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Do I need to study med to be a clinical microbiologist

I’ve checked all over the internet and it’s just making me even more confused to be honest. To be a clinical microbiologist, do you need to have studied medicine? Or could you get a clinical based Microbiology BSc and Clinical Microbiology MSc and still get the job?

I don’t mean just working in the hospital lab environment, I mean actually being a medical microbiologist scientist.
Original post by Gecko_horns
I’ve checked all over the internet and it’s just making me even more confused to be honest. To be a clinical microbiologist, do you need to have studied medicine? Or could you get a clinical based Microbiology BSc and Clinical Microbiology MSc and still get the job?
I don’t mean just working in the hospital lab environment, I mean actually being a medical microbiologist scientist.

Actually, as I was initially looking at studying microbiology, I know a lot about this.
So firstly, there are two types of microbiologists : clinical and medical
Clinical microbiologists typically pursue bachelors/ masters/ PHDs in microbiology, or do the STP (Scientist Training Programme) to become certified.
Medical microbiologists first do medicine degrees, then foundation years, then specialise in microbiology. This means they can practise as doctors while pursuing microbiology.
Overall, both fields are very competitive to get into and pursue, especially as many organisations don’t accept clinical microbiologists without masters/PHDs.
Hope this helps!
Reply 2
Original post by imxa6
Actually, as I was initially looking at studying microbiology, I know a lot about this.
So firstly, there are two types of microbiologists : clinical and medical
Clinical microbiologists typically pursue bachelors/ masters/ PHDs in microbiology, or do the STP (Scientist Training Programme) to become certified.
Medical microbiologists first do medicine degrees, then foundation years, then specialise in microbiology. This means they can practise as doctors while pursuing microbiology.
Overall, both fields are very competitive to get into and pursue, especially as many organisations don’t accept clinical microbiologists without masters/PHDs.
Hope this helps!


This actually really does help, thank you. I thought medical and clinical microbiologists were the same thing and that’s why I was reading conflicting info. Thank you for clearing that up for me lol 🙏

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