MSTP Program
The Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago has a long standing tradition of training academic physicians and physician scientists. We were among the earliest schools to obtain federal funding in 1967 for the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) and are currently one of the longest running programs in the country.Program Overview
The University of Chicago Medical Scientist Training Program is a challenging interdisciplinary training program in biomedical sciences which leads to an MD from the Pritzker School of Medicine and to a PhD in the newly-created Interdisciplinary Scientist Training Program (ISTP). Our trainees graduate prepared to assume successful leadership roles in the evolving world of 21st century academic biomedicine.
The MD is awarded through the Pritzker School of Medicine, one of the top 15 graduate schools in the nation. With the introduction of the Pritzker Initiative in Autumn 2009, students will be educated in smaller classes with more individual attention from faculty, with an emphasis on active learning and scholarship, will be integrated among disciplines when possible, and in an atmosphere that highlights the relationship between basic and clinical sciences.
For their graduate work, trainees will be part of the ISTP, the degree-granting arm of the MSTP. This program is a novel, adaptable mechanism for students to obtain highly-integrated, interdisciplinary training. Trainees will be part of a flexible PhD program that offers superb educational opportunities and rigorous training in the highly integrated environment of Chicago Biomedicine at The University of Chicago. The ISTP also provides a programmatic identity that fosters a seamless progression of our students through the medical and graduate phases of their training.
The program is designed for students who seek broad careers in biomedical related research and a desire to apply both clinical and research expertise to solve the most pressing problems in medical science. Typically students begin their full-time PhD research after completion of their second year of medical studies and return to medical school after they have successfully defended their PhD thesis. On average, MSTP trainees complete both degrees in 8 years.
Federally funded by the National Institute of Health, support from the MSTP training grant requires U.S. citizenship or permanent resident status.
Graduate Research Opportunities
Students in the MSTP may choose from a wide range of areas for PhD research in the biological, physical or social sciences at The University of Chicago through the newly-implemented Interdisciplinary Scientist Training Program PhD.
Funding/Support
MSTP trainees receive up to six years of full tuition support and a stipend to cover living expenses throughout their MD and PhD training. Additional years of graduate training are supported through research funds available to trainee advisors or from other sources. Members of underrepresented minority groups may be eligible for the Division's Minority Incentive Award.
