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Studies & Degrees in Ear, Nose and Throat

Ear, nose and throat (ENT) is the everyday name for otorhinolaryngology, also called otolaryngology or head and neck surgery. It is the medical and surgical specialty that deals with diseases, disorders and injuries of the ear, nose, throat and related structures of the head and neck. The American Board of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery (ABOHNS) notes that many people simply call these doctors "ENTs".

ENT is not a first degree. It is a specialisation for doctors who have already finished medical school. Anyone who wants to work in this field first studies medicine and then applies for specialist training.

What the specialty covers

The official Spanish training programme defines the specialty as the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of diseases of the ear and of the upper airway and digestive tract: mouth, nose, pharynx and larynx. It also covers the functions that depend on them: hearing, breathing, smell, swallowing, and voice and speech.

In practice the work is varied. The ABOHNS lists, among other conditions, hearing loss, ear infections, balance disorders and tinnitus; sinus infections, smell disorders and nasal polyps; voice and swallowing problems; and snoring and sleep apnoea. NHS Health Careers in the United Kingdom points out that ENT surgeons see more children than most other surgeons apart from those in paediatrics, and that the specialty has possibly the widest range of operations of any. ENT doctors work in teams with other professionals, such as speech and language therapists.

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 specialty is called Otorrinolaringología and the residency lasts four years.
  • United Kingdom. After medical school, doctors join the paid two-year foundation programme. Specialty training to become an ENT surgeon then takes a minimum of seven years. Places are limited: in 2020 there were 131 applications for 23 specialty training places, according to NHS Health Careers.
  • United States. Physicians typically need a bachelor's degree and a degree from a medical school, which takes four more years, followed by three to nine years of internship and residency depending on the specialty. For board certification, the ABOHNS requires specialised training in a residency programme accredited by the ACGME. All states require physicians to be licensed.
  • Subspecialties. Further training is possible after the residency. The ABOHNS certifies subspecialists in neurotology (diseases of the lateral skull base) and in complex paediatric otolaryngology, and it co-sponsors a subcertification in sleep medicine. In the United States a fellowship lasts one to three years.

Where to study

SpainExchange lists two active schools for this subject, one in Ukraine and one in Russia. Both are medical universities, so the route there is also a medical degree followed by postgraduate training.

  • Bukovinian State Medical University in Chernivtsi, Ukraine, has a department of ear, nose and throat diseases. The university describes a continuous path from bachelor's and master's level to postgraduate education and the PhD, with Medicine offered at master's and PhD level. It teaches in Ukrainian and, for foreign students, in English.
  • Rostov State Medical University in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, has separate admissions lines for its specialist, bachelor's and master's programmes, for residency programmes (ординатура) and for postgraduate research programmes. Ask the university which of these include ENT training and in which language.

Because the list is short, it is worth looking at medical faculties in general. Any country that trains doctors also trains ENT specialists, usually in teaching hospitals. Before applying, ask what recognition the qualification has in the country where you want to work.

Careers

ENT specialists work in hospitals and outpatient clinics, and many divide their time between consultations and the operating theatre. There are no separate official employment figures for the specialty 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

Is ENT a degree on its own?

No. It is a medical specialty. You first complete a medical degree and then train as a specialist in a hospital.

How long does ENT training take?

In Spain the residency in Otorrinolaringología lasts four years after the degree in Medicine. In the United Kingdom, specialty training takes a minimum of seven years after the two-year foundation programme.

Is ENT a surgical specialty?

Yes, and a medical one as well. The Spanish programme calls it a medical-surgical specialty, and in the United Kingdom its practitioners are known as ENT surgeons.

Can I study ENT in English?

Bukovinian State Medical University teaches foreign students in English. Specialist training involves treating patients, so you will normally also need the language of the country.