Research Option & Joint Degree Programs
Research Track Option
The College of Medicine offers a research track option within the medical school curriculum. Students who take this option will have the opportunity to perform an extended research project with a faculty mentor, take a number of research-related courses, graduate with a Certificate of Special Competence in Research, and receive their degree with a designation of Honors in Research. The research option has enough built-in flexibility so that students may extend their research into a Master's or Ph.D. degree. An outline of the research track is shown below. Students may contact Dr. Colin Sumners (352-392-4485 or csumners@ufl.edu) for further information.
Research Track Outline:
Essential Components of the Primary Research Option:
- Year 1-Students select mentors, subject to the approval of the Oversight Committee. Students perform 10 weeks of research during the summer following Year 1 and take a course in "Ethical Issues in Research." Funding is available for stipends on a competitive basis.
- Year 2-Students take the USMLE Step 1 Examination at the conclusion of the second year.
- Year 3 (mid-June - August)-Students defer their first clinical clerkship to year 4. They perform 10 weeks of research and take courses in "Biostatistics" and the "Science of Clinical Research."
- Year 4 (Feb-April)-Students complete the deferred clerkship, perform 8 weeks of research, and write a manuscript during Independent Study time.
- The student's final research report or publishable manuscript is reviewed by the Oversight Committee.
- The student will graduate with a Certificate of Special Competence in Research and will receive his/her degree with a designation of Honors in Research.
Secondary Options:
- Beginning with Year 3, the student may perform a year of research (intra-or extramural) and take research-related courses. Following this interval, students resume the regular Year 3 and 4 medical curriculum and have further formal research experiences during medical school.
- Students may extend the above year of research into a Master’s or Ph.D. degree.
- Junior Honors students who plan to enter this track may opt to perform research in the summer prior to entry to medical school. However, this experience will not count toward the research track requirement.
- Students may still perform research without going through the above track and can be eligible for graduation with Honors in Research. However, they will not receive a Certificate of Special Competence in Research.
Requirements for Graduation with a Certificate of Special Competence in Research and with Honors in Research:
- The student must perform at least 28 weeks of research and complete three research-related courses.
- There must be continuity in the research, and it should be performed with a single mentor or co-mentors.*
- The student must write a progress report following Year 1 and Year 3.
- The student must produce a manuscript ready for submission to a respected peer review journal in the field of research study.
M.D./ J.D. Joint Degree Program
The faculties of the College of Law and the College of Medicine have approved a joint educational program culminating in both a Juris Doctor degree, awarded by the College of Law, and a Doctor of Medicine degree, awarded by the College of Medicine. Under the joint degree program, a student can obtain both degrees in approximately one year less (6 years) than it would take to obtain both degrees if pursued consecutively (6 rather than 7 years). Essential criteria for the joint degree program include:
- Candidates for the program must meet the entrance requirements for, and be accepted by, both Colleges. Both Colleges must be informed by the student at the time of application to the second program that he/she intends to pursue the joint degree program.
- The joint degree program is not open to students who have already earned the other degree.
- Admission to the second program is required no later than the end of the third year of medical school or the second year of law school.
- A student must satisfy the curriculum requirements for each degree before either degree is awarded. The College of Medicine will allow 12 credit hours of appropriate law courses to be counted toward both the M.D. and J.D. degrees. Reciprocally, law students may receive credit for up to 12 semester hours for courses taken in the College of Medicine.
M.D./M.S.M. and M.D./M.B.A Joint Degree Programs
The College of Business Administration and the College of Medicine have approved a joint business/medical degree program. Under this program, M.D. candidates may take a year off from their medical studies to complete the Master of Science in Management Degree (M.S.M.) in the College of Business Administration. This course of study may be taken after the first, second, or third year of medical school, although the ideal time is after the second year. Students in the M.D./M.S.M. joint degree program could, after completion of the one year of business courses, also take additional courses required for the M.B.A. These courses would be in place of three College of Medicine electives. If they choose not to take the additional M.B.A. courses, they would be awarded an M.D., M.S.M. upon completion of medical school. If they complete the additional business courses specified by the College of Business, they would be awarded an M.D./M.B.A. The College of Business administration has agreed to waive the two years’ work experience requirement and also the GMAT examination for M.D. candidates who wish to enroll in the M.D./M.S.M. or the M.D./M.B.A.
Location: http://medinfo.ufl.edu/oea/osa/cat-research_option.shtml