MEDICAL SCHOLARS PROGRAM
Acting Program Director: Paul Gold
Correspondence and Admissions Information: Jennifer L. Bloom, Assistant Director, Medical Scholars Program, College of Medicine, 190 Medical Sciences Building, 506 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801; (217) 333-8146; E-mail: mspo@uiuc.edu
URL: www-admin.med.uiuc.edu/msp
GRADUATE DEGREE PROGRAMS
The Medical Scholars Program at the Urbana-Champaign campus enables students to combine the study of medicine leading to the M.D. with graduate or professional study in a second field leading to the
Ph.D., J.D., or M.B.A. The program seeks to produce leaders uniquely qualified and motivated to address the issu es shaping modern medical practice, the health care system, and biomedical research; issues related to the profound advances in science and technology; and those that arise from the pressures of socioeconomic forces.ADMISSION
To enter the Medical Scholars Program (MSP), applicants must meet the admission requirements of, and be accepted by, both the College of Medicine and the graduate unit of their choice. Prospective students must demonstrate a potential for creativity and original research, a sense of social awareness and service, academic excellence, competence in leadership and in interpersonal relationships, and an appropriate rationale for their interest in combined study. Application is made to the program and to the graduate unit by means of the Medical Scholars Program application form. Application is made to the University of Illinois College of Medicine through the AMCAS application system sponsored by the Association of American Medical Colleges. The Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) is required for admission to medical school, and examination scores such as those for the GRE, GMAT, or LSAT are required by some departments. Applicants must arrange to take such examinations and have the scores forwarded to the appropriate academic unit on the Urbana-Champaign campus. Only U.S. citizens and permanent residents are eligible to apply. State residency is not a factor.
APPROVED AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION
The University offers graduate study in more than 100 fields in which MSP applicants may propose combined degree study, including the following established programs:
Animal Sciences
Anthropology
Architecture
Biochemistry
Biophysics
Business Administration
Cell and Structural Biology
Chemical Engineering
Chemistry
Civil Engineering
Communications Research
Community Health
Computer Science
Economics
Education
Electrical and Computer
Engineering
English
Entomology
Envi ronmental Studies
Finance
Food Science
History
Human and Community
Development
Kinesiology
Law
M.B.A.
Materials Science and
Engineering
Mathematics
Mechanical and Industrial
Engineering
Microbiology
Molecular and Integrative
Physiology
Music
Neuroscience
Nuclear Engineering
Nutritional Sciences
Philosophy
Physics
Political Science
Psychology
Social Work
Sociology
Speech CommunicationSpeech and Hearing Science
Theoretical and Applied
Mechanics
Veterinary Biosciences
Veterinary Pathobiology
SPECIAL FEATURES OF THE PROGRAM
The Medical Scholars Program has over 150 joint degree students enrolled (with up to 25 students admitted annually). The Medical Scholars Program stands out from other M.D./Ph.D. programs in the range of second degree disciplines offered (students have enrolled i n more than 40 different graduate programs). Located in the heart of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus, the MSP offers graduate programs in any discipline within the biological and physical sciences, as well as in the social sciences, humanities, and law.
REQUIREMENTS
Students in the Medical Scholars Program are expected to fulfill all the degree requirements of both the College of Medicine and the second discipline. Faculty advisers from the medical school and from the graduate unit help students set realistic long-term study plans that integrate the two curricula.
FINANCIAL AID
Currently, all Medical Scholar M.D./Ph.D. students receive financial support for the duration of both their medical studies and their graduate studies. The vast majority of Medical Scholars Program M.D./Ph.D. students are assured waivers of tuition and some fees, as well as stipends. In general, financial support is provided by the graduate unit in the form of assistantships, whi ch vary in amount, depending on the time involved and the unit. Medical Scholars may also earn fellowships and other awards for additional or alternative support.