General Information | The Program | Requirements | Courses | PDF File

Admission Requirements and Professional Curriculum. Detailed information can be obtained from the School of Medicine. See also School of Medicine.

Courses in the School of Medicine

Curriculum for the School of Medicine

The curriculum for the M.D. degree at the UC Davis School of Medicine is a four-year program providing comprehensive preparation for graduate medical training (internships and residencies) and the practice of medicine. It offers a blend of basic science training and clinical experience with opportunities for research. The first-year program is for three quarters, beginning in the fall. Basic science courses (anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, histology, endocrinology, neurosciences, immunology, genetics, reproduction, general pathology) provide a firm foundation in normal structure and function needed for further study of pathophysiology of disease in the second year. These courses also provide abundant clinical correlation to help students appreciate the contribution of these sciences to the care of patients. Doctoring 1, the first course in the three-year Doctoring series, begins in fall quarter and runs parallel to the basic science courses. Students are introduced to the art and science of communicating with patients, physical diagnosis, and clinical problem solving through a combination of longitudinal small group experiences and preceptorships. Didactic sessions and cases are designed to help students integrate the basic and clinical sciences, and appreciate the central role of psychosocial, cultural and ethical perspectives in patient care.

The second-year program is for four quarters, but with the Summer Quarter abbreviated to six weeks. The applied basic sciences (microbiology, pharmacology, and systemic pathology) are integrated with the study of the pathophysiological basis of disease (dermatology, oncology, hematology, endocrinology, orthopedics, cardiology, pulmonary, psychiatry, neurology, nephrology, nutrition, gastroenterology). The Doctoring program continues with a combination of longitudinal small groups, didactic presentations, clinical rotations, apprenticeships, and preceptorships. Major themes of the program include intermediate-level instruction in patient evaluation and physical diagnosis, clinical reasoning, biostatistics and epidemiology, human sexuality, geriatrics, and medical ethics, and critical review of the biomedical literature.

The third-year program includes six required clerkship rotations in the clinical specialties: eight weeks each of surgery, medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, pediatrics, ambulatory medicine (jointly administered by Family Practice and Internal Medicine) and psychiatry. Students may elect to defer one of the required clerkships to the fourth year. The third year Doctoring program consists of longitudinal small groups led by faculty members who remain with their group throughout the year as the students rotate through their clerkships. Doctoring 3 themes include advanced interviewing techniques, clinical reasoning, clinical epidemiology, evidence-based medicine, and ethics/jurisprudence.

The fourth year features built-in flexibility to allow students to begin to individualize their medical careers. All students are required to select 32 weeks of learning activities. Individual student programs are designed under the guidance of faculty advisors, and each student's fourth year program must be approved by a faculty oversight committee to ensure appropriate breadth and depth. The fourth-year curriculum also provides 12 weeks of undesignated time.

To satisfy the M.D. degree program, the student must successfully complete the required course work, clerkships, and fourth year elective program. Students who enter the program with advanced training in one of the areas required for the program are permitted to substitute required courses with electives of equal credit. In addition to the fourth-year elective program available, there is the opportunity for students to select from a variety of electives during the first two years. Examples include electives in medical economics, history of ethics and medicine, medical Spanish, insights in clinical research. Most students also participate in one of several student-run, community clinics for elective credit during their first and second years.

Coordination with other Advanced Degree Programs

The curriculum for the M.D. degree provides flexibility and encourages coordination with other advanced degree programs (Ph.D., M.S., M.A., M.B.A., and M.P.H.). These programs offer a wide breadth of study areas and draw upon the considerable expertise of the entire campus faculty. In addition, the UC Berkeley School of Public Health offers an M.P.H. program in conjunction with the M.D. program. The School of Medicine's department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine also offers a M.P.H. This program is restricted to professional students in the Schools of Veterinary Medicine and Medicine, health professionals and State Health Department employees.

School of Medicine administrators enthusiastically support students interested in pursuing advanced degree programs. The dual-degree program for the M.D./Ph.D. is targeted to train physicians to meet, respond to and solve the broad diversity of problems and dilemmas facing current and future health care. Students are encouraged to seek degrees in any of the campuswide Ph.D. programs, including those in social sciences and humanities. The UC Davis School of Medicine awards competitive fellowships each year to students enrolled in the M.D./Ph.D. program.