Medicine Scholars

Medicine Scholars Summer Course
Explore the science behind human health, investigate how the body works and develop confidence approaching medical questions with Atlas Summer Courses. Our Medicine Scholars summer course, designed for students aged 12–14, gives students the opportunity to explore medicine beyond their usual studies while developing their scientific reasoning and critical thinking.
Through interactive small-group lessons, students are encouraged to ask questions, consider evidence and explore how scientific understanding can help us investigate health, disease and the human body.
What's Included?
Your residential Medicine Scholars summer course includes academic teaching, accommodation, meals and a certificate on completion, alongside the activities and experiences included within your chosen programme.
What Is Medicine Scholars?
Medicine Scholars introduces students to the scientific thinking and ideas that underpin our understanding of human health and disease.
Medicine brings together knowledge of the human body with observation, evidence and problem-solving. Understanding why somebody becomes unwell, for example, can involve considering symptoms, biological processes and different possible explanations before reaching a conclusion.
For students aged 12–14, exploring medicine provides an opportunity to investigate human biology in greater depth while beginning to think about how scientific knowledge can be applied to questions about health.
A Medicine Scholars summer course provides an age-appropriate introduction to these ideas, encouraging students to think critically and develop their curiosity about medicine and medical science.
What Will Students Explore on the Medicine Scholars Course?
There is no prescribed syllabus that every student follows. Atlas Summer Courses tutors create their own syllabi, drawing on their expertise while taking the interests, abilities and learning needs of their students into account.
Depending on the tutor and group, students could explore different ideas connected with human biology, health, disease and medical science.
They might consider questions such as:
- How do different systems within the human body work together?
- What happens in the body when we become ill?
- How can symptoms and evidence help us investigate a medical problem?
- How does the body respond to disease?
- How has scientific research changed our understanding of health?
- How can evidence help us evaluate different explanations?
The exact content will vary depending on the expertise of the individual tutor and the interests of the group. Any topics or syllabi shown on our website are examples only and should not be taken as a guarantee of exactly what students will study.
How Students Learn
Our Scholars courses are designed to make learning engaging, interactive and appropriately challenging for students aged 12–14.
12 hours of small-group lessons
Across the one-week programme, students take part in structured small-group classes. Lessons are designed to encourage students to think actively and engage with the subject, with tutors involving everyone and fostering curiosity and enthusiasm for learning.
Each lesson follows a process of review, learning and application, giving students opportunities to revisit ideas, develop their understanding and then apply what they have learned.
Within Medicine Scholars, this could involve discussing medical and scientific questions, considering evidence, comparing possible explanations and applying new concepts through age-appropriate activities. The precise approach will depend on the tutor, their expertise and the interests of the group.
The aim is to create an interactive environment in which students can participate actively, ask questions and develop greater confidence engaging with medicine and medical science.
Who Is Medicine Scholars For?
Our Medicine Scholars summer course for 12–14-year-olds is designed for students who are curious about medicine, human biology and the science behind health and disease.
Students don't need specialist medical knowledge. The course may particularly appeal to those who enjoy biology and science, are fascinated by how the human body works or want to explore medicine as an academic subject.
Students will be encouraged to develop transferable skills including scientific reasoning, critical thinking, problem-solving, analysing evidence, communication and independent learning.
Learn from Expert Tutors
Atlas Summer Courses tutors are experienced educators and subject specialists active across academia, industry and education.
They bring their own expertise and interests into their teaching and have the freedom to shape their syllabus around both their specialism and the students in their group. This allows each Medicine Scholars summer course to explore different medical and scientific ideas while providing an appropriate level of academic challenge.
Tutors are confirmed closer to the summer, so profiles on our website are examples of tutors who have previously worked with us rather than confirmation of who will teach a particular course.
What Can Students Gain from Medicine Scholars?
Medicine Scholars gives students the opportunity to explore medicine beyond their usual studies while developing the skills involved in approaching scientific and medical questions.
Students can practise considering evidence, questioning explanations, solving problems and communicating their reasoning while developing a deeper curiosity about human biology, health and disease.
These skills can support future learning across subjects such as biology, chemistry, medicine, neuroscience and other life sciences.
At this age, the course isn't about preparing students for medical school or requiring them to make decisions about a future career. Instead, a Medicine Scholars summer course gives students the opportunity to explore their interest in medicine and discover whether it's an area they may want to investigate further.
Don’t see the course you’re looking for?
Explore our full range of courses by subject, age, and location using our course finder. With over 40 subjects available across top locations, there’s something for everyone.


.webp)


FAQs about Our Summer Courses
No. You don't usually need to have studied your chosen subject before joining an Atlas Summer Courses summer course. Courses are designed for the relevant age group, and tutors can adapt their approach to the abilities, interests and experience of the students in their group.
There is no fixed curriculum that every student follows. Our tutors create their own syllabi based on their academic expertise and the interests and learning needs of their students.
This means the exact topics can vary between courses and years. Any syllabus or topics shown on our website are examples from previous courses and shouldn't be taken as a guarantee of exactly what you'll study.
Teaching depends on your age group. Students aged 9–12 and Scholars aged 12–14 learn through structured, interactive small-group classes. Students aged 13–15 combine small-group seminars with private study, while students aged 16–17 and 18–24 experience seminars, tutorials and independent study.
Across our programmes, teaching is designed to encourage active participation, questioning and independent thinking rather than simply listening to lectures.
Your course includes your academic programme, accommodation, meals and a certificate on completion, alongside the activities and experiences included within your programme.
What's included can vary depending on the programme, age group and package you choose, so we recommend checking the individual course details for the full inclusions before applying.
Explore Our
Summer Courses
Choose from over 40 subjects taught through flexible, age-appropriate programmes. Our tutors adapt their teaching methodologies to different age groups and shape course content around students’ interests, rather than following a fixed curriculum.
View all courses
%20-%20Forest%20Green%20lanyard.avif)

