M.D. Program in the School of Medicine

The School of Medicine seeks to attract students who are passionate about scholarship and wish to improve the health of the world's people through research, innovation, and leadership. The Stanford M.D. curriculum provides education in biomedical and clinical sciences along with study and independent research through scholarly concentrations. Emphasis is placed on interdisciplinary learning, with streamlined content and melding of basic science and clinical instruction across the curriculum. Blocks of unscheduled time allow for individual or group study, participation in elective courses, research, and reflection. Alternative pathways through the curriculum include an option of a fifth or sixth year of study as well as opportunities for pursuing a second degree, such as an M.P.H. or Ph.D.

Broad clinical science education occurs throughout the curriculum with exposure to patient care and the practice of medicine beginning on the first day of medical school. Students may begin clinical clerkships as early as May of the second year. A population health course combines classroom and experiential learning to provide understanding of the socioeconomic determinants of the health of patients and communities.

Scholarly concentrations offer opportunities for developing skills that enhance basic science and clinical training in areas such as bioengineering, biomedical ethics and medical humanities, biomedical informatics, clinical research, community health, health services and policy research, and the molecular basis of medicine. Through the scholarly concentration program, these skills may be applied in clinical areas housed within centers at Stanford such as the Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Cardiovascular Institute, the Neuroscience Institute, the Institute of Immunity, Transplantation, and Infection, and Women's Health at Stanford. Study in a scholarly concentration typically includes course work and research activities. Research for scholarly concentrations can be supported through the Medical Scholars program, which funds student research projects at Stanford and overseas.

Students with interests in medical research as a career are encouraged to investigate opportunities available through the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP). Stanford also collaborates with the University of California, Berkeley, to offer students opportunities for M.D./M.P.H. training. Details about these programs may be found at http://med.stanford.edu/combined_degree.

Stanford is committed to representing the diversity of the U.S. and California populations by seeking a diverse body of students who are interested in the intellectual substance of medicine and committed to advancing the field of health care, broadly defined. Provided an applicant to the school has completed basic courses in physics, chemistry, and biology, the choice of an undergraduate major may reflect other interests, including the arts and humanities. Course work in advanced biology such as biochemistry, molecular biology, or genetics and the behavioral sciences is recommended because of their importance in understanding health care. Breadth of interests and depth of experiences play an important role in the selection of students from among those applicants having superior academic records.

The M.D. degree requires 13 quarters of full tuition; the joint M.D./Ph.D. degree requires 16 quarters. All additional quarters are charged at the reduced Terminal Medical Registration (TMR) tuition rate, which is $2,169 per quarter in 2008-09. Completion of the M.D. degree must be achieved within six years, unless a petition is granted to extend this time frame. For further details on the M.D. degree, including admission requirements, see http://med.stanford.edu/md.

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Stanford Bulletin, Archive 2008-09

Stanford Bulletin, Archive 2008-09

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M.D. Program in the School of Medicine