Joint M.D./Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences

Through the cooperation of the School of Graduate Studies and the School of Medicine, students may concurrently pursue the Doctor of Philosophy degree in a medical science field (Anatomy and Cell Biology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Microbiology and Immunology, Pharmacology, Physiology and Therapeutics) and the Doctor of Medicine degree. The minimum time required to complete the joint program is six years of full-time academic study.

Students interested in the joint M.D./Ph.D. program should first obtain admission to the School of Medicine and Health Sciences to the M.D. degree program, following the normal application process and meeting the selection criteria. A student admitted to the M.D. program may apply to School of Graduate Studies as soon as he/she has selected a graduate program, which may occur before matriculation in Medical School but not later than the end of the first year of Medical School.

Final admission requirements for the M.D./Ph.D. program include:

  1. Satisfactory performance in the first two years of the medical education curriculum with passing scores on all required assessment tools.
  2. Successful completion of the USMLE Step 1 examination.
  3. Satisfactory scores achieved on General and Subject GRE examination or MCAT scores.
  4. All other UND School of Graduate Studies admission requirements listed in the UND Academic Catalog.

If admission to a Ph.D. program is granted, the student should apply to the School of Medicine and Health Sciences Student Performance and Recognition Committee for a “modification of original program,” which will allow the student to pursue the M.D. degree and Ph.D. degree concurrently. The student also must request the Office of Student Affairs to certify to the School of Graduate Studies his/her satisfactory completion of the first two years of the M.D. program.

Students are expected to complete the following general requirements for the Ph.D. degree in a medical science field:

  1. Performance of original research of a quality suitable for publication in refereed, professional journals.
  2. Pass final examination which includes preparation and oral defense of a satisfactory dissertation.
  3. Completion of .
  4. A minimum of 90 credit hours, including research and dissertation.
  5. Successful completion of a scholarly tool (Note: May be specified by a department.)
  6. Completion of the first two years of the medical education curriculum, transferred as 44 credits toward the Ph.D.