The school is among the first in the nation to offer the problem-based learning style of medical education. Students are divided into small groups in a curriculum designed to take them beyond memorization to an in-depth analysis of facts. Students explore the structural and pathophysiological ramifications of actual medical cases. They gain a wide variety of educational experiences because of the close cooperation between the School of Medicine, University of Missouri Hospitals and Clinics and an array of outreach programs. The school strongly emphasizes primary-care medicine but also prepares students in all specialties.