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| Feinberg School > Medical Scientist Training Program> Course of Study | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Some MSTP students choose this "1 + 3" schedule:
Considerable flexibility is built into the program, as students choose among six life science doctoral programs available throughout the university (see below) and a range of research and clinical electives. MSTP students at Northwestern meet M.D. requirements for the Feinberg School of Medicine and Ph.D. requirements for the Graduate School in less time than if the degrees were pursued separately because they receive credit toward both degrees for some courses. To ensure that MSTP students receive maximal benefit from their combined degree studies, MSTP students receive 3 months of elective credit in the fourth year of medical school. Since the Graduate School awards credit for the first two years of medical school, MSTP students also receive credit for 6 quarters in the graduate school curriculum. This enables MSTP students to complete the remaining advanced graduate school courses and pass the qualifying examination for admission to candidacy at the end of the first year in graduate school. PhD Research OptionsStudents can pursue their Ph.D .degree in any of the following graduate programs at either the Chicago campus or the Evanston campus: biology, biochemistry, biomedical engineering, cell biology, chemistry, chemical and biological engineering, genetics, molecular biology, immunology, microbiology, neuroscience, pharmacology, and physiology.
Northwestern University has three interdisciplinary Ph.D. programs in the life sciences to prepare students in the fundamentals of cellular, molecular, and structural biology, one at each campus. The Integrated Graduate Program (IGP) is the interdisciplinary program in life sciences based at the Chicago campus where the medical school is located. The IGP eliminates traditional boundaries associated with department, program, and center affiliations and features faculty in basic science and clinical departments at the Feinberg School of Medicine and at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Children's Hospital, and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. The Interdepartmental Biological Science Program (IBiS) is the interdisciplinary program in life sciences based at the Evanston campus. The IBiS program also eliminates traditional boundaries associated with department, program, and center affiliations and features faculty in basic science and clinical departments at the Evanston campus and at Evanston Northwestern Healthcare. The Northwestern University Indepartmental Neuroscience (NUIN) Program is an interdisciplinary neuroscience program at both the Chicago and Evanston campuses and provides training in the entire range of neuroscience research. Northwestern University also offers three department-based Ph.D. programs for MSTP students - Biomedical Engineering, Chemical and Biological Engineering, and Chemistry. The Biomedical Engineering (BME) Program integrates the physical sciences and engineering with the study of biology and medicine. The BME program admits students with or without an engineering background and offers research opportunities that cross disciplinary boundaries in biomedical engineering, nanotechnology, and biology. The Chemical and Biological Engineering Department (ChBE) integrates chemistry and biology with engineering. Like the BME program, the ChBE program admits students with or without an engineering background and offers research opportunities that cross disciplinary boundaries in chemistry, chemical engineering, nanotechnology, and biology. The Chemistry Department provides a common ground for interdisciplinary research in biology and chemistry and offers research opportunities that cross disciplinary boundaries, e.g., medicinal chemistry, drug dicsovery, chemical biology, molecular imaging, and nanotechnology. AdvisingOne of the strengths of the MSTP at Northwestern is the emphasis on advising students throughout all eight years of training. Led and coordinated by the MSTP Director, Dr. David Engman(click here for a message from our Director), and the MSTP Associate Director, Dr. Sandra Lee, throughout all eight years, students are also advised by many faculty appropriate for the different phases of training. Prior to matriculation, the Director and Associate Director advise entering students on their choice of a preceptor for a pre-matriculation lab rotation, based on their research interests. Students complete research rotations in the summer before the first (optional) and second years in the program. The dual purposes of these rotations are to provide students opportunities to explore particular research areas, thesis advisers, and research environments and to afford faculty an opportunity to mentor and evaluate students. Throughout the first and second years of medical school, MSTP students are formally advised by a research faculty member appointed as the MSTP Class Advisor and by the MSTP Director and Associate Director and informally by faculty participating in the weekly MSTP Journal Club. During their Ph.D. research, MSTP students are advised by both their Ph.D. thesis adviser and Thesis Committee. Upon returning to medical school, MSTP students are also advised by clinical and research faculty members appropriate for the student's choice of residency training and research interests. Special ProgramsSeveral ongoing programs bring together MSTP students in all years of training to increase their cohesiveness and camaraderie.In their first two years, students typically complete the preclinical curriculum of medical school and two courses for MSTP students. Topics in Molecular and Translational Medicine is a weekly journal club led by research faculty from diverse fields of life sciences and engineering research. First year students meet on Wednesdays throughout the first year of medical school and second year students meet on Thursdays throughout the second year of medical school. Throughout all eight years, students participate every 3rd or 4th Wednesday night in a third course for MSTP students - MSTP Grand Rounds. This is a combined clinical and translational research conference co-led by a senior MSTP student (3rd or 4th year medical student) who presents a clinical case study and by a junior MSTP student (graduate phase student) who leads provides an overview of recent clinical and translational research relevant to the clinical case. The Women's Forum provides an opportunity for women in the Program to gather twice a year to discuss the particular challenges they will face balancing family life and career. The goal is to introduce physician-scientists who are role models for successful careers. The Annual Student-Faculty Retreat provides an opportunity for all MSTP students, their thesis advisers and class advisers to share their research findings and discuss career development with faculty and alumni speakers. Round Table Discussions also are held twice a year during which students select topics for discussion with the Director and with faculty panels. Among the annual events are the Graduate Reception during Senior Week in May honoring this year's MSTP graduates, the Class Advisers-Student Chinatown dinner, and the Annual Student-Faculty Retreat, held either in summer or autumn.
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