Medical Scientist Training Program MD/PhD

Degree Requirements

The following requirements are in addition to, or further elaborate upon, those requirements outlined in The Graduate School Policy Guide.

MD/PhD

MD Coursework Requirements

Students must meet coursework and clerkship requirements of Feinberg. MSTP students may receive 12 weeks of credit towards the MD elective requirements from their PhD dissertation research.

PhD Coursework Requirements

The PhD degree requirements of the graduate program in which the student is enrolled (Driskill Graduate Program in Life Sciences, Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences Program, Northwestern University Interdepartmental Neuroscience PhD Program, Biomedical Engineering Program, Department of Chemistry, Department of Material Science and Engineering, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, and other academic departments as applicable), generally involving three or more years of research training and dissertation preparation, must be met. MSTP students are required to take at least three to nine graduate-level courses for a grade during their enrollment in The Graduate School depending on the program the student has joined.

Other MD/PhD Degree Requirements

  • Examinations: graduate qualifying examinations for admission to candidacy
  • Research/Projects: thesis research
  • PhD Dissertation: original, independent research presented in a defensible thesis of high quality
  • Final Evaluations: defense of dissertation
  • Publish: a minimum of one first-authored peer-reviewed research article
  • Other: regular participation in MSTP Colleges Curriculum and MSTP Grand Rounds in all years; teaching assignment required by PhD programs