Medical Scientist Training Program

The Medical Scientist Training Program (M.D./PhD) is partially supported by a National Institutes of Health training grant and the Colleges of Medicine and Graduate Studies. The program is designed to facilitate the development of superior students into individuals who can provide the innovative leadership required by the medical sciences. The program provides the opportunity to obtain both the M.D. and Ph.D. degrees. Accordingly, the program seeks to integrate the best qualities of the medical and graduate programs to allow outstanding training in both clinical and research areas.The Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) Steering Committee consists of members drawn from both basic and clinical sciences departments. The program director and committee are responsible for the operation of the program. The primary purpose of such an administrative structure is to guide the students in the program toward the highest quality of intellectual curiosity and the attendant accomplishment of academic excellence.

Curriculum

The Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) is designed to be flexible, challenging and rewarding. The course of study is specially tailored to meet the particular needs and research interests of the individual student. The student's graduate advisory committee approves their curriculum design. The curriculum sequence is coordinated to include basic science and clinical rotations in medical school, plus graduate education and sufficient time to conduct a significant research project leading to the Ph.D.

Flex Preclerkship

The first 18 months of the program follow the newly implemented integrated flex medical curriculum. Students spend the summers before their first year familiarizing themselves with research laboratories at MUSC. The National Board Examination Step I is taken in early Spring of the second year. After completing the NBME Step I Exam, the students begin a second lab rotation.

Medicine: Year 3-4

Year 3 and year 4 are designed to provide clinical experiential learning in a variety of clinical settings including all of the core clinical disciplines in order to ensure competence and prepare graduates to begin residency. Ongoing assessment of curriculum effectiveness and student learning outcomes informs continuous quality improvement of our clinical education program. The year 3 curriculum is comprised of seven clinical core clerkships, consisting of eight weeks of internal medicine, and six weeks of obstetrics/gynecology, pediatrics, family medicine/rural, surgery, neurology and rehabilitation medicine and psychiatry. During the clerkships, emphasis is placed on the development of clinical, interpersonal, and professional competence. Students also choose two selectives (2 weeks each) which provide opportunities to experience various specialties in preparation for choosing a career path. All core clerkships are graded as honors/pass/no pass, and selectives are graded as pass/no pass. Students complete all of their 3rd year requirements at the major affiliated hospitals of the MUSC campus. In addition, all students are required to complete and pass the Clinical Competency Exam (CCX), and complete the longitudinal curriculum in ethics and geriatric medicine as part of the Fundamentals of Patient Care.

During the 4th year, students take a minimum of 32 weeks of rotations, a 3-week capstone course, Internship 101, and a longitudinal Fundamentals of Patient Care curriculum. Each student must complete the following three rotations on campus: a clinical externship, critical care, and an advanced medicine elective or an advanced surgical elective (an alternate institution may be approved for this rotation in special cases). The remaining five blocks are electives which can be taken at LCME-accredited medical schools or COM-approved sites throughout the state or country if approved. Year 4 rotations are graded as pass/no pass/honors; Internship 101 is graded as pass/no pass.

All of the courses in the required curriculum for the MD Degree must be passed in order to graduate. No grade point average is calculated and no class rank is produced.

Graduate Studies: Year 3+

After completing a second lab rotation, students may either take a third rotation or choose their lab and pursue graduate studies leading to a Ph.D. degree. During this period of time, students should complete all of the research and scientific work necessary for a dissertation. Research training leading to a Ph.D. degree can be pursued in the following departments or programs, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Cell Injury and Repair; Cell and Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics; Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences; Lipidomics; Microbiology and Immunology; Molecular and Cellular Biology and Pathobiology; Neurosciences; Pathology; Proteomics; Public Health Sciences; Regenerative Medicine and Cell Biology; and Structural Biology.

MSTP students take selected sections of the core curriculum offered to first year graduate students. These are both required sections and elective sections, the later chosen in consultation with the graduate coordinator and mentor. The courses cover broad topics dealing with professional development, techniques of rigorous experimental design, learning from the literature, entrepreneurship, responsible conduct of research, and principles of grant writing.

