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MD/PhD Training Program
Admission Requirements
Degree Requirements
Mailing Address:
MD/PhD Training Program
College of Medicine c/o Office of the Dean (MC 784)
1853 West Polk Street
Chicago, IL 60612
Campus Location: Suite 3000 CSN
Telephone: (312) 996-7473
E-mail: Roberta@uic.edu
Web Site: http://www.uic.edu/com/mdphd/
Program Director: Larry S. Tobacman
Program Coordinator: Roberta L. Bernstein
The UIC College of Medicine offers a select number of students the opportunity to work toward both the MD and PhD degrees. The objective of the program is to train students for careers in academic medicine and research. Students admitted to this highly competitive program participate in the medical school curriculum and pursue original doctoral research projects in the laboratories of the university’s graduate faculty.
The first two years of the program are used to complete the M-1 and M-2 years of the medical curriculum. Students enter “at large,” that is, without affiliation to a particular graduate department. During this time, they may explore research opportunities in any academic department of the College of Medicine and selected graduate departments. A series of seminars designed for new MD/PhD students provides an overview of opportunities for research. After admission, the students complete several rotations through the laboratories of several potential advisers before a choice is made. An ongoing series of seminars is presented to MD/PhD students in all stages of the program by the faculty and invited physician-scientists from other academic health science centers. These seminars enhance the students’ general knowledge and help to develop new approaches toward the investigation of problems in biomedical research. The seminar series, along with the annual research day and other gatherings with faculty, serve to bring together trainees and preceptors.
Choice of a permanent thesis adviser and graduate department take place by the end of the second year. Students in the graduate phase of the program work side-by-side with PhD students in the basic sciences and meet all departmental requirements for the PhD degree. Original publications and presentations at national biomedical science meetings are often accomplished.
In the PhD phase of the program, students may associate with one of the five basic science departments of the College of Medicine (see descriptions in this section), with the Neuroscience Program, or with one of many program-approved departments across the university. In the final two years of the program, MD/PhD candidates rejoin other medical students to complete the remaining medical school requirements. Third- and fourth-year clerkships include medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, neurology and psychiatry, among other disciplines.
Graduates of the program have routinely gained admission to the most competitive residency programs at many of the premier academic institutions in the country.
Admission Requirements
Application to the program requires completion of both the MD/PhD Training Program application and application through AMCAS to the University of Illinois College of Medicine. The application form is available on the program’s Web site http://www.uic.edu/com/mdphd. It is recommended that applicants request 1 or 2 additional letters of recommendation to be sent directly to the program which focus on the applicant’s research experience. The MCAT examination, which is required for COM application, is accepted by the MD/PhD program in lieu of the GRE examination. Students should apply in the autumn of the year preceding admission to provide the fullest opportunity for consideration, since a rolling admissions procedure is used. A personal interview will be scheduled for each applicant under final consideration for admission.
Application to the program is normally made at the time of application to the College of Medicine. However, candidates will also be considered during their first two years of medical training. Admission to the program requires acceptance by the Admissions Committees of both of the MD/PhD Training Program and the College of Medicine. Criteria for admission to the program include academic excellence, prior research experience, potential for independent and creative research, and commitment to a career in academic medicine. Laboratory work concentrating in biology, chemistry, physics, biophysics, or behavioral sciences is helpful in preparing for study in the MD/PhD program. The admissions policy is flexible enough to accommodate those students who have already identified the field in which they wish to carry out research as well as those who are still undecided about their areas of research specialization. Admission to the MD/PhD Training Program is open to U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
Degree Requirements
Students in the program complete requirements of the College of Medicine for the MD degree and requirements of their chosen research department for the PhD degree. They must complete and submit their PhD dissertation and complete or schedule its defense before returning to the medical school for the M-3 and M-4 years.
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