DO/PhD

The Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine/Doctor of Philosphy (DO/PhD) program is a dual degree program in which students acquire the DO degree and a research-based degree PhD in biomedical sciences through the School of Biomedical Sciences (SBS) at The University of Nort Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth. Entry into the DO/PhD program requires acceptance into TCOM and SBS and may occur either 1) at entry into medical school (Medical Scientist Training Program) or 2) by application to and acceptance into the PhD program of the SBS during years 1, 2 or 3 of medical school. Students accepted into the DO/PhD program can complete the PhD course requirements and research experience beginning after year 2 or year 3 of medical school. Acceptance into the PhD path does not require the GRE exam as the MCAT exam scores are used instead.

Facutly Advisors:

If you have academic and/or career path questions about a dual degree program, please contact:

Rance Berg, PhD

rance.berg@unthsc.edu

School of Biomedical Sciences

Mike Kennedy, EdD

mike.kennedy@unthsc.edu

Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine

PATH 1:

The curricular sequence for PATH 1 follows the three blocks described below and is illustrated in the Table.

Block 1

Block 1 consists of the preclinical years for the DO degree. During Block 1, the student will complete the first three years of the DO curriculum, must maintain a “B” average within the medical curriculum, and must pass Parts 1 and 2 of the College of Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination (COMLEX). During this block, the student will register only for courses within the TCOM curriculum. An exception to these rules may be made only with the approval of the Dual Degree Program Advisory Committee, the appropriate TCOM associate dean, and the GSBS dean.

Block 2

Block 2 consists of at least two years dedicated to graduate study. The student will select a graduate advisory committee and file an approved graduate degree plan of at least 90 SCH (which includes 30 SCH advanced standing awarded for the basic science didactic course work required in the DO curriculum) with the GSBS Office of Admissions and Services.

The student is expected to complete all coursework required for the PhD degree, complete the requirements for advancing to candidacy, file an approved dissertation research proposal, and make significant progress toward the completion of the dissertation research. The student will receive a waiver of all TCOM and GSBS tuition as supported by the Multidisciplinary Program. In addition, the student will receive an annual stipend consistent with the GSBS graduate stipend for doctoral students provided by the Multidisciplinary Program.

During Block 2, the student will also participate in a half-day elective clinical rotation biweekly. This experience will serve to maintain their clinical training experience and patient skills while the student is enrolled in their research training. An additional elective month during Block 3 will be available to complete their research requirements.

Block 3

During Block 3, the student will complete the required clinical rotations during this block, the student will also continue work toward completion of the dissertation. At the end of Block 3, the student is expected to have completed the curriculum required for the DO degree and to have completed at least 60 additional SCH of graduate courses under the GSBS, as required for the PhD, including the successful completion and defense of his/her dissertation. Following completion of the requirements for both degrees, the student is awarded the DO degree through TCOM and the PhD through the GSBS.

DO/PhD Program: PATH 1

		DO Degree	PhD Degree
Block 1	Year 1	Semester 1-2 of medical curriculum	Optional: Identify mentor
	Year 2	Semester 3-4 of medical curriculum / COMLEX Level 1	Optional: Identify mentor
	Year 3	Core Clinical Clerkships / COMLEX Level 2	Mentor identified
Block 2	Year 4-5 (or 6)	Single Intermittent Clinical Clerkship	GSBS courses & dissertation research Grant Defense & Candidacy Exam
Block 3	Year 6 (or 7)	Completion of Clinical Clerkships	Completion of dissertation & defense

PATH 2:

The curricular sequence for PATH 2 will follow the same sequence as PATH 1, except that 1) Block 1 will include only Years 1 and 2 of the medical curriculum and completion of only Level 1 of the COMLEX exam, and 2) Block 3 will include both Years 3 and 4 of the medical curriculum (clerkships).

DO/PhD Program: PATH 2

		DO Degree	PhD Degree
Block 1	Year 1	Semester 1-2 of medical curriculum	Optional: Identify mentor
	Year 2	Semester 3-4 of medical curriculum / COMLEX Level 1	Optional: Identify mentor
Block 2	Year 3-4 (or 5)	Single Intermittent Clinical Clerkship	GSBS course & dissertation research
Block 3	Year 5 (or 6)	Core Clinical Clerkships / COMLEX Level 2	Completion of dissertation & defense
	Year 6 (or 7)	Completion of Clinical Clerkships	Completion of dissertation & defense

Admissions Decisions and Deferments for Dual Degree Applicants - GSBS

Applicants will be furnished written notification regarding their admission status by the GSBS Office of Admissions and Services. Statements by other Health Science Center personnel concerning the applicant’s admissibility are not valid until confirmed in writing by the Office of Admission and Academic Services.

Information submitted in the application materials must be complete and correct. Prospective and current students must notify the proper institution officials regarding any changes in the information provided on their application. Falsification or omission of any information on the application documents will void a student’s admission, cancel their enrollment, and/or result in appropriate disciplinary action.

All materials submitted during the application process become the property of the Health Science Center and cannot be returned.