Internal Admissions
First or second year students enrolled in UNMC’s medical school are eligible to apply to the MD-PhD Scholars Program via the alternative pathway. Successful applicants will have to meet all academic and research criteria expected of MD-PhD Scholars entering by the regular pathway. Students accepted through the alternative pathway will receive tuition and financial support for those years of medical school and graduate school remaining after admission into the program. No funds will be provided for any completed portion of medical school or graduate school.
Applicants should have an established and verifiable record of exceptional success in their undergraduate career, in research laboratories, and in their course work during medical school. To apply to the MD-PhD Scholars Program, students should submit their original AMCAS application materials, their medical school transcript, and two essays. The first essay should describe the applicant’s motivation to pursue a combined MD-PhD degree program, and the second essay should detail previous research experiences, highlighting the most significant research. In addition, letters of recommendation from two faculty members familiar with the potential of the student to become an independent research investigator must be received. These may be UNMC faculty or faculty at previous institutions. Students applying through the Alternative Pathway Program will have a day of interviews in the late fall and winter at the same times as the candidates applying through the regular pathway.
If students accepted into the MD-PhD Scholars Program have completed their first year of medical school, they will participate in research rotations during the summer to select a research mentor for their PhD research. Students accepted in the second year of medical school must have identified a mentor for their PhD studies, since there will not be an opportunity for research rotations before starting graduate school in the spring.
Current first and second year medical students will receive an email about the alternative pathway with the deadline for their year. Please direct any questions and submit application materials to Jen Brady (402-559-8242), or bring them to the Sorrell Center, Rm. 4017.