Doctor of Medicine

The Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) program at MUSC prepares students for careers in medicine through a comprehensive, integrated curriculum that combines foundational biomedical sciences with progressive clinical training and supervised patient care. The four year residential program begins with two years of pre clerkship education that emphasizes core scientific principles, clinical reasoning, and early patient engagement. Students then transition into a year of core clinical clerkships across major disciplines, followed by a final year of advanced clinical experiences and electives that allow for deeper exploration of specialty interests and preparation for residency. A select accelerated three year pathway is available for qualified students who commit to participating MUSC residency programs. Throughout the curriculum, instruction and assessment align with clearly defined learning objectives designed to develop physicians who demonstrate clinical competence, ethical judgment, professionalism, and a commitment to improving the health of the communities they serve.

FLEX Curriculum

All courses within the M.D. Degree's required curriculum must be passed to graduate. The program doesn't calculate grade point averages or produce class ranks.

Phases

Pre-clerkship Phase: This phase is structured in organ system blocks. It seamlessly integrates learning about both normal and abnormal conditions, effectively covering the spectrum of human health and disease using engaged learning formats. During this phase, learners participate in early clinical experiences with real patients and in simulation settings, promoting the application of basic science concepts in each block.
FLEX Phase: Learners select a scholarly concentration aligning with their educational needs, professional interests, and career goals. Options for concentration pathways include research, humanities, global health, and medical education. Alternatively, eligible students may choose an accelerated parallel pathway for earlier graduation, which then leads to a residency position at MUSC.
Immersion Phase (Year 3): This phase consists of seven core clinical clerkships: family medicine, internal medicine, neurology and rehabilitation medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, psychiatry, and surgery. In addition, students select two specialties for further immersion.
Enrichment Phase (Year 4): This phase features required advanced clinical rotations. This includes critical care, emergency medicine, an acting internship (externship), a diverse range of electives, and the "Internship 101" capstone course. The intention of this phase is to prepare learners for the increased responsibilities they will encounter in their chosen specialties.

Year 1, Fall A (8/18/25-12/19/25)

Course ID	Course Title	Credits
MDCOR711	Clinical Skills 1	3
MDCOR720	Foundations of Health	8
MDCOR722	Foundations of Disease	9
MDCOR725	Cardiovascular System	9
IP711	IP Foundations and TeamSTEPPS	1
Semester Total		30

Year 1, Spring (1/5/26-5/1/26)

Course ID	Course Title	Credits
MDCOR712	Clinical Skills 2	3
MDCOR727	Respiratory/Renal Systems	7
MDCOR728	Gastrointestinal	9
MDCOR731	Reproductive/Endocrine System	8
IP###	IP Concentration Course	1
Semester Total		28

Year 1, Summer A, Trailer (5/4/26-8/14/26)

Course ID	Course Title	Credits
MDCOR713	Clinical Skills 3	3
MDCOR733	Women and Pediatric Health	5
MDCOR735	Ethics and Biostatistics	3.5
MDCOR736	Autoimmunity and Hematology	5
Semester Total		16.5

Year 2, Fall A (8/18/25-12/19/25)

Course ID	Course Title	Credits
MDCOR714	Clinical Skills 4	3
MDCOR739	Sensory and Motor Systems	13
MDCOR741	Special Senses and Cognition	8
MDCOR742	Behavioral and Geriatric Health	4.5
Semester Total		28.5

Year 2, Spring (1/5/26-5/1/26)

Choose one of the concentrations.

Course ID	Course Title	Credits
MDCOR750	USMLE Step 1 Board Review	2
MDCOR866	Transition to Clinical Medicine	1
Global Health Concentration
MDCOR764	FLEX Scholarly Concentration-Global Health	5.5
MDCOR766	FLEX2 Scholarly Concentration-Global Health	5.5
Health Humanities Concentration
MDCOR760	FLEX Scholarly Concentration-Health Humanities	5.5
MDCOR762	FLEX2 Scholarly Concentration-Health Humanities	5.5
Physician as a Teacher Concentration
MDCOR768	FLEX Scholarly Concentration-Physician as Teacher	5.5
MDCOR770	FLEX2 Scholarly Concentration-Physician as Teacher	5.5
Research Concentration
MDCOR772	FLEX Scholarly Concentration-Research	5.5
MDCOR774	FLEX2 Scholarly Concentration-Research	5.5
Semester Total		14

Year 2, Summer A, Trailer (5/4/26-8/14/26)

Course ID	Course Title	Credits
CLRK	Clerkship* (6-weeks)	8
CLRK	Clerkship* (6-weeks)	8
CLRK	Clerkship* (6-weeks)	8
Semester Total		24

Year 3, Fall A (8/18/25-12/19/25)

Course ID	Course Title	Credits
MDCOR853	Ethics in Clinical Care 3A	1
MDCOR835	Topics in Clinical Medicine	1
MDCOR872	Geriatric Medicine 3A	0.5
CLRK	Clerkship* (8-week)	10
SLCT	Selective (2-week)	2.5
SLCT	Selective (2-weeks)	2.5
Semester Total		17.5

Year 3, Spring (1/5/26-5/1/26)

Course ID	Course Title	Credits
MDCOR854	Ethics in Clinical Care 3B	1
MDCOR873	Geriatric Medicine 3B	0.5
CLRK	Clerkship* (6-weeks)	8
CLRK	Clerkship* (6-weeks)	8
CLRK	Clerkship* (6-weeks)	8
Semester Total		25.5

Year 3, Summer A, Trailer (5/4/26-8/14/26)

Course ID	Course Title	Credits
MDCOR865	Clinical Competency Exam 3	1
ELEC	Critical Care Elective (4-weeks)	5
XTRN	Externship (4-weeks)	5
Semester Total		11

Year 4, Fall A (8/18/25-12/19/25)

Course ID	Course Title	Credits
MDCOR859	Ethics in Clinical Care 4A	1
EMED822	Essentials of Emergency Medicine	2.5
ELEC	Electives (12-weeks)	15
Semester Total		18.5

Year 4, Spring (1/5/26-5/1/26)

Course ID	Course Title	Credits
MDCOR626	Internship 101	2.5
MDCOR862	Ethics in Clinical Care 4B	1
MDCOR874	Geriatric Medicine 4	1
ELEC	Electives (12-weeks)	15
Semester Total		19.5
Curriculum Total		233

* All third year students are required to take seven clerkships in the following disciplines. These clerkships may be completed in any sequence over Summer, Fall and Spring of the third year.

Family Medicine
Internal Medicine
Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine
OB/GYN
Pediatrics
Psychiatry
Surgery