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Combined Degree Programs

MD/PhD

Training for Medical Scientists of the Future

In modern medicine, the battleground for the fight against many diseases is found at the molecular level on the surface or interior of cells, or in the DNA of the human genome. Other important health problems involve complex studies of large populations within our society. Research into the mechanisms of human disease, and the factors that maintain and restore human health, requires investigators with interests and training in both basic science and clinical medicine.

The goal of the combined MD/PhD Program is to train medical scientists who will become leaders in medical research. To achieve this goal, a flexible program of combined medical and scientific training is provided for students of superior academic and research potential.

Research Environment

The MD/PhD Program capitalizes on the wide range of basic and clinical science training opportunities that are available on the rapidly expanding campus of the University of Maryland. The program offers PhD degrees in many disciplines including: Neuroscience, Molecular Medicine, Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Public Health (Gerontology, Rehabilitation sciences, Epidemiology, Toxicology). In addition, doctoral training is offered through interdisciplinary training programs including Neurosciences, Cardiovascular Disease, Membrane Biology, Muscle Biology, Reproductive Endocrinology, and Toxicology all supported by the National Institutes of Health. A unique strength of the program includes Organized Research Centers that provide outstanding research opportunities for clinical investigators, such as: Center for Vaccine Development, Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center, Institute of Human Virology, Center for Fluorescence Spectroscopy, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Facility, Mucosal Biology Research Center, Vascular and Inflammatory Diseases and the Maryland Biotechnology Institute. Thus there is an extraordinary range of high quality research programs available to the MD/PhD students.

Program Requirements and Schedule

Requirements for the combined MD and PhD degrees are equivalent to those of the separate degrees of the Doctor of Medicine of the School of Medicine and the Doctor of Philosophy of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland. The dual degree program can be completed within six to eight years.

Although the schedule of training can be flexible, entering students typically complete the two preclinical years as medical students prior to enrolling as full time graduate students. During this initial period the MD/PhD students use the post freshman and sophomore summers for required research rotations in laboratories of their choice. In addition during the first year there is an extensive orientation program, which provides a detailed view of the diverse research opportunities available. The research rotations and orientation are designed to facilitate the choice of a thesis advisor. There is also a required biomedicine journal club for freshman and sophomores. 

After completion of the pre-clinical years, MD/PhD students enroll for three to four years in the PhD program of their choice. During this time they take required graduate courses, complete a required Longitudinal Clinical Rotation and complete their dissertation research. They must defend their PhD thesis before returning to the medical school phase. Subsequently, students begin the final two years of their medical training, which takes the form of a series of clinical clerkships over the third year and 2 subinternships, 4 electives and 2 months of Area Health Education Center work in the fourth year.  To provide flexibility and to meet the specific professional development needs of MD/PhD students while assuring comparable clinical training to our MD students, they:

• will complete 2 subinternships, 8 weeks of AHEC (fully traditional or using the MD/PhD research selective) and one clinical elective as minimum requirements for senior year.
• may accrue up to 3 months of senior elective credit in the pre-clinical and graduate school years through the Physician-Scientist Elective or other pre-approved curricula. These curricula should be approved through the MD/PhD Clinical Committee with final approval through the Office of Student Affairs.
• may return to their PhD laboratory in lieu of one month of AHEC. They are required to complete one month of AHEC at one of the traditional Maryland sites.
• will be expected to engage in professional development activities (electives, research or academic pursuits consonant with their career plans) throughout most of their senior even if they begin clinical work on time and are able to complete all required coursework without a break in their curriculum. There should be no more than 2 - 3 totally unscheduled months in the senior year.

MD/PhD clinical years schedules will be reviewed and approved by the MD/PhD Clinical Advisory Subcommittee and will have final approval by the Office of Student Affairs.

