Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow
Institute in Glasgow City, Scotland
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ToursExplore Lably’s 3D toursFounded by Peter Lowe after receiving a royal charter by James VI in 1599, as the Glasgow Faculty, it is the UK's first and only multi-disciplinary medical royal college. Originally it existed as a regulatory authority to ensure that physicians, surgeons and dentists in the West of Scotland were appropriately trained and regulated. In 1909, it achieved royal recognition and became the Royal Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow (RFPSG). In 1962, following agreement with the other medical and surgical royal colleges in the UK it achieved collegiate status as the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow (RCPSG), by which name it is known today.
The college, in combination with the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh provided a primary medical qualification which entitled the bearer to practice medicine, and was registerable with the General Medical Council as a primary medical qualification the Triple Qualification diploma (LRCP (Edinburgh), LRCS (Edinburgh), LRCPSG). From 1994, until the abolition of non-university qualifying examinations in 1999, this was offered through the United Examining Board. Until 1948 the Faculty (as it then was) provided dental education via the Glasgow Dental School awarding the qualification of LDS RFPSG. Since 1948 training in dentistry has been provided by the University of Glasgow who award the BDS degree.
The college is now concerned with postgraduate medical education, offering examinations that lead to Membership and Fellowship to appropriately qualified physicians, surgeons, dental surgeons and podiatrists. They also offer a number of specialist postgraduate diplomas to medical practitioners in various subjects including dermatology, child health, geriatric medicine, travel health, ophthalmology, and dentistry.
History
The college was founded in 1599, by a royal charter from King James VI of Scotland. The charter was granted to Peter Lowe, a surgeon who trained in France, and author of The Whole Course of Chirurgerie (1597), and Robert Hamilton, a Scottish physician. The charter also mentions by name the apothecary William Spang, who was granted the power to inspect and regulate the sale of drugs in the town. The college originally had no corporate name but became known as the Facultie (1629), then the Facultie of Chyrurgeons and Physitians (1654). By the end of the 17th century the name was established as the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. Powers were granted to examine and regulate surgical practice in the baronies of Glasgow, Renfrew and Dumbarton, and the districts or sheriffdoms of Clydesdale, Renfrew, Lanark, Kyle, Carrick, Ayr and Cunningham. Physicians were admitted on production of their MD diploma.
The faculty was incorporated with the town council to gain burgh privileges in 1656, and purchased a property on the Trongate in 1697. This was demolished and a purpose-built faculty hall was erected on the site in 1698. The Faculty Library was also founded in 1698. In 1791, the faculty moved to a new hall in St Enoch Square and in 1862 to their current property on St. Vincent Street, part of the New Town lands developed by William Harley of Blythswood Square. In 1909, the Faculty was allowed to add the prefix "royal" to its name; and in 1962 the name was again changed to the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow to bring it into line with its sister corporations.
The faculty was unique in that it included the professions of barber and apothecary in addition to those of surgeon and physician. In 1656 the surgeons and barbers jointly received a Letter of Deaconry from the town council, establishing them as a craft or trade, with representation in the Trades House. However, relations between the barbers and the surgeons deteriorated later the 17th century, until in 1722 they split and the Letter of Deaconry became null and void. The barbers received money to the value of their share in the Faculty Hall in the Trongate and a new, separate Letter of Deaconry from the town council.
The faculty defended its right to be the only body in Glasgow responsible for training and maintaining standards against the claims of the University of Glasgow. This resulted in extensive litigation in the early 19th century over the status of surgical degrees, which was eventually settled in the faculty's favour. The faculty offered a licence for surgeons from 1785 which served as a basic medical qualification. The Double Qualification in medicine and surgery, established with the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, was instituted in 1859 and was replaced by the Triple Qualification in 1884. This was a joint medical qualification between all three Scottish medical colleges. At the end of World War II the Goodenough Committee recommended that a medical degree be the sine qua non of entry to the medical profession. From that time onward the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow has concentrated on postgraduate training, professional development and examinations.
In 1912 the college awarded the first female fellow, Jamini Sen, but major reforms took another century to materialise. In 2022, the college created its sustainability steering group to address the impact of climate change and sustainable development on health. The RCPSG appointed its first female president Jackie Taylor in 2019, and instituted its highest award (Taylor Medal) in her honour in 2025 to mark the college's 425-year anniversary; the first recipient was Seshadri Vasan. In 2025, Hany Eteiba, originally from Cairo, became the first international medical graduate to be elected president.
