MD/PhD in Bioengineering

Students interested in a career oriented towards bioengineering and medicine can pursue the combined M.D. /Ph.D. degree program. Stanford has two ways to do an M.D./PhD. US citizens and permanent residents can apply to the Medical Scientist Training Program (contact Lori Langdon, 723-6176) and can be accepted with funding from both MD and PhD with stipend/tuition. They can then select a bioengineering laboratory for their Ph.D. Students not admitted to the Medical Scientist Training Program must apply and be admitted separately to the M.D. program and the PhD program of their choice.

The Ph.D. degree is administered by the Department of Bioengineering. To be formally admitted as a Ph.D. degree candidate in this combined degree program, the student must apply through normal departmental channels and must have earned or have plans to earn an M.S. in bioengineering or other engineering discipline at Stanford or another university. The M.S. requires 45 units of coursework which consists of core bioengineering courses, technical electives, seminars, and 6 unrestricted units. In addition, students will be expected to pass the Department of Bioengineering Ph.D. qualifying examination.

For students fulfilling the full M.D. requirements who earned their master's level engineering degree at Stanford, the Department of Bioengineering will waive its normal departmental requirement of the 15 units applied towards the Ph.D. degree (beyond the master's degree level) be formal course work. Consistent with the University Ph.D. requirements, the department will instead accept 15 units comprised of courses, research, or seminars that are approved by the student's academic advisor and the department chair. Students not completing their MS engineering degree at Stanford will be required to take 15 units of formal course work in engineering related areas, as determined by their academic advisor.

If you have any further questions, please contact Olgalydia Urbano, Student Services Manager at ourbano@stanford.edu.