School of Medicine

It is my pleasure to welcome you to the School of Medicine at the University of Galway.

One of three schools in the College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, the School of Medicine has been teaching students to become doctors since the foundation of this University in 1845. We have a distinguished and very proud track record of educating Irish and International students in this school, producing doctors of the finest quality. Choosing to pursue your medical education at the University of Galway means that you will join a community of caring, compassionate educators and fellow students who will be trained to the highest standards of medical scientific excellence.

Our school comprises the disciplines of Anaesthesia, Anatomy, Bacteriology, General Practice, Medicine, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Paediatrics, Pathology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Physiology, Psychiatry, Radiology and Surgery.  

Our main medical educational programme is our Undergraduate or Direct Entry Programme, each year graduating approximately 200 students. We are currently in the preparatory phases of developing a Graduate Entry Medicine Programme, which we anticipate will start with the first intake in September of 2026. Moreover, we have a host of offerings for award winning Postgraduate Taught Diploma and Master’s Degree Programmes. 

Our staff are focused not only on teaching our students, but also conducting high level internationally competitive research in the following key strategic areas: Medical Technologies, Regenerative Medicine and Advanced Therapies, Cancer Research, Neuroscience, Population Health, Cardiovascular Disease and Infection. Our School hosts several research centres including the Institute for Clinical Trials, the HRB Clinical Research Facility, the Centre for Pain Research, and the Centre for Cell Manufacturing Ireland. Our researchers are also members of CURAM, a Research Ireland National Research Centre.

Finally, our research-intensive school offers MD and PhD Postgraduate Research Programmes through our disciplines and research centres and supervised by our internationally renowned Research supervisors. 

– Prof Laurence J. Egan, Head of School