Medical University of Warsaw English Division, what is the program structure and how does it differ from the Polish program?

valuemd (Admin)

WUM has offered an English-language MD program since 1993, one of the longest-running English medicine programs in Europe. This thread explains how the English Division is structured, how it compares academically to the Polish program, and what the class demographics look like.

rameshchandra6622 (Alumni)

Okay so i actually just finished my second year at WUM english division so i can give some firsthand info here. the program is 6 years total, no separate undergrad needed. first 3 years are preclinical, heavy on anatomy, biochem, histology, physiology, that kind of stuff. Years 4 through 6 are clinical rotations. the last year is basically a dedicated internship year where you rotate through internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, ob-gyn, psychiatry and a few others. it follows the european bologna-adjacent structure but medicine is exempt from the standard bologna split so you get one long integrated degree at the end. The degree is recognized in the EU, US (for ECFMG), and a bunch of other countries which is a big reason people come here specifically.

gracew554 (Student)

rameshchandra6622 (Alumni) thanks for breaking that down. i had a question though, how does the curriculum actually compare to the polish program? like are you learning the same things or is the english division kind of watered down compared to what polish students go through?

liamt902 (Alumni)

honestly not watered down at all, that is a myth i keep seeing on forums. the core curriculum is the same, same departments, same professors a lot of the time, same exams in many subjects. the main difference is just the language of instruction obviously. some departments literally teach the same content and the english and polish students write the same final exam just translated. where it does differ is that polish students have polish language classes built in from year 1 since they need it for patient communication, whereas in the english division you take polish language as a subject but its not at the same level. so clinical communication with patients can be trickier for english division students unless you put serious effort into learning polish on your own.

masons990 (Alumni)

adding to what liamt902 (Alumni) said, the class demographics in the english division are really mixed which i genuinely love about it. from my experience theres a big chunk of students from the US and Canada, then a lot from Norway and Sweden, quite a few from Israel, and then a mix from other countries in europe, asia, middle east, africa. its actually kind of wild sitting in a lecture hall and realizing people came from like 30 different countries. the polish program is obviously predominantly polish nationals. so the vibe and social environment between the two divisions is pretty different in that sense.