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Studies & Degrees in Obstetrics & Gynaecology

Obstetrics and gynaecology (gynecology in American spelling, often shortened to OB/GYN or O&G) is the medical and surgical specialty concerned with pregnancy, childbirth and the health of the female reproductive system. Obstetrics covers pregnancy, birth and the period after birth. Gynaecology covers the reproductive health of women of all ages. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics describes obstetricians and gynecologists as physicians who provide care and counsel to women regarding pregnancy, childbirth and the female reproductive system.

Trainees learn to follow normal and complicated pregnancies, to manage labour and to operate. According to NHS Health Careers in the United Kingdom, midwives handle most low-risk care and uncomplicated deliveries, while doctors deal with more complicated pregnancies and births and perform procedures such as caesarean sections. In gynaecology the work ranges from keyhole surgery to advice on fertility treatment. Spain's official training programme adds fetal medicine, reproductive endocrinology, the pelvic floor and breast cancer as areas in which the specialty has grown.

Qualifications and levels

For doctors, obstetrics and gynaecology is a postgraduate specialty that follows a full medical degree. Midwifery, and in several Latin American countries obstetrics itself, is a separate profession with its own degree.

  • Spain. The bachelor's degree (grado) in Medicine has 360 ECTS credits and takes six years at the Universidad de Alcalá. The official specialty Obstetricia y Ginecología is a residency of 4 years for graduates in Medicine. Nurses can train as midwives through the specialty Enfermería Obstétrico-Ginecológica (Matrona), which lasts 2 years.
  • United Kingdom. After medical school and the two-year foundation programme, specialty training in obstetrics and gynaecology takes a minimum of seven years. NHS Health Careers reports 672 applications for 256 specialty training places in 2020.
  • United States. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, physicians need a bachelor's degree, a medical degree that takes a further 4 years and 3 to 9 years of internship and residency, depending on the specialty. A fellowship of 1 to 3 years leads to a subspecialty. The accreditation council ACGME lists complex family planning, urogynecology and reconstructive pelvic surgery, gynecologic oncology, maternal-fetal medicine, and reproductive endocrinology and infertility. At Stanford University, about half of the residents go on to subspecialty training.
  • MD/MS degrees. In countries that follow the MBBS model, the specialty is a postgraduate medical degree. Kathmandu University in Nepal lists Obstetrics & Gynaecology among its clinical MD/MS programmes; candidates need an MBBS or equivalent degree and one year of clinical experience after registration with the Nepal Medical Council.
  • Obstetrics as a profession in Latin America. At the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos in Lima, the Escuela Profesional de Obstetricia offers four years of academic study and one year of internship, leading to the academic degree of Bachiller en Obstetricia and the professional title of Licenciado en Obstetricia. Its graduates attend uncomplicated pregnancy and birth and take part in the care of complicated cases. This is not the same qualification as a medical specialist in obstetrics and gynaecology.

Where to study

SpainExchange lists 24 active schools for obstetrics and gynaecology. Seven are in the United States; Ireland, Mexico and Ukraine have two each, and countries such as Nigeria, Nepal, Ethiopia, India, Iraq, Canada, Russia and Brazil have one.

In the United States the list includes Stanford University, New York University, the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis University and East Carolina University. In Ireland it includes University College Cork and the University of Dublin, Trinity College. In Latin America it includes the Universidad de Guadalajara and the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara in Mexico, the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos in Peru, the Universidad Nacional de La Plata in Argentina, the Universidad Autónoma de Chile and the Universidade de São Paulo in Brazil. Other entries are the University of Calgary, Kathmandu University, the University of Delhi, Addis Ababa University, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), the University of Mosul, Bukovinian State Medical University and Sumy State University in Ukraine, and Rostov State Medical University in Russia.

Teaching depends on hospital placements. The Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of University College Cork, for example, places students in Cork University Maternity Hospital and in the maternity units of three other hospitals. Clinical work is done in the language of the patients, so check the language requirements and the registration needed for placements, and ask what recognition the qualification has in the country where you plan to practise.

Careers

Specialists work in hospital maternity and gynaecology departments, outpatient clinics and private practice, and in teaching and research. Labour wards run around the clock, so on-call and shift work are part of the job.

In the United States, obstetricians and gynecologists held 22,800 jobs in 2025, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of physicians and surgeons as a whole to grow 4 percent from 2025 to 2035.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to become an obstetrician-gynaecologist?

It depends on the country. In Spain the residency lasts 4 years after a six-year degree in Medicine. In the United Kingdom, specialty training takes a minimum of seven years after medical school and the two-year foundation programme.

Can I study obstetrics without studying medicine?

You cannot become a specialist doctor that way, but there are other professions in the field. In Spain, nurses can specialise as midwives in 2 years. In Peru, the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos awards the professional title of Licenciado en Obstetricia after four years of study and one year of internship.

What is the difference between obstetrics and gynaecology?

Obstetrics deals with pregnancy, childbirth and the period after birth. Gynaecology deals with the female reproductive system at any age. Doctors train in both as a single specialty.