The Sackler School, in conjunction with the Tufts University School of Medicine, offers the opportunity for qualified individuals to pursue a combined MD/PhD degree. Our MD/PhD training is funded by a Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) grant from the National Institutes of Health. Training for the MD degree is based in the School of Medicine. MSTP trainees complete their PhD in one of the eight Basic Science Division PhD programs.
The Tufts MSTP is designed for students who want to pursue careers that bring together biomedical research and clinical medicine. Students receive rigorous scientific training in addition to full academic and clinical training in the practice of medicine. Our program enables students to bridge the disparate cultures of scientific investigation and clinical practice and seeks to integrate these aspects throughout training. Our MD/PhD program integrates medical and research training across all years of the program, thereby accelerating a student's progress to degree.
Students can complete the training in seven years, although some students take a longer time to fulfill the requirements. Both degrees are granted simultaneously at the end of the final clinical year. Application for the MD/PhD program is coordinated with the School of Medicine and uses the AMCAS application. Please refer to the time line for admissions on the School of Medicine web site.
The MD/PhD program also offers Second Portal Admissions to medical students enrolled at Tufts University School of Medicine. Students apply early in the spring semester of the second year of medical school and enter the MD/PhD program after completion of Step I of the USMLE.
