This is always a fun question to answer when people in my life ask me what degree program I’m in (or how far I’m in it… or how long I have left). So let’s break it down!

In a nutshell

As the name implies, the MD-PhD program is a program where you get both an MD degree, and a PhD degree. Typically, it can take anywhere from 6 or 7 years to upwards of a decade to complete (I believe the average is around 7.5-8 years).

MD-PhD graduates end up in wide spectrum of careers (though many stay in academia and pursue research-focused careers), from industry to research, and I personally think it’s a path that has a lot of flexibility and opportunities!

The Timeline

How individual programs are structured varies from program to program, so I will just speak on my program specifically. I will say that my program’s structure isn’t unique (and is in fact, quite common), and I think it gives a good idea of what an average program structure might look like.

The MD Years Part 1 (years 1 & 2)

Most MD-PhD programs start with the MD portion, where you are basically a “normal” medical student. There are very few things that set you apart from the MD-degree folks (other than the fact that sometimes, you might end up having an extra class or an extra noon conference or something) during these first two years.

At my program, the first 1.5 years is what we call the “preclinical” years–a time when you basically sit in lecture and learn about medicine. It’s not dissimilar to what undergrad feels like!

After the first 1.5 years, the MD-PhD students start “moving away” a little bit from what the MD-degree students are doing. This part may be a little bit institution-specific, but at my program, the MD-PhD students spend the second half of their second year doing two clinical rotations (takes about 12 weeks) and taking STEP 1 (can be in any order, and the rotations can be in anything–we got to pick!). The MD-degree students start clinical rotations right after preclinicals, and they do clinical rotations for a full year. They also take STEP 1 after their clinical rotations (though again, this varies by school–some schools have their students take STEP 1 before clinical year, some after).

Throughout this period of time in the first two years, the MD-PhD students also get opportunities to rotate in different PhD labs (this usually takes place during the summer before or after M1) before they make a decision on the lab they will join.

The PhD Years (years 3-?)

This is when you do research!

Typically this can take anywhere from 3 years (probably the shortest the PhD can take–it’s also pretty unlikely you do it that fast) to 6 or 7 years (this would be quite long). I would say that the average time an MD-PhD student spend in the PhD phase is around 4-5.

Why is this a shorter time than a “normal” (not dual degree) PhD? It’s partially because a lot of times, the MD coursework that is done in the first two years “counts” towards the degree progress for the PhD.

You defend your thesis at the end of this phase and you will officially be an (academic!) doctor.

The MD Years Part 2 (the last 1.5 years)

And the hard part is the return to med school.

I’ll be honest and say that I haven’t thought too much about this phase since I had just finished the first MD-phase, so I do not know the nitty gritty of what these last 1.5 years look like–however, a huge part of this is finishing the core clinical rotations, taking STEP 2, and applying to residency.

Conclusion

And that’s it! (at least, an explanation of how my specific program works). Again, there are some variations in program structure, but in general the PhD is sandwiched between the two parts of the MD degree. Hope this clarifies what the MD-PhD degree program might look like!