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Studies & Degrees in Endocrinology

Endocrinology is the study of hormones and of the glands that produce them. The Endocrine Society describes hormones as the body's chemical messengers, which send signals into the bloodstream and tissues and affect growth and development, metabolism, sexual function, reproduction and mood. When glands do not produce the right amount of hormones, diseases develop. Diabetes, thyroid disease, obesity and disorders of the adrenal and pituitary glands are among the conditions that endocrinologists treat.

There are two ways into the field. Most endocrinologists are doctors: they study medicine and then specialise. Others are scientists who study hormones in the laboratory, usually through a master's degree or PhD in the biomedical sciences. Endocrinology is rarely a bachelor's degree on its own.

What the specialty covers

In Spain the specialty is called Endocrinología y Nutrición. The official training programme defines it as the medical specialty that covers the study and treatment of diseases of the endocrine system, metabolic diseases and those that derive from nutrition. The specialist sees patients both in outpatient clinics and in hospital.

In the United Kingdom the specialty is called endocrinology and diabetes. NHS Health Careers describes it as predominantly an outpatient specialty and notes that at least 15% of all hospital inpatients have diabetes or an endocrine disorder.

Qualifications and levels

  • Spain. The bachelor's degree (grado) in Medicine has 360 ECTS credits. Graduates enter specialist training through an annual national call and train as residents in accredited centres. The residency in Endocrinología y Nutrición lasts four years.
  • United Kingdom. After medical school, doctors join the paid two-year foundation programme and then spend three years in internal medicine training. Specialty training to become an endocrinologist or diabetologist takes a minimum of four years more.
  • United States. Physicians typically need a bachelor's degree and a degree from a medical school, which takes four more years. Endocrinology is a subspecialty of internal medicine. At Saint Louis University, for example, the endocrinology fellowship lasts two years and is accredited by the ACGME. Applicants must have completed a three-year internal medicine residency, and the programme has two positions per year. All states require physicians to be licensed.
  • Research degrees. The Graduate Group in Endocrinology of the University of California at Berkeley leads to the M.A. and the Ph.D. Its faculty work on topics from molecular and cellular endocrinology to comparative endocrinology and chemical ecology, and candidates are expected to have an undergraduate major in some area of animal biology. The group states that it put admissions on hold in summer 2023 for at least two years, so check its current status before planning an application.

Where to study

SpainExchange lists seven active schools for endocrinology. Three are in the United States, and India, Mexico, the United Kingdom and Ukraine have one each.

  • In the United States: the University of Chicago, Saint Louis University and the University of California at Berkeley. The Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at Saint Louis University treats diabetes, adrenal and pituitary disorders, thyroid and parathyroid disorders, obesity and hypogonadism.
  • In Ukraine: Bukovinian State Medical University in Chernivtsi has a department of clinical immunology, allergology and endocrinology. It teaches in Ukrainian and, for foreign students, in English.
  • Elsewhere: the University of Madras in India, the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara in Mexico and the University of London in the United Kingdom.

Clinical training means treating patients, so it normally requires the language of the country and a medical degree that the country recognises. Ask each school which programme it offers in this area, at what level, and what recognition the qualification has.

Careers

Clinical endocrinologists work in hospitals and outpatient clinics, often with a focus on diabetes, thyroid disease or reproductive hormones. Research graduates from the Berkeley group have moved into education, research in academic and industry settings, government regulation and private business. There are no separate official employment figures for endocrinologists in the sources used here. For physicians and surgeons as a whole, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) counted about 862,800 jobs in the United States in 2025 and projects growth of 4 percent from 2025 to 2035.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a medical degree to study endocrinology?

To treat patients, yes: clinical endocrinology is a medical specialty. For laboratory research, a degree in biology or the biomedical sciences followed by a master's degree or PhD is the usual route.

How long does it take to become an endocrinologist?

In Spain the residency lasts four years after the 360-credit degree in Medicine. In the United Kingdom it takes two foundation years, three years of internal medicine training and at least four years of specialty training.

Is diabetes part of endocrinology?

Yes. In the United Kingdom the specialty is called endocrinology and diabetes, and in Spain it also includes nutrition.