How Long Is Medical School
A student may receive an M.D./Ph.D. in most medical schools. One
may apply either before or a year or two after matriculation.
Combined M.D./Ph.D. programs offer intensive training in the
biomedical sciences for a period of between six and eight years.
These programs are designed for selected students interested in
careers in academic medicine. In some schools you must apply to the
medical school, graduate school and/or the M.D./Ph.D. program. Read
the requirements of each program carefully. Information about
individual programs is available in the Health Professions Advising
Office.
An applicant for the M.D./Ph.D. will need, in addition to the
usual letters of support for medical school, very strong
recommendations which speak to the individual's scientific talent,
accomplishments, and promise. College preparation for a combined
program must, in general, emphasize the natural sciences, though
there are a few opportunities in the humanities. Prior research
experience is essential. Many applicants are even published in
scientific journals. Students looking towards graduate work in
physical or chemical areas should have studied math through calculus
(a differential equations course is recommended), physics, physical
chemistry, and/or advanced organic chemistry. Those preparing for
work in more biological disciplines need not have as complete a
training in chemistry, but strong math and physics exposure is
necessary. Application to these programs is extremely competitive
and you should only apply if you feel with some certainty that you
wish to pursue a career in biomedical research. Those who are not at
that level of certainty can usually apply during their first year of
medical school if they are enrolled in a participating institution.
A typical course of study for the M.D./Ph.D. program involves two
years of the standard basic sciences curriculum of medical school
followed by three or four years of thesis work in any of a number of
disciplines within the biomedial sciences. The last year or so of
training consists of the clinical rotation circuit completed by all
medical students. Throughout, summers are usually flexible; many
schools tailor their programs to the needs of the individual
student. The aim of the M.D./Ph.D. program is to produce
physician/scientists. These individuals will have acquired a
knowledge of human biology and disease as well as rigorous training
in scientific investigation. The hope is that the M.D./Ph.D.
trainees can bridge the basic and clinical sciences because of their
unique interdisciplinary education. Graduates go on to join academic
faculties in varied and often multiple capacities as clinicians,
researchers, and educators.
A number of medical schools are recipients of grants from the
National Institute of General Medical Sciences which are identified
as Medical Scientist Training Programs (MSTP). Students in these
programs are fully funded by these grants, and supported students
pay back this support by being involved in postgraduate academic
involvement for a period of time equal to one year less than the
period of support. Competition is rigorous because of the high
calibre of the applicant pool and also because of the small size of
the programs. A listing of these programs is in the Medical School
Admissions Requirement handbook.
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