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 Communication

Speech 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.