CompositionThe CAS is comprised of a Subcommittee Chair (member of MD/PhD Advisory Committee), a faculty representative from the Office of Student Affairs, and six physician-scientist Faculty from SOM.  Members serve a 3-year term and are appointed by the Chairman of the MD/PhD Program Advisory Committee.  Responsibilities:

• The CAS organizes and approves plans for Physician Scientist Clinical Elective rotations in the PhD years.
• The CAS reviews Student Evaluation Forms submitted by mentors and approves elective credits for the Physician Scientist Clinical Elective.
• The CAS advises students about their return to medical school for clinical training.  This committee will formally approve a final plan, including schedules for the Clerkships, Clinical Electives and Subinternships.  This schedule will account for all of their time in the 4th year including professional development activities if they are able to finish requirements early.   Those schedules will then be sent to OSA for final approval 
• The CAS will advise students in MSIII about approaches to successfully compete for research-oriented Residency Programs in their chosen specialty.   This takes the form of a workshop for all students in clinical training.  Follow up meetings between appropriate committee members and individual students will be scheduled as warranted.

Financial Support During MD/PhD Training

In order to be flexible in the pursuit of a career as a clinician scientist, it is important for trainees to minimize debt. Thus, there is considerable financial support for students admitted into the MD/PhD Program. Students are awarded fully funded scholarship support that includes stipends, individual health care insurance, and payment of fees, as well as tuition remission throughout their years of training. Current stipend levels are $23,000 per year. Thus the combined support available to MD/PhD students at the University of Maryland Baltimore is competitive with any program in the country.

Application Process

The MD/PhD Program is open to all qualified applicants, regardless of state residence. Applicants to the Program are required to meet the admissions requirements of the School of Medicine. Applicants complete and file an AMCAS application, choosing the University of Maryland as one of the schools to receive the application. The secondary application package includes an MD/PhD Program supplemental form which must be completed and returned with the secondary application. Criteria for admission include MCAT scores, the undergraduate/graduate academic records, letters of recommendation and, very importantly, research experience. Applicants are selected for interviews based on the above criteria. Prospective students are interviewed for the MD/PhD Program and the School of Medicine during an initial visit to the campus. Admission to the MD/PhD Program is determined by the MD/PhD Advisory Committee in consultation with the Medical School Admissions Committee.

For additional information contact: Terry B. Rogers, Ph.D., 410-706-3990, trogers@som.umaryland.edu.

Combined MD/Masters, Year Off Fellowship and Certificate Programs  

Medical students are often interested in taking a year off from school for a variety of reasons or adding to their academic pursuits with a Certificate Program. Among the available programs are: 1) Master's programs in a specific discipline; 2) year-long basic/clinical research programs; and 3) Certificate in Clinical Research.

The School of Medicine recognizes that some medical students may be interested in pursuing multiple study programs to enhance their medical training. With this in mind, the school has brought together a number of academic pursuits to complement the medical degree (e.g., the). These current joint master's degrees programs are in the area of Bioengineering, Epidemiology, Clinical Research, Public Health (MPH), Public Policy (MPP), with Business Administration (MBA), Health Services Administration and Education (medical pedagogy) to be added in 2009/2010.

The goal of the programs is to train physicians in emerging areas of interest. To accomplish these activities, a series of 5-year combined degree programs was developed that provide students with the opportunities to embark on medical, research or administrative careers or continue their education as doctoral candidates should they desire.

Masters Programs. A growing number of Masters programs at the UM SoM and in collaboration with our sister institutions in College Park (UMCP) and Baltimore County (UMBC) will provide both classroom and experiential learning in Bioengineering, Business Administration, Clinical Research, Education, Epidemiology, Health Services Administration, Public Health, Public Policy. Students are encouraged to apply during the medical school application process but entry into these programs is also afforded once a student has matriculated. The combined MD/Masters programs are usually of 5-years duration and can incorporate courses during the academic year and summers as well as during a year-off.

All MD/Masters students may use one month of AHEC and one month of elective time to complete a Master's Capstone/Research Practicum.  MD/MBA and MD/MHA students may use an additional elective month.

Research Environment

The combined programs utilize the diverse nature of the School of Medicine faculty and University System of Maryland and our proximity to other campuses in the system and to Washington, DC.

The dual MD/Masters Program takes advantage of the rich educational offerings and programmatic successes offered by the faculty at the UM SoM (MPH, MS Epi, MS Clin Res),, UMBC (MPP) and UMCP (MS BioEng, MBA, MHSA; UMCP's Smith School of Business is co-located on the UMB campus).

