MD/PhD Medical Scholars Program

Carle Illinois College of Medicine’s MD/PhD Medical Scholars Program (MSP) is designed to prepare a diverse cadre of physician-scholars to confront the multi-dimensional problems and issues that face medicine and society.  Students in the program will earn the MD degree from Carle Illinois and a PhD from one of the existing PhD programs at UIUC.  Students may pursue graduate study in any discipline offered on campus, including biomedical sciences, engineering, the physical sciences, humanities, and social sciences.

Applying to the Medical Scholars Program

The Medical Scholars Program admits applicants through the MD program.  Interested applicants apply to the MD program through the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) and must meet the requirements for Carle Illinois. Applicants will NOT need to designate themselves as MD/PhD applicants in the AMCAS application, nor will the MD/PhD essays be considered in admission to the MD program, although applicants can describe their research experience and interest in the secondary application.  Interest in the MSP will not be a factor in considering applicants to the MD program.  After matriculation, students can explore potential graduate programs and formally apply to the MD/PhD program.

Over the first year of medical school, students will receive advising from the MSP and be able to explore different PhD programs and potential advisors.  Near the end of the first year, interested students will complete an MD/PhD application to be reviewed by an MSP Admissions Sub-Committee.  We expect to select two MSP students per year in coordination with graduate programs.  MSP students can apply for any PhD program at the University of Illinois for admittance.  Graduate work will begin after satisfying requirements for Phase 1 of the curriculum and passing Step I in year 2.

Funding

All medical students are responsible for their tuition during the first phase of medical school.  Students accepted into the MSP will be funded by their respective graduate program during their PhD studies.  This includes a stipend and tuition waiver.  Upon completion of the PhD and return to the medical school curriculum, MSP students will receive a Carle Illinois tuition scholarship to complete Phase 2 and Phase 3.  The MSP scholarship can be added to an existing Carle Illinois scholarship with a cap of covering tuition. Students must remain in good standing in both the graduate program and medical school to receive continued funding.  MSP students are expected to pursue external funding support by applying for an F30/F31 grant from the National Institutes of Health, although continuation in the program and funding as described above is not contingent on grant funding success.