Curriculum

Educational Objectives

Since accepting its first class in 1970, the primary responsibility of the School of Medicine is to provide today's students with an accessible, comprehensive and personally rewarding medical education of the highest quality and one which optimally prepares them to excel as tomorrow's physicians; caring, competent, productive and self-fulfilled in their chosen career serving a diversity of patients, communities and the health sciences. The school is committed to training in the full range of medical disciplines, with emphasis on practice in the primary care specialties, in the public sector and in underserved areas of Massachusetts. The School of Medicine is one of 14 centers in the nation to have been awarded the prestigious Robert Wood Johnson Generalist Physician Initiative grant, supporting training in the primary care disciplines.

The educational mission is enhanced by accredited residency and fellowship programs, some 100 continuing education programs for the region's health care professionals, cooperative degree programs with area colleges and universities, and community-based education programs emphasizing ambulatory care and the needs of underserved communities and populations.

Program Timeline

Medical School Year One  
Fall and Spring Semesters First-year Medical School Curriculum, Tutorials in Biomedical Sciences*
Summer Laboratory Research Rotation, Scientific Writing
Medical School Year Two  
Fall and Spring Semesters Second-year Medical School Curriculum, Tutorials in Biomedical Science*
Summer Laboratory Research Rotation, Complete National Medical Boards, Step 1, Select adviser for PHD thesis research
Graduate School Year One  
Fall Pre-qualifying thesis research, Responsible Conduct of Science, Advanced Topics coursework as required by Thesis Advisor and Program, Tutorial in Clinical Skills**
Spring Pre-qualifying thesis research, Advanced Topics coursework as required by Thesis Advisor and Program,  Select Qualifying Exam Committee, Complete Qualifying Exam, Tutorial in Clinical Skills**
Graduate Years Two, Three, and Four  
Fall, Spring and Summer Semesters Thesis Research, Bi-Annual TRAC Meetings, Complete Teaching Requirements, Attend and present at National Meetings, Publish in scientific journals, Appointment of Dissertation Defense Committee, Complete Thesis Dissertation, Public oral defense of thesis research, Exam of written thesis by thesis dissertation committee, Tutorial in Clinical Skills**
Medical School Years Three and Four  
Fall, Spring, and Summer Semesters Third and Fourth Year Medical School Clinical Rotations

* Tutorial in Biomedical Sciences - 1st and 2nd year MD/PhD students will enroll in the "tutorial" course each academic semester. The goal of the tutorial is to expose students to different research fields and to our GSBS faculty during their pre-clinical education. This experience will also help them select the laboratory to perform their thesis work. The tutorial consists of an hour each week (or every other week depending on their schedule), and may consist of attending lab meeting or journal club, or discussing a topic or a paper with the faculty on an individual basis.  Bench research is not to be performed and is confined to summer lab rotations. A student may select a tutorial mentor for a summer rotation; however, this is not required.

**Tutorial in Clinical Skills - The PhD/MD program stresses the importance of clinical involvement throughout the graduate years.  The goal of this course is to provide students with a continuous link to clinical skills and to familiarize students with different clinical settings.  Sessions should reinforce clinical skills learned from the first two years of the medical curriculum.  The students will engage in clinical experiences for a minimum 10 hours per semester.  The students can round with physicians on the ward services, attend an outpatient clinic, or participate in supervised freestanding clinics in the local area.