The European Medical School aims to adopt new approaches in medical education. The teaching concept is practice-oriented and research-based – offering the chance to train highly qualified physicians for the region. The cross-border profile of this project makes it unique in Europe.

The medical degree programme at Oldenburg University is regulated by Germany's standardised Licensing Regulations for Physicians (Approbationsordnung). At the same time, the model degree programme is geared towards the curriculum at Groningen University. At the end of the programme, students take the state exam (Staatsexamen). They also have the option of earning a Bachelor's or Master's degree at the University of Groningen.

Each year 40 students begin their medical education at the University of Oldenburg. From day one of their studies they receive intense preparation for their future career – through problem-oriented learning with tutors, job-specific communication skills training and consistent interaction with medical research throughout their studies:

The programme places strong emphasis on practical training: from the very beginning, students are introduced to the topic of the week in lectures with real patients. In addition, the students work in small Problem-Oriented Learning (POL) groups. Each module includes a one-week "practical phase", and students also spend two weeks per year at a general practitioner's office.

From their very first year of study, students learn to use a scientific approach. In the first three years of the programme they can do practical work in research groups, In this way, they are introduced to the three areas "natural sciences research", "clinical research", and "healthcare research". The research part of their course concludes with a 20-week research project.

Another special feature of this programme is the student exchange. In line with the Groningen model, this includes participation in joint research projects at both universities. Oldenburg students spend at least one year of their six-year studies in Groningen, and Groningen students have the option to spend a year studying in Oldenburg. This approach gives Dutch and German students the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the healthcare system in a European state other than their own.