plans should be taken into account.
Thus, Universidad Miguel Hernández provides one of the most affordable public medical educations in Western Europe. The advantages of this programme are low tuition fees, strong relations with hospitals and practical training. The disadvantages are very competitive admission and requirement of advanced Spanish language skills. This programme thus fits applicants that are academically successful and ready for Spanish admissions procedure.
