MD Curriculum

The University of Illinois College of Medicine (UICOM) educational program is designed to serve a variety of career choices, allowing students to prepare for careers in medical practice, research, teaching, community medicine, and various disciplines of medical practice. Additionally, emphasis is placed on developing an attitude that’s necessary for effective communication between individual patients, and society at large. 

The curriculum stresses rational decision making and clinical problem solving based on an understanding of the basic biological, physical, and behavioral sciences; thus the integration of basic and clinical sciences is emphasized throughout the program. 

Our curriculum is delivered simultaneously with live instruction by faculty across all three campuses. To view our curriculum, visit our campus pages Chicago, Peoria and Rockford.

Scholarly Concentration Programs (SCP) have an application deadline of April 1, 2023.  If you missed the deadline please reach out to the individual program(s) to see if they are still accepting applications.  You can apply to more than one SCP but you can only participate in one.

The Scholarly Concentration Programs (SCP) are optional four-year specialized medical training pathways that provide educational  experiences in unique areas of medical practice.  They are open to all UI COM students and can be layered with other Co-Curricular programs.   They allow students to engage in experiences of their choosing that lead to multidisciplinary scholarship, research and community engagement. Scholarly Concentration Programs do not add time or cost to completing an MD degree and the required work is manageable and is scheduled around the requirements of the MD curriculum. These programs include Rural Medicine Education Program (RMED), Global Medicine Education Program (GMED), Urban Medicine (UMED), Innovation Medicine (IMED), Clinician Executive Medicine (CEMED) and Equity Innovation Medicine (EquiMED).

Overview

Joint degree programs enable UI College of Medicine students to simultaneously earn an MD and a second degree.

Why do a joint degree? Joint degrees may help students to:

• Explore complementary interests that combine medicine and public health, science, business, or engineering
• Broaden professional competencies
• Foster an ability to participate in a wider multidisciplinary community
• Develop relationships with mentors across various disciplines
• Accelerate career success

UI College of Medicine offers the following joint degrees:

• 4-year integrated MD/MPH
• 5-year MD/MPH
• MD/MS in Clinical and Translational Science (MS-CTS)
• MD/MBA
• MD/MS in Bioengineering (MS-BIOE)

For all joint degrees, the MD portion of the training can be completed at any of the three UI College of Medicine campuses. For these programs, first year medical students (M1) are eligible to apply, and applications are not due until fall the M1 year. A joint degree admissions committee makes final decisions on acceptance.

4-year integrated MD/MPH

The MD/MPH program is available in partnership with UIC’s School of Public Health. The joint degree program is designed to prepare students for leadership at the interface of clinical medicine, public health, and preventive medicine. The American health care system needs leadership to facilitate collaboration in clinical services and public health to achieve optimal health status for the population. The joint degree will facilitate careers as high-level clinical health system administrators, consultants, and executives in public health. The 4-year program of study enables graduates to combine clinical knowledge and administrative skills and facilitate delivery of health care services in a wide variety of settings.

We invite you to learn more about the program.

Applicants to the MD/MPH program must:

• Apply to UI COM through the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS), and check the box expressing interest in the combined MD degree/graduate program
• Enroll in the summer prematriculation IPHS 500 seminar using the instructions found here
• During M1 year, apply to the UI College of Medicine joint degree program (application distributed during fall and spring terms)

Length of program: Full-time students may complete the degree in 4 years. A 5-year MD/MPH option (with a gap year take between M3 and M4 years of medical school) is also available.

MD/MS-CTS

The UI College of Medicine and the UIC School of Public Health offer a joint degree leading to the MD and MS in Clinical and Translational Science (MS-CTS) degrees. This joint degree is aimed at medical students interested in conducting research and transferring clinical skills from “bench to bedside,” “study to practice,” and “practice to policy,” and provides graduates with skills required to prepare them for careers as clinical researchers.

The program of study leading to the MD/MS-CTS joint degree is offered by the Health Policy and Administration Division within SPH. The MS degree is completed during a gap year taken between M3 and M4 years of medical school.

Click here for a full description of the MD/MS-CTS program.

Applicants to the MD/MS-CTS program must:

• Apply to UI COM through the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS), and check the box expressing interest in the combined MD degree/graduate program
• During M1-M3 years, apply to the UI College of Medicine joint degree program (application distributed during fall and spring terms), and apply to the UIC School of Public Health through the MS-CTS program

Length of program: Full-time students may complete the degree in 5 years.

MD/MBA

The UI College of Medicine sponsors an MD/MBA program that is offered in partnership with UIC’s Master of Business Administration program. Given the changing, highly competitive world of health care, there is a great demand by health care professionals—especially doctors—for business education. The MD/MBA is aimed at medical students interested in the business, financial, managerial, and operational aspects of healthcare, and prepares graduates to be highly competent physician leaders with proficiency in both medicine and management. Both the MD and the MBA degree are highly sought after, with many doctors returning to school to get the MBA. The joint degree program satisfies the demand by making both degrees attainable in 5 years. The MS degree is completed during a gap year taken between M3 and M4 years of medical school.

Click here for a more information about the UIC MBA program.

Applicants to the MD/MBA program must:

• Apply to UICOM through the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS), and check the box expressing interest in the combined MD degree/graduate program
• During M1-M3 years, apply to the UI College of Medicine joint degree program (application distributed during fall and spring terms), and apply to the UIC Business School through the MBA program at UIC

Length of Program: Full-time students may complete the degree in 5 years

MD/MS-BIOE

The MD/MS in Bioengineering program is available in partnership with UIC’s College of Engineering. By using engineering concepts and methods that apply modern technology to advance health care, this 5-year program will equip graduates with skills required to prepare them for careers as clinical researchers beyond those obtained in their MD program alone. The MS degree is completed during a gap year taken between M3 and M4 years of medical school.

Click here for more information about the biomedical engineering program.

Applicants to the MD/MS in Bioengineering program must:

• Apply to UICOM through the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS), and check the box expressing interest in the combined MD/graduate program
• During M1-M3 years, apply to the UI College of Medicine joint degree program (application distributed during fall and spring terms)