MD/PhD Opportunities

Combined degree programs in the Biological Sciences Division allow students to earn a Ph.D. in basic science research to complement the medical training earned in the Pritzker School of Medicine. Students interested in earning both an M.D. and a Ph.D. in Cell Physiology at the University of Chicago can follow one of two routes.

Medical Scientist Training Program. Students may apply for the Medical Scientist Training Program at the same time they file their medical school application. If admitted to this highly competitive program, students follow the medical school curriculum for two years and then enter the research program of their choice for the dissertation research. After completing the Ph.D., MSTP students return to medical school to complete work required for the M.D. Fellowship support is provided for an aggregate of 6 years: the first two years of medical school, the first two years of graduate study, and the final two years of medical school. There is period of support from lab funds beginning the third year graduate study. 

Training Grant in Growth and Development. Pritzker medical students may also apply for graduate training after matriculation. The Training Grant in Growth and Development, referred to as the Peds training grant because it is administered in the Department of Pediatrics, supports a limited number of medical students who realize in their early years of medical training that they wish to pursue a Ph.D. Students normally enter the program after the second year of medical school, having already selected a laboratory and research project consistent with the focus of the training grant. Students are supported for an aggregate of 5 years: the first three years of graduate study and the final two years of medical school. As with the MSTP students, there is a period of time when Peds students are supported from lab funds while completing the Ph.D. 

Applicants who have received a M.D. from another institution are advised to consider applying for postdoctoral positions with the Committee on Cell Physiology faculty. If, after consideration, formal predoctoral (Ph.D.) training is desired, a full application including GRE scores must be filed by the relevant deadlines.

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