All Ph.D. requirements must be completed before the student can resume the third year of Medical School.

Translational Sciences Clinic

The goal of this requirement is for MSTP students to learn how to better integrate the basic sciences and their area of research interest with a meaningful clinical/translational experience. The students are expected to discuss the patient's problems from a literature/research perspective. They will work in a clinic, one-half day a week with an extramurally funded clinician-scientist who is chosen based on his/her demonstrated commitment to research. All MSTP students are required to register for two (2) semesters of this clinic. It is suggested that the student participate in the clinic during their second or third year of graduate school. The student receives 4 weeks of senior elective credit for the 2 semesters. The mentors for this elective could help the students with a potential clinical study that may evolve from their basic science project.

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

MDCOR711 Clinical Skills 1 3
MDCOR720 Foundations of Health 8
MDCOR722 Foundations of Disease 9
MDCOR725 Cardiovascular System 9
Semester Total 29

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

MDCOR712 Clinical Skills 2 3
MDCOR727 Respiratory/Renal Systems 7
MDCOR728 Gastrointestinal 9
MDCOR731 Reproductive/Endocrine System 8
IP711 IP Foundations and TeamSTEPPS 1
Semester Total 28

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

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)

MDCOR714 Clinical Skills 4 3
MDCOR739 Sensory and Motor Systems 13
MDCOR741 Special Senses and Cognition 8
MDCOR742 Behavioral and Geriatric Health 4.5
IP### IP Concentration Course 1
Semester Total 29.5

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

MDCOR750 USMLE Step 1 Board Review 2
CGS820 MSTP Seminar 0.5
###970 Research 13
Semester Total 15.5

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

###970 Research 15
Semester Total 15

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

CGS765 Proteins: Dynamic Structures & Functions 1
CGS766 Genes: Inheritance/Expression 2
CGS767 Cells: Organization/Communication 2
CGS768 Techniques & Experimental Design 2
###970 Research 8
Semester Total 15

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

CGS770 Principles Practices & Prof 2
CGS772 Learning from the Literature 2
###970 Research 11
Semester Total 15

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

CGS764 Science Writing as Persuasion 1
###970 Research 14
Semester Total 15

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

###970 Research 10
Any additional department specific requirements
Semester Total 15+

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

###970 Research 15
Any additional department specific requirements
Semester Total 15+

Year 4, Summer

###970 Research 15
Any additional department specific requirements
Semester Total 15+

Year 5, Fall A (8/18/25-12/19/25)

###970 Research 15
Any additional department specific requirements
Semester Total 15+

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

###970 Research 15
Any additional department specific requirements
Semester Total 15+

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

###970 Research 15
Any additional department specific requirements
Semester Total 15+

Year 6, Fall A (8/18/25-12/19/25)

###970 Research 15
Any additional department specific requirements
Semester Total 15+

Year 6, Spring (1/5/26-5/1/26)

###970 Research 15
Any additional department specific requirements
Semester Total 15+

Year 6, Summer A, Trailer (5/4/26-8/14/26)

MDCOR866 Transition to Clinical Medicine 1
CLRK Clerkship* (6-week) 6
CLRK Clerkship* (6-week) 6
CLRK Clerkship* (6-week) 6
CLRK Clerkship* (6-week) 6
Semester Total 25

Year 7, Fall A A (8/18/25-12/19/25)

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

Year 7, Spring (1/5/26-5/1/26)

MDCOR854 Ethics in Clinical Care 3B 1
MDCOR873 Geriatric Medicine 3B 0.5
CLRK Clerkship* (6-week) 8
CLRK Clerkship* (6-week) 8
CLRK Clerkship* (6-week) 8
Semester Total 25.5

Year 7, Summer A, Trailer (5/4/26-8/14/26)

MDCOR865 Clinical Competency Exam 3 1
ELEC Critical Care Elective (4-week) 5
XTRN Externship (4-week) 5
Semester Total 11

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

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

Year 8, Spring (1/5/26-5/1/26)

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 415.5+