Program Requirements and Schedule

Requirements for the combined MD and Masters degrees are equivalent to those of the separate degrees of the Doctor of Medicine of the School of Medicine and the specific Master's degree of the Graduate School at the University of Maryland Baltimore, Baltimore County and College Park. The dual degree program can be completed within five years. In most cases, an entering student may take a full course load in their prematriculation summer, but will defer taking any further courses until the second semester of their first year in medical school, and then only take one course each of the remaining three semesters. A full course load is also possible during the summer between the first and second years in medical school . Most students will take a year off before starting their clinical years, the exception being the MS in Clinical Research that is best done between the third and four years. In some cases the senior year in medical school has been restructured to allow students to complete both degrees within the five-year period.  A 'capstone' course is required for the master's programs and must be completed in the fourth year of medical school (Y5 of the joint program).   All MD/Master's students may substitute the Master's Capstone/Research Practicum for one month AHEC and use up to one additional month of elective to complete the project.  Students in the MD-MBA/MHA programs will have only 3 elective months in their senior year, one month of which may be used to complete the required capstone with one month of elective credit being provided for completion of all prior requirements. Maintaining a minimum 'B' is required in all medical and graduate school courses.

MD/MS in Epidemiology (est. 2009), MD/MS Clinical Research (est. 2009) and MD/Masters in Public Health (est. 2006)

Qualified medical students interested in a joint training program leading to the MD and MS in Epidemiology, Clinical Research or in Public Health, may complete a dual degree program. The additional year needed for an MS (Epi) degree may be counted as one year of preventive medicine residency training by the American Board of Preventive Medicine. Certification by the latter also requires at least one year of approved clinical residency training and one additional year of preventive medicine practicum rotations following successful completion of the dual degree program. Students interested in dual degree programs should contact Antanett Harris, Combined MD/Masters Program Coordinator (OSR, 300 MSTF, 410-706-3026).

MD/MS in BioEngineering (est. 2008)

The objective of this program with the faculty of the A. James Clark School of Engineering at UMCP is to broaden to educational and research scope of medical doctors in significant fields of bioengineering including biomaterials, biomedical imaging, medical device innovation, medical device development, and drug development. Students applying to the MD program, and who have an engineering degree from an accredited college or university, may 1) apply directly to the MD and MS BIOE program separately; 2) current MD students with engineering degrees may apply directly to the Department of Bioengineering for entrance into the MD/MS BIOE program.  Applicants to the MD program or current students with degrees chemistry, biology, physics, or mathematics can apply, and their application will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. A thesis and non-thesis option are available in one of two tracks: 1) Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering (interests in engineering concepts applied to fundamental molecular and cellular processes as well as engineering devices that are based upon cellular mechanism); 2) Biomaterials in Bioengineering (interests in biomaterial fabrication, characterization, and applications in biomedical engineering). Students interested in dual degree programs should contact Antanett Harris, Combined MD/Masters Program Coordinator (OSR, 300 MSTF, 410-706-3026).

MD/ Masters in Public Policy (MPP; est. 2009)

The MPP will provide opportunities for students at the University of Maryland School of Medicine to expand their knowledge and skills into the field of public policy. The multiple tracks in the MPP program will allow students to: 1) develop expertise in the application of a variety of analytical methods (Evaluation and Analytical Methods); 2) to examine and understand the ethical and legal issues in our health care system, its development, present operation, and potential future (Health Policy); 3) to focus on educational policies made at every level of government (Education Policy), on program development and planning, program management, outcome assessment, and human services evaluation (Human Services Policy), or focus on the relationships of law and policy. Courses are offered at UMBC and at the University of Maryland School of Law and University of Baltimore School of Law where Public Policy also administers joint degree programs (Legal Policy); 4) to examine critical issues associated with managing public organizations or to prepare themselves for careers in public management at the local, state and federal levels (Public Management); 5) to understand of the nature and causes of urban problems and examines the various policy options for addressing them (Urban Policy). In addition, disciplinary tracks in Economics and Political Science are available. Students interested in dual degree programs should contact Antanett Harris, Combined MD/Masters Program Coordinator (OSR, 300 MSTF, 410-706-3026).

The remaining masters program (Business Administration, Health Services Administration, Education) will be added here as they are approved.  For updated information students are encouraged to visit the Combined MD/Master Program website (http://medschool.umaryland.edu/osr/student_md_masters.asp).

