FAQs and Student Resources

When applying to the M.D./Ph.D. program, the process may be initiated by choosing the appropriate box on the AMCAS application for Saint Louis University School of Medicine and indicating interest in the M.D./Ph.D. Program.

The deadline for the AMCAS submission is Nov. 30.

Currently, we do not interview international students for funded positions. However, we will consider any qualifying international student wishing to join our program as an unfunded trainee.

The M.D./Ph.D. admissions committee places emphasis on research experience and commitment, as well as on the qualities important to becoming a caring and committed physician. Letters of recommendation --- particularly from research mentors --- play a crucial role in the decision process. 

The M.D./Ph.D. interview process is in two parts.

In December, the admissions committee will interview selected applicants virtually for approximately 30 minutes. The interview will involve a short introduction by candidates and standardized questions asked by committee members.

In January, selected applicants will be invited for in-person interviews. Applicants make a brief presentation of their research experience(s) to the admissions committee. These informal presentations may last 20 to 25 minutes, including time for questions by faculty. Applicants also meet privately with current trainees and at least three potential Ph.D. mentors of their choice. 

Yes. You will be invited for an in-person visit to St. Louis to give you a more in-depth perspective of the program. You will find housing, explore campus life and meet with potential Ph.D. mentors to decide on your summer rotation.

Yes, if you are selected as a fully funded trainee. Those fully funded students who matriculate into the M.D./Ph.D. program receive a stipend and full tuition during all years of the program, assuming satisfactory progress and adherence to program requirements.

When you receive an admissions offer from the M.D./Ph.D. program, you are guaranteed admission to both the M.D. and Ph.D. programs. However, if the M.D./Ph.D. admissions committee declines your application, you will still be considered separately for admission to the medical school M.D. program.

Our M.D./Ph.D. program adheres to the AAMC Traffic Rules regarding admissions policies.  Every student offered admission to our program is given at least two weeks or until May 1 of the application year to make a final decision.

Our program begins in mid-June, and there are no exceptions. The first summer is important, as it allows you to do a rotation in the lab of your choice. The rotation gives you a better understanding of the kind of research and collegial environment in that lab and whether it might be a good fit for your Ph.D. studies.

In addition, we also engage you in activities to meet and socially interact with other students in the program during this first summer before the start of medical school classes. 

Our program follows a 1.5 - 4 - 2.5 track. You'll have 1.5 years of preclinical medical education followed by three to four years of graduate school study (toward a Ph.D.) and 2.5 years of medical school clinical training (toward an M.D.). 

Most students do two laboratory rotations (one in the summer before the first year of medical school, and one in the summer between the first and second year of medical school). Laboratory rotations are critical in selecting the final lab for the Ph.D. work.

Students are required to complete an ungraded transitional clerkship that facilitates the transition to clinical training. The course provides instruction in history-taking and physical exam skills, and it places students in inpatient and outpatient settings where clinical evaluation and diagnostic skills can be utilized in real-world situations. 

There are no longer national statistics kept on the match program that indicate what percentage of students match to their top choices. However, when the residency matching program did provide data, it indicated that more than 90% of our students matched to their top three choices. Our students match in the country's most competitive medical specialties and residency training programs. For a list of our students' specialties and training program placements, visit our M.D./Ph.D. program alumni page. 

The Jesuit tradition sees the patient as a complete human being rather than a disease process, and the physician's role is as an altruistic healer who considers such factors as the patient’s work, family and spirituality when providing care. For more than 20 years, our curriculum has included such required courses as Health Care Ethics and Communication Skills. 

Contact us at nicole.clark@health.slu.edu or jane.mchowat@health.slu.edu