Medical Scholars Program

MD/JD Information

The MD/JD joint degree option is offered through the Medical Scholars Program (MSP) and is jointly sponsored by the College of Law at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Urbana-Champaign. All medical and legal training takes place on the Urbana-Champaign campus. Students enrolled in this innovative program will earn the Juris Doctor of Law (JD) degree and the Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree. MD/JD students plan to pursue a variety of careers, especially in academic medicine and/or law, and in the public policy, governmental regulation, and health care administration arenas.

Eligibility

The MD/JD program is open to students who have completed an accredited bachelor's degree and who meet the admission criteria of the College of Law, the College of Medicine, and the Medical Scholars Program. This joint degree program is available only to U.S. citizens and permanent residents.

Sequencing of Studies

Students enrolled in the MD/JD program take an average of six years, including summers, to complete both degrees, compared to the usual seven years if the two curricula are taken sequentially. The first year of the program requires the completion of the first year law curriculum. Thereafter, decisions concerning the sequencing of the program are made by the individual student and his/her faculty advisors from the Colleges of Law and Medicine. MD/JD students are required to be registered full-time in and pay tuition to Law for at least five semesters. See College of Law requirements below. MD/JD students typically choose one of the following two options for sequencing their studies:

Sequencing Option #1:

College of Law Requirements

The College of Law will grant up to one semester of credit earned in the College of Medicine as fulfillment of credit toward the J.D. degree; i.e., a student may receive up to 16 hours of credit toward the law degree for work completed toward the medical degree. All of the remaining 74 hours of credit requirements for the law degree must be completed in the College of Law. (Note that for students in the MD/JD program this replaces the option granted other law students to fulfill six hours of required credits with courses in other departments.)

Students are eligible to receive the J.D. degree upon completion of 74 credit hours in the College of Law at the grade level required of all law students, provided that at least three years of work toward the medical degree, at a grade level acceptable to the College of Medicine, has been completed, and that the remaining work toward the medical degree will be completed, and the M.D. degree obtained, within not more than one year from the date of conferral of the J.D. degree. The registrar of the College of Law will require certification of the satisfaction of the above conditions as they relate to the student's work in the College of Medicine.

As part of the required minimum of 74 hours of law school credit, students enrolled in the combined MD/JD degree program must complete all of the courses required of all law students. Currently this includes: the first year law curriculum, the course in Professional Responsibility, and satisfaction of the upper-level writing requirement. All academic regulations of the College of Law apply equally to students in the combined degree program.

MD/JD students are required to be registered full-time in and pay tuition to Law for at least five semesters. Please see link for additional MD/JD rules.

For further information please refer to the College of Law web site.

College of Medicine Requirements

The College of Medicine will grant up to 16 weeks of elective clerkship credit to MD/JD students for their academic work in the College of Law. This leaves joint degree students with a total of 64 weeks of clinical clerkships to complete during their third and fourth year of medical school. Please refer to the College of Medicine web site for more information about the medical school curriculum.

Admission to the MD/JD Joint Degree Program

The College of Law: The College of Law requires submission of its application form, including a personal statement, transcripts, LSAT scores, and two letters of recommendation. (Note: Please make sure to indicate that you are applying to the joint degree MD/JD pogram (Medical Scholars Program) on Question #14 on you Law School application). Applicants are required to register with the Law School Data Assembly Service, and transcripts should be sent to this Service. Recent entering classes of the College of Law have a median undergraduate GPA of 3.41 (A=4.0) and a median LSAT score of 161. Students may enter only in the fall semester

The College of Medicine: Applicants must submit an AMCAS application and designate that the application be sent to the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine (Code #128). Qualified applicants will receive a supplemental application from the College of Medicine, which should be completed and returned to the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, as instructed. MCAT scores and three letters of recommendation are required as well. Recent MSP entering classeshave a mean undergraduate GPA of 3.5 and a mean MCAT score of 32.

The Medical Scholars Program: Applicants must submit the official MSP application. In addition, a copy of three letters of recommendation and official transcripts for all previous undergraduate or graduate study must be submitted to the MSP.

Funding Opportunities

While MD/JD students are officially enrolled in the College of Law, they are not eligible for a tuition and fee waiver. However, the College of Law provides a number of Lincoln Scholarships each year for which qualified MD/JD students are eligible for consideration.

While officially enrolled in the College of Medicine, MSP MD/JD students are eligible to earn a tuition and fee waiver provided they have a 25%-time or greater appointment (a graduate assistantship) on the UIUC campus, or an equivalent fellowship. The MSP does not guarantee the availability of assistantships or waivers to MD/JD students, although every effort is made to help students obtain these assistantships.

FAQs

How many slots are available for MD/JD applicants each year for this program?

In recent years, what are the average LSAT, MCAT and GPAs for the MSP entering classes?

Who should I contact if I have any questions?

Must I also register with LSDAS in order to apply? AMCAS AND MCAT?

How long are LSAT and MCAT scores good for?

What is the last date that I can take the LSAT and be competitive for admission to the Medical Scholars Program? The MCAT?