Financial Support during MD/Masters Training

In order to be flexible in the pursuit of these combined degree programs. It is important for trainees to minimize debt through student loans. Students accepted into these Programs will receive financial counseling for the duration of their studies so that their year can be accomplished with minimal financial burden. The program will work with students to seek a benefit package inclusive of the Masters portion of the program, the cost of which is based on resident status as determined by the University, and can be apportioned over the duration of the program's five years.

Application Process

The combined MD/Masters programs are open to all qualified applicants, regardless of state residence. Applicants to the Programs are required to meet the admissions requirements of the School of Medicine. Applicants complete and file an AMCAS application, choosing the University of Maryland as one of the schools to receive the application. The secondary application package includes an MD/Combined Masters Program supplemental form which must be completed and returned with the secondary application. Criteria for admission include MCAT scores, the undergraduate/graduate academic records, letters of recommendation and, very importantly, experience and/or strong interest directed towards the area of the Masters program.  The MBA program also requires the GMAT.  Applicants are selected for interviews based on the above criteria. Prospective students are interviewed for the MD/Masters Programs and the School of Medicine during their initial visit to the campus. Admission to the MD/Masters Programs is determined by the individual MD/Masters Advisory Committee in consultation with the Medical School Admissions Committee.

For additional information contact: Antanett Harris, MD/Masters Program Coordinator, 410-706-3026, ASHarris@som.umaryland.edu or Jwarnick@som.umaryland.edu.

Year-Off Research

Students with strong interests in research have sought out year-long research programs that are funded by a number of external sources. The research programs usually start on July 1 after completion of the second or third years. All such educational and research programs require a formal Leave of Absence although many students remain enrolled to sustain their health insurance, ensure that educational loans are not immediately repayable, and to remain eligible for financial aid. Most of these programs require either a Letter of Good Academic Standing or a Dean's Letter of Recommendation.  Students are encouraged to contact the Office of Student Research early in the academic year to discuss potential funding sources and the selection of research sites and mentors.

Certificate Program in Clinical Research

Physicians and other health professionals who wish to work in clinical research often need additional didactic training in order to gain the necessary skills that are not covered in their health professional education.  The Clinical Research Curriculum provides a combination of coursework (11 credits over 4 years) to provide training in core competencies in clinical research.  Further information is available on-line (http://medschool.umaryland.edu/K30/certificate_clinical.asp)

Oral-Maxillofacial Surgery Residency – M.D. Program

The University of Maryland's integrated Oral-Maxillofacial Surgery Residency - M.D. program is a fully accredited specialty training experience that is six years in length. The second and third years of the program are spent in medical school at the third and fourth year class levels, and residents must satisfactorily complete all clinical requirements for medical students in order to receive their M.D. For additional information on this program, refer tothe Dental School's website at http://www.dental.umaryland.edu/admissions/omaxill/omaxill_surg.html.

Prior to being given advanced standing in the medical school, OMF residents are required to take and pass Part I of the National Medical Boards. Candidates for the program are also required to satisfactorily complete School of Medicine's Introduction to Clinical Medicine course, complete Respiratory Fit Testing through UMMSand clear the Veterans Administration (VA) Criminal Background Check and fingerprinting prior to matriculating.

Policies Specific to Combined Degree Students

If a medical student in a combined degree program is placed on any form of probation by their other degree granting program, the medical school will review the circumstances leading to the probation as well as the student's medical school performance to determine if additional action should be taken. Such actions may include, but are not limited to: no additional action, probation or dismissal relative to the MD program.

A medical student in a combined degree program who has a change in status in the non-MD program (dismissal or withdrawal) will be evaluated similarly to any student who has a change of status in the MD program. The circumstances as well as the student's medical school performance will be reviewed by the Advancement Committee to determine if additional action should be taken. This may include a recommendation to the Dean regarding the student's ability to remain in the School of Medicine as an "MD only" student. This status will not be automatic upon leaving the other portion of the combined degree program. The Advancement Committee will pay particular attention to the student's academic performance, professional conduct and any academic or disciplinary probation.

 

Last Revision: September 10, 2009