My son has completed grade 11 (commerce) as per the CBSE board. Now he would like to switch to an IB programme and pursue a career in medicine. Is an IB diploma in experimental sciences equivalent to CBSE 10+2, and will he be able to go to any medical schools in India with this diploma with only his grade 10 CBSE results?
- Sanjeev Verma
The IB diploma programme or IBDP is a rigorous two-year programme that offers a variety of courses. In addition to the core subjects, the curriculum comprises three additional and unique components - Theory of Knowledge (TOK), Extended Essay (EE) and Creativity, Action and Service (CAS). It is these components that make it different from the other high school curriculum. Students can study the programme at different levels (higher level and standard level).
The IBDP is recognised internationally as a curriculum that is application-based and is aimed at the holistic development of an individual.
Colleges and universities around the world, welcome students with an IB diploma. Moreover, successful IB diploma students may be offered credit (particularly for high-level courses) for first year university courses in Canada and the USA. Some universities also offer scholarships to IB diploma holders.
The IB programme encourages students to have a strong work ethic, good time management and study skills - all of which will help your son not just during the programme, but in his future career as well.
There are a couple of points that must be considered:
- To study medicine in India, the student should do all three sciences - physics, chemistry and biology. The manner in which the IB curriculum is structured allows students to study only two sciences. There are a few IB schools in India that offer all three science subjects.
- The results of the IB exams are released some time in July which is too late to get admission into most Indian universities for the same year.
- If he has a particular college he is interested in I would suggest he contact them to understand the entry requirements.
