Near the start of 1830 he took half-pay leave and attended the natural history lectures of Robert Jameson at the University of Edinburgh. This was encouraged by the Navy, McCormick felt that "only Scotchmen have any chance with the head of our department." McCormick also attended classes there in medical practice, midwifery, some botany and chemistry, and took tuition in surgery from John Lizars. By May 1831 McCormick had returned to London, where Francis Beaufort was looking for suitable personnel for a survey expedition to South America. McCormick appeared well qualified, and was recruited as ship's surgeon for the second voyage of HMS "Beagle" under Captain Robert FitzRoy. McCormick expected this position meant the usual duties as a naturalist, as did Jameson who wrote to him in November giving detailed advice on how to make the most of the "numberless opportunities" this "exploratory expedition" would provide "for the advancement of natural history". McCormick fully expected to put together a sizeable natural history collection with significant social value, gaining him fame as an exploring naturalist.