University of Exeter
This unique programme is delivered in partnership between the University of Exeter Medical School and World Extreme Medicine (WEM), the world’s leading provider of specialist training courses for medics taking their skills into challenging environments.
Extreme Medicine MSc is a distance-learning programme, delivered through attendance at 6 residentials in the UK or overseas. You will develop medical and expedition skills through direct participation in a range of environment specific courses – the wilderness will be your classroom.
You will have unparallelled options to develop your skills in wilderness medicine, with residential courses taught across Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas.
You will engage critically with the principles and practices of delivering medical care across diverse geographical contexts and interdisciplinary settings, with a focus on remote and challenging environments.
This course is ideal for intercalating medical students from UK and abroad- the unique distance learning model means you can live and work at home alongside studying, avoiding the costs of finding accommodation away from home and allowing you to gain valubale workplace experience and earn while you learn.
This course also offers the option to specialise in Humanitarian Relief medicine, for students choosing the humanitarian module in phase 2 and completing an appropriate dissertation.
Entry Requirements
Applicants need to have completed a minimum of 3 years of their undergraduate medical degree programme and be able to evidence previous relevant experience of travelling or working in remote or hostile environments.
Wilderness medicine is a challenging field requiring practitioners to handle the physical, emotional and mental stress whilst delivering safe and effective medical care. This unique course combines hands-on and theoretical teaching during expeditions, developing medical, expedition, and psychological skills.
Along with the academic requirements, you must also handle the course’s physical demands.
It is strongly recommended that you only apply if you are confident in your physical and mental ability to undertake activity equivalent to trekking several hours on successive days carrying a 15kg pack and be prepared to sleep in tents or bunkhouse facilities with access to simple shared washing facilities. Access to the quantity, quality and type of food may be very different to your expectations of your ideal diet.
This is a minimum expectation that replicates remote and expedition activity – you should be self-sufficient and able to undertake this level of activity with a reserve of energy that still allows you to perform your professional role as a team medic at the end of the day.
Closing Date
16 September 2026