MSTP Curriculum

The MSTP is structured across three stages, combining medical school and graduate training to prepare students for careers as physician-scientists. Students begin with the first two years of medical school (MS1 and MS2), followed by full-time graduate study (GS1, GS2, etc.) while completing their Ph.D. research. After completing the graduate phase, students return to medical school for their clinical training in MS3 and MS4, completing required clerkships and electives before graduation.

Medical School Year 1 & 2 (MS1 & MS2)

Our MS1 and MS2 curriculum provides the necessary foundation for graduates to be well prepared to enter any field of medicine. Emphasis has been placed on self-directed learning, integration of basic and clinical sciences, and more active forms of learning. Students’ medical careers begin with the White Coat Ceremony, which defines the commitment and dedication they have made to their patients and themselves as they enter medical school. Students learn basic science knowledge during the first two years in lectures, problem-based learning sessions, small group discussions, laboratories, and clinical correlations. In mid-June of the second year, students sit for Step 1 of the USMLE.

Graduate School (GS)

MSTP students enter the graduate years full-time after completing Step 1 of the USMLE. Students may elect to do a third research rotation, or if they have already completed two research rotations, may select a graduate program and a dissertation advisor, and begin work on their Ph.D. dissertation.

Coursework during the graduate years emphasizes basic principles and concepts in biochemistry, biostatistics, genetics, and cell biology, with additional courses specific to the area of concentration. Additional program requirements include weekly seminar series, and student research presentations. All students take a online course in ethics and must complete a proposal-based Preliminary Examination, usually after the first year of graduate school. When the dissertation advisory committee is satisfied that the aims of the research project have been met and the dissertation has been defended successfully, the requirements for the Ph.D. will have been completed.

MSTP students prepare to re-enter medical school as they near completion of their dissertation. Typically students begin medical school in July or mid-August with the third year medical student class. Students anticipating return to medical school notify the medical school in January and complete the clerkship selection process, which is coordinated by the Office of Student Affairs of the medical school.

The complete graduate program guidelines are as follows:

General

• 9 credit hours required per semester to maintain full-time status
• 48 hours must be completed by end of second year
• Up to 24 credit hours of coursework is transferred from the students’ medical school.

GS1

Fall Semester

Spring Semester

GS2

Mentoring

If a student chooses a mentor within a specific area of research emphasis, further elective requirements may be necessary. Taking the suggested core courses rather than elective courses is dependent on an individual’s background. Students should only substitute a core course with an elective course with the support and recommendation of their mentor and the written permission from the MSTP Directors. Under exceptional circumstances, more than one core course substitution may be allowed.

Other Requirements

All other requirements of the Ph.D. component of this program (Choosing a dissertation committee, Preliminary Exam, Prospectus Exam, Dissertation Requirements, and Final Exam) are the same as those of the doctoral degree. 

BMS Retreat

MSTP students are expected to adhere to the BMS PhD requirements during their PhD training. Therefore, they are expected to attend the annual BMS Retreat. Because PhD students are required to do at least two posters and one oral presentation, MSTP students must do a poster during the first year of PhD– a presentation of the general plan of the PhD dissertation would suffice.

Although retreat attendance is not strictly enforced, keep in mind that retreat attendance is required for the eligibility to apply for the BMSSA Travel Fund (up to $500 per fiscal year). 

MSTP students in their medical school years, both before (T1 & T2) and after (T3 & T4) are not required to attend the retreat.

MS3 & MS4

MSTP students begin third year medical school clerkships about July 1 of their seventh year, after completing their Ph.D. dissertation.

Students are also required to participate in a new interdisciplinary seminar series in which students choose from a variety of offerings. The entire family medicine clerkship is an ambulatory based experience with a community preceptor, most of whom practice in rural settings. The medicine and surgery clerkships are in-patient experiences, while the other clerkships offer a balance of inpatient and outpatient experience.