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Qualifications awarded
- FRCP(G) (Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow qua Physician)
- FRCS(G) (Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow qua Surgeon)
- FDS RCPSG (Fellowship in Dental Surgery of Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow)
- FFTM RCPSG (Fellowship in the Faculty of Travel Medicine of Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow)
- FFPM RCPSG (Fellow of the Faculty of Podiatric Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow)
- Formerly MRCS(G) (Member of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow qua Surgeon)
- Intercollegiate MRCS (Membership of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland)
- Formerly MRCP(G) (Member of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow qua Physician)
- Intercollegiate MRCP(UK) (Membership of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom)
- MFDS RCPSG (Membership of the Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons Glasgow)
The reason the post-nominal letters for the fellowships use "FRCP(G)" and "FRCS(G)" rather than something like "FRCPS(G)-P" and "FRCPS(G)-S" is that they are parallel in form with all other similar fellowship designations for physicians and surgeons, such as FRCP(E)/FRCS(E), FRCP(I)/FRCS(I), FRCP(Lon)/FRCS(Eng). The same is true for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, which grants the FRCP(C) and FRCS(C) fellowships.
Faculty of Dental Surgery
The four surgical colleges in the UK and Ireland received authorisation, through legislation laid out in the Dentists Act 1878 (41 & 42 Vict. c. 33), to establish a qualification through examination that would lead to registration on the Dentist Register. The dentist act of 1984 now supersedes this. The register was held by the General Medical Council at that time. The first examination took place in 1879 and 'the Licence in Dental Surgery' was awarded by the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow.
In 1935, the college decided to create a Dental Committee that could provide advice on dental matters. In 1967 this committee became known as the Dental Council.
1968 saw formation of the Joint Committee for Higher Training in Dentistry by the four Royal Colleges of Edinburgh, England, Glasgow and Ireland.
In 1990 a Dental Faculty was established to recognise the increasing role of Dental Fellows in the college. As a result, the Convenor of Dental Council was elevated to that of Dean.
Role of the Dental Faculty
The Faculty of Dental Surgery is the professional group within the college with responsibility for dental surgeons. The Faculty set standards for dental practice through prescribing programmes of education and training, assessing their outcomes through examination, and delivering programmes of continuing professional development.
Dental Examinations
Up until 1947 there was a continued demand for the Licence in Dental Surgery awarded by the Royal College. The University of Glasgow then took responsibility for undergraduate education of dental surgeons and began awarding degrees in Dentistry.
The Fellowship in Dental Surgery (FDS) was first established by the Royal College of Surgeons of England in 1947. The Glasgow College established its own FDS in 1967. Originally the FDS was the highest diploma in dentistry that could be awarded by the colleges.
In 1998 the Diploma of Membership of the Faculty of Dental Surgery (MFDS) was established as a three part exam.
As time progressed the MFDS was reconfigured into a two-part examination and eligibility to sit the exam was no longer restricted to those who had undertaken training in approved hospital or community posts. The MFDS is delivered jointly by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. The English and Irish colleges administer their own equivalent exams: Royal College of Surgeons England administer Membership of the Joint Dental Faculty and the Royal College Surgeons Ireland (MJDF RCSEng) administer Membership Faculty of Dentistry (MFD RCSI).
Dental Specialty Trainees have undergone Fellowship assessments since 1995, each undertaking a three-year minimum duration training programme.
A history of examinations and the qualifications awarded by the college for the dental faculty are listed in table 5 below.
Dental Bursaries and awards
Professor Thomas Cyril White, Convenor of the Dental Council 1972–1974, bequeathed his estate to the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow 'for the furtherance of postgraduate dental education and research'.
Professor White was awarded a chair in orthodontics in 1963 at the University of Glasgow and went on to become dean of the dental school. Initially Professor White qualified with a Licence in Dental Surgery in Glasgow in 1933 and then Medicine and Surgery in 1935.
The Royal College holds an annual symposium and awards several prizes (Table 6) which include the T C white Medal for outstanding performance in the Part 2 MFDS examination.
The college administers other awards and grant schemes from other donors listed in Table 7.
Faculty of Podiatric Medicine
The Faculty of Podiatric Medicine was officially formed on 11 May 2012, following several years of negotiations between the college and representatives of the podiatry profession.
The establishment of the Faculty of Podiatric Medicine represented an important milestone, being the first time one of the UK Royal Colleges of medicine and surgery had agreed to accept suitably qualified members of podiatry profession to join and establish a standalone faculty.
The faculty promotes and supports the advancement of postgraduate education and development in podiatric medicine both locally and across the UK, as well as internationally in such countries as Australia and the United States. In 2024, the college developed a memorandum of understanding with the American Board of Podiatric Medicine (ABPM) to form a partnership allowing members of the board to join the college.
Podiatrists can apply for Membership of the Faculty (MFPM RCPS(Glasg)), and undergo examinations or assessment of prior skills and experience to progress towards Fellowship (FFPM RCPS(Glasg)).