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Studies & Degrees in Medical Microbiology

Medical microbiology is the study of the microorganisms that cause disease in humans (bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites) and of how infections are diagnosed, treated and prevented. It sits between the laboratory and the clinic. NHS Health Careers in the United Kingdom describes medical microbiologists and virologists as doctors who diagnose, treat and prevent the spread of infection, and who need clinical skills as well as laboratory knowledge.

Students learn how microbes are built and how they grow, how they cause infection and how the body responds. They also learn the laboratory methods used to identify them: microscopy, culture, biochemical tests and molecular techniques. Applied topics include the choice and duration of antimicrobial treatment, resistance to antimicrobials, infection control in hospitals and the monitoring of infectious diseases in the population. At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, for example, students of the microbiology major learn the cellular biology, genetics, ecology, evolution and physiology of microbes, with a strong emphasis on practical laboratory work.

Qualifications and levels

There are two routes into the field. Scientists study it as a university degree; doctors and other health graduates take it as a postgraduate specialty.

  • Bachelor's degrees. Some universities offer the subject as a degree of its own. The University of Bristol lists a BSc Medical Microbiology, a BSc Medical Microbiology with Study in Industry and a BSc Virology and Immunology among its undergraduate courses in cellular and molecular medicine. Elsewhere it is a pathway or a set of courses within a degree in microbiology, biomedical science or medicine.
  • Master's and research degrees. Newcastle University offers a Molecular Microbiology MRes for graduates with a BSc in life sciences or related disciplines, and research degrees in Microbiology (Medical Sciences) at MPhil, PhD and MD level. At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology of the School of Medicine and Public Health runs the microbiology doctoral training programme together with the Department of Bacteriology.
  • Medical specialty, United Kingdom. After medical school and the two-year foundation programme, doctors apply for specialty training in microbiology or virology, which takes a minimum of four years.
  • Health specialty, Spain. Microbiología y Parasitología is an official specialty taken as a residency of 4 years. It is multidisciplinary: graduates in Medicine, Pharmacy, Biology, Biochemistry or Chemistry can apply.
  • Medical postgraduate degrees elsewhere. In countries that follow the MBBS model, microbiology is a postgraduate medical degree. Kathmandu University in Nepal, for example, lists Microbiology among its MD/MS programmes in basic medical sciences, open to holders of an MBBS or equivalent degree.

In the United Kingdom, graduates in science can also train within the health service: the Scientist Training Programme asks for a first or upper second class degree in a relevant subject, according to NHS Health Careers.

Where to study

SpainExchange lists 7 active schools for medical microbiology. Two are in the United Kingdom, the University of Bristol and Newcastle University. The others are the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the United States, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Nigeria, the University of Delhi in India, Bukovinian State Medical University in Ukraine and Rostov State Medical University in Russia.

The British and American programmes on the list are taught in English and are mostly science degrees. At the medical universities, microbiology is taught as part of medical training. When you compare programmes, check whether the course leads to a science degree or to a medical specialty, how many laboratory hours it includes and whether it offers a placement in a hospital or public health laboratory. If you plan to work in a clinical laboratory, ask the school what recognition the qualification has in the country where you want to work, because professional registration rules differ from country to country.

Careers

Graduates work in hospital diagnostic laboratories, public health agencies, universities and the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Medical microbiologists who are doctors advise on diagnosis and antibiotic treatment and help to control infections such as MRSA in hospitals. Healthcare scientists in microbiology identify and classify organisms and help to develop and improve diagnostic tests; in the United Kingdom many of them work for the UK Health Security Agency.

The medical specialty is small. NHS Health Careers counts approximately 444 microbiologists and 11 virologists working as doctors in the NHS in England. In the United States, the Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 20,100 jobs for microbiologists of all kinds in 2025 and projects employment to grow 6 percent from 2025 to 2035. It notes that microbiologists typically need a bachelor's degree in microbiology or a related field, and that some employers prefer a master's degree or a Ph.D.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to study medicine to become a medical microbiologist?

Not always. Doctors reach the field through specialty training, but science graduates work in it too. In Spain, the specialty Microbiología y Parasitología is open to graduates in Medicine, Pharmacy, Biology, Biochemistry or Chemistry.

How long does the specialty take?

In Spain the residency in Microbiología y Parasitología lasts 4 years. In the United Kingdom, specialty training in microbiology or virology takes a minimum of four years after medical school and the two-year foundation programme.

What is the difference between microbiology and medical microbiology?

Microbiology covers all microorganisms, including those of interest to food, industry and the environment. Medical microbiology concentrates on the microorganisms that cause human disease and on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of infection.