University of California, Irvine

Program Information

Degree Offered

MD,PhD Combined Degree Program. IMPORTANT! You must also complete the 'MD/PhD' Combined Program section of the primary AMCAS application. The information provided in your primary AMCAS will be reviewed as part of your application for the UC Irvine MSTP.

Program Description:

The University of California, Irvine(UCI), through its Medical Scientist Training Program(MSTP), offers a dual track for earning the MD and PhD degrees to exceptionally well qualified students who wish to pursue research careers in the biomedical sciences. The program combines educational experiences in clinical disciplines and in basic medical research, culminating in both an MD degree from the School of Medicine and a PhD degree from one of the participating graduate programs. The aim of this program is to train medical scientists who will use research for the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease. Students who complete the program will be well prepared to assume leadership roles in the medical sciences. Medical research today involves a difficult balancing of two careers -- providing state of the art medical care, and making new discoveries that utilize cutting edge research approaches from a wide variety of fields. As medicine becomes more specialized and complex, future progress requires the incorporation of advances made almost daily in the laboratory. This poses a dilemma for the practicing physician, who has neither the time nor the training to critically evaluate the most recent results coming out of research labs. The purpose of the UC Irvine Medical Scientist Training Program is to train individuals who can understand and contribute to advances in research, and can also apply those advances to the field of medical care. The combination of clinical training leading to the MD degree with research training leading to the PhD degree is a way to educate scientists who can apply laboratory results to the problems of clinical medicine.

Accreditation:

When choosing a medical school,be certain they're accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education(LCME)as is UC Irvine's Medical School. The US Dept of Education considers LCME to be the only authority for accrediting MD degree programs.

Eligibility Requirements:

Study leading to the PhD degree can be carried out through ANY of the graduate PhD programs offered at UC Irvine. Although most MSTP students complete two years of medical school before starting their Ph.D training, the UCI MSTP also allows students to pursue research first. All MSTP students are encouraged to complete an optional research rotation with a UCI faculty member before beginning their first year in the program. Additional rotations are required during the summers after both the first and second years in medical school.

International Student Requirements:

Unfortunately, the MSTP program does not currently have sufficient financial resources to support international students.

Tuition & Financial Aid

Financial Aid Offered: No

Format: Campus

Classification: Doctoral/Research Universities - Extensive

Institution Sector: Public

Locale: Midsize City

Size & Settings: 20,000 and above