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Graduate Record 2026-2027
Medicine, M.D.
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General Requirements
- All applicants must have completed a minimum of 90 semester hours of course work, at the time of application, in an accredited U.S. or Canadian college or university.
- Applicants who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the U.S. are eligible to apply provided they have completed at least 90 semester hours of coursework, at the time of application, in a U.S. or Canadian college or university.
- A bachelor’s degree from those that have attended college in the U.S. is strongly preferred.
Course Recommendations
The University of Virginia School of Medicine does not require pre-requisite courses. There are no science or humanities requirements. However, it is recommended that students consider courses in Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Human Behavior and Statistics as students find these courses to be helpful during medical school. MCAT Requirements
The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is required of all applicants. All applicants must present scores from tests taken no later than September 30th of the year prior to matriculation, and no earlier than April 1st of the three years prior to matriculation. The Admissions Committee will consider the most recent MCAT score when more than one score is submitted. Information regarding the MCAT and registration materials are available from premedical advisors or from MCAT Registration, phone: (202) 828-0600, http://www.aamc.org/. Technical Standards
The practice of medicine requires a broad combination of cognitive, emotional, physical, interpersonal and other skills and personal characteristics in order to provide highly effective patient care within the system of health care. Consequently, the School of Medicine has identified minimum standards required of all students who matriculate. These standards must be met prior to matriculation and attested to annually and are predicated on the school’s educational learning objectives that are essential for completion of the M.D. degree. They have been approved by the Curriculum Committee, the Dean and the Office of General Counsel and are reviewed for currency and re-confirmed on an annual basis. These standards are not intended to deter any student who might be able to complete the requirements of the curriculum with reasonable accommodations. (https://med.virginia.edu/policies/technical-standards/) Criminal Background Check Requirement
If legal or criminal proceedings are filed against you prior to matriculation, or if you are the recipient of any institutional disciplinary action, it is your responsibility to inform the Admissions Office immediately. Additionally, all students must undergo a mandatory criminal background check as a condition of acceptance to the School of Medicine. See the full Criminal Background Check Policy here. Program Requirements
UVA SOM’s Cells to Society curriculum, provides a comprehensive approach that integrates medical science and clinical practice to teach foundational science in the context of how it is used by physicians in their daily practice and provides learning experiences across a broad variety of clinical specialties and settings. This model emphasizes collaborative team and individual learning, student-faculty interactions, clinical skills education and clinical problem-solving, hands-on laboratories, hospital and community-based patient care and opportunities to individualize learning. Our curriculum prepares students to provide excellent patient-centered care, practice evidence-based medicine, and engage in lifelong learning. Each phase of our curriculum is designed to build clinical and interpersonal skills. By the time students graduate, they will possess the skills necessary to become a competent physician as defined by the UVA School of Medicine education program objectives. (https://med.virginia.edu/md-program/ume-md-curriculum/). Phase one: Pre- Clerkship Curriculum
The Cells to Society curriculum integrates foundational science and clinical medicine and emphasizes active learning strategies like team, problem or case-based learning, small group activities, hands on laboratories and hospital and or community based clinical experiences. Though mainly classroom based in this phase, our students engage in patient contact from day one. This first phase is 18 months in length and divided into 3 semesters of educational programming. In parallel to the systems-based courses listed below, students complete Foundations of Clinical Medicine (FCM) course in which the clinical skills of history taking, physical examination, and diagnostic reasoning are taught. Students are paired with a longitudinal patient their second month of school through the Patient Student Partnership program in order to provide a framework for their learning and developing clinical skills. They also participate in service-learning opportunities and learn about the impact of several social determinants of health through the Social Issues of Medicine Course. This phase is pass/fail and must be successfully completed to progress to Phase 2. Phase One Courses
The pre-clerkship phase comprises the first three semesters of the educational program. This phase consists of the courses below, each assigned a pass/fail grade at the end of the course. The preclerkship courses which must be successfully completed in order to progress to the clerkships are as follows: Phase 2: Clerkships
The clerkship phase, which begins in the early spring of the second year, is devoted to clinical training. Students work with diverse patient populations and participate directly in delivery of primary, secondary, and tertiary health care. Teaching is related to the patient on rounds and in small tutorial seminars, lectures and group discussions. Emphasis is given to the principles of prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and the continuing integration of clinical medicine with medical sciences and the psychol-social factors that influence health. Phase 2 begins with the two-week introductory course Clerkship Readiness Course. Students then rotate with their learning community through the various required clinical clerkships. Clerkships occur at two campus locations, Charlottesville and Inova The Clerