Curriculum

student at microscope

Students in the OHSU M.D./Ph.D. program complete all requirements for both the OHSU M.D. program and their chosen OHSU graduate program. A typical student will spend 7-8 years completing these requirements, however actual time will vary depending on each individual's rate of progress in fulfilling the requirements for both M.D. and Ph.D. degrees. 

Beginning in August, the traditional M.D./Ph.D. student will complete the first two years of the M.D. program and take their Step 1 exam, and then move into their Ph.D. program. After all Ph.D. requirements are met, including qualifying exams and the completion of a doctoral dissertation that is submitted to the library, students will then transition back into medical school to complete their clinical training and prepare for residency. 

Of course there are non-traditional students who may have already completed some of their M.D. or Ph.D. degree at OHSU. These students are accepted as internal transfer students and may have a non-traditional pathway. Transfer slots are not guaranteed. Please review our Admissions page for more information if you are interested in this route. 

Admissions

M.D./Ph.D. course schedule and yearly progression

Combined training

We place a special emphasis on a combined degree program, truly integrating the M.D. and Ph.D. degrees into one program. Our graduate program mentors have strong ties to the hospital and do research on clinically relevant questions in the basic sciences. Our curriculum allows students to maintain clinical ties throughout their graduate years. Our weekly required journal club grounds students in the research thought-process and serves as a social touch point for students in the program.

Incoming students are assigned a Scientific Oversight Committee (SOC) to help guide them through their pre-Ph.D. years so that they're ready to jump into a graduate program after they've completed their first years of medical school.

Learn about the SOC

There are three combined degree courses that all M.D./Ph.D. students are required to take: 

Early M.D. years

The first 18 months of medical school at OHSU are designed to teach the basic science of medicine while introducing the student to medical practice. Traditional didactic lectures are limited so that small group discussions and self-directed learning are emphasized. Students are also required to participate in OASIS, the weekly M.D./Ph.D. journal clubs, and all required activities. 

Patient contact begins early in the first year, and all students participate for one afternoon per week in clinical preceptorships that are often a highlight of the first year's curriculum. M.D./Ph.D. students also participate in the weekly journal club, and depending on desire and time can participate in lab research.

In their second year of the M.D. program, students must take and pass the USMLE Step 1 exam in Winter term. M.D./Ph.D. students will also take the Transition to Clinical Experience (TTCE) 2-week course before they can transition to their graduate program. This course is only offered in February and M.D./Ph.D. students are required to take it before they can transition into their graduate program.

M.D./Ph.D. Journal Club

Learn more about the M.D. Program Curriculum

Learn more about OASIS

Contact the M.D. Program 

Ph.D. years

The graduate programs at OHSU offer outstanding opportunities for study in a variety of disciplines in biomedical research. Over the past 20 years, there has been a tremendous expansion of both research activities and facilities on campus. Students in the M.D./Ph.D. program will join a graduate program, pass their qualifying exams, and disband their SOC as they form a Dissertation Advisory Committee (DAC). Students may choose to do their dissertation research with faculty scientists in any of the following graduate programs: 

  • Behavioral and Systems Neuroscience Graduate Program (BSN)
  • Biomedical Engineering (BME)
  • Biomedical Informatics Graduate Program (BMI)
  • Neuroscience Graduate Program (NGP)
  • Program in Biomedical Sciences (PBMS)

Explore graduate programs available to OHSU M.D./Ph.D. students

M.D./Ph.D. students are expected to meet with their DAC every 6 months, complete all requirements of their chosen graduate program, and will also be expected to complete a qualifying exam in the second year of their graduate degree. The qualifying exam consists of a written and oral examination. Once passed, the student will be advanced to candidacy. Students can move back to their M.D. clinical years after successfully defending their dissertation and submitting it to the library.

Final M.D. years

After the successful completion of their dissertation including submission to the library, students return to medical school to complete their M.D. training. With the exception of the M.D. TTCE course that can be completed for a second time prior to returning to medical school, students must complete all requirements of their graduate program and the School of Medicine Graduate Studies before they can return to medical school for clinical rotations. 

M.D./Ph.D. students will also complete the Clinical and Translational Research Experience course during their final M.D. years after completing core clinical rotations. This is done during the M.D. rotation lottery process. Students are also expected to continue attending the M.D./Ph.D. weekly journal club, annual retreat, and other M.D./Ph.D. program activities and events as their schedule permits. We offer continued academic counseling and opportunities to discuss the selection of a medical specialty and applications to residency programs. The successful completion of the fourth year of Medical School culminates in the award of the dual M.D./Ph.D. degree.

Learn more about the Clinical and Translational Research Experience