Medical Scholars Program
125 Medical Sciences Building
506 S. Mathews St.
Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 333-8146
E-mail: mspo@illinois.edu
Dual Degrees Offered: Medical Scholars Program
Degrees Offered: M.D./Ph.D., M.D./J.D., M.D./M.B.A.
Graduate Degree Programs
The Medical Scholars Program (MSP) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is one of the largest MD/PhD programs in the nation and is committed to training a diverse group of students for dynamic and exciting futures as physician-scholars. The program permits highly qualified students to integrate the study of medicine with study for a graduate or professional degree in a second discipline (M.D./Ph.D., M.D./J.D., or M.D./M.B.A.). Approximately 150 MD/PhD students are currently pursuing graduate study in over 30 academic disciplines, including the behavioral sciences, humanities, physical sciences, as well as the biomedical sciences. With such diverse student perspectives, the MSP provides a unique and electric environment for bright and creative scholars to pursue their passion for combining cutting edge research with individualized high quality clinical training, enabling them to confront the multi-dimensional problems and issues that face medicine. All dual degree training is conducted at the Urbana-Champaign campus.
Admission
Applicants to the Medical Scholars Program (MSP) must meet the admissions standards for and be accepted to both a graduate department or professional program at UIUC and the College of Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Applicants should submit the AMCAS to the University of Illinois at Chicago as well as submit the online application to the Medical Scholars Program, which also serves as the application to the graduate department. (Note: Applicants to the MBA Program and College of Law must additionally complete those program applications.) Students are admitted independently to the MSP, a graduate department, and the College of Medicine.
Students begin their first year in the program fulfilling graduate program requirements. On average, students admitted into the program have earned a 3.5 undergraduate GPA and a 32 MCAT.
Specific MSP Admissions information can be found at www.med.illinois.edu/msp. You are also encouraged to directly contact the Medical Scholars Program at (217) 333-8146 or mspo@illinois.edu to learn more. The MSP is located at 126 Medical Sciences Building, 506 S. Mathews, Urbana.
Degree Requirements
MD/PhD
Students may choose from any Ph.D. program offered at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, as long as they are admitted to that program. Students in the combined program must meet the specific requirements for both the medical and graduate degrees. Students take an average of eight years to complete both their MD and PhD degrees.
MD/MBA
Students in the combined program must meet the specific requirements for the medical degree, but receive some credit toward the MBA which reduce the required number of hours to 60. On average, students take five years to complete an MD/MBA.
MD/JD
Students in the combined program must meet the specific requirements for the medical degree, but receive up to 12 hours credit toward the law degree. On average, students take six years to complete an MD/JD.
Financial Aid
The MSP track record is that all M.D./Ph.D. students who are in good academic standing and are progressing toward completing both degrees have received financial support. In general students are supported by their graduate program during the four to five years they spend primarily in graduate work. This support is in the form of a teaching assistantship, research assistantship, or fellowship. During the years they spend primarily pursuing medical studies, students generally receive a tuition and fee waiver, along with a small stipend. This is usually in the form of a teaching assistantship or fellowship. There is no commitment to fund M.D./J.D. or M.D./M.B.A. students although some do find such support during their medical school training.