Curriculum
What will you learn in the MD/PhD Physician Science Program offered through the KU School of Medicine? Here's what you can expect.
Enrollment in the MD/PhD Physician Science Program allows you access to curriculum specifically constructed for a career in research.
Year One
Matriculation begins with two years of a basic medical science curriculum as well as introductory laboratory research rotations in the summer before and the summer after your first year of medical courses.
Year Two
This year, you complete your second year of medical school and take Step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE). By December you select a research mentor and start conversations to get you started in the lab after your exam. With your mentor, you begin to develop ideas for the dissertation research problem.
Years Three through Five
Depending on individual progress, you focus primarily on the research problem and selected graduate curriculum. Up to eight hours of research credits during this time can apply toward the required elective credits for the Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree. Not all students are in the lab for the same number of years. During this time you can volunteer at the JayDoc clinic and/or shadow physicians. Clinical preceptors are assigned to interested students.
Following completion of your dissertation, you come back to medical school and complete your third and fourth years of medical school.