The bachelor-master structure (two-cycle curriculum) according to the Bologna agreement: a Dutch experience [

Abstract

The Groningen Medical Curriculum is an example of a two-cycle curriculum with a course leading to the Bachelor’s degree followed by a course at the end of which students receive a Master’s degree in medicine. Moreover a third cycle is in the offing, in the form of a PhD trajectory for students who wish to pursue a career in research. The Groningen curriculum is based on the CanMEDS competency model. In addition to describing the Groningen curriculum, the author comments on the opportunities and threats offered by the bachelor-master structure. A plea is made for more vigorous collaboration in working towards a more uniform European medical curriculum with room for specific local features at the discretion of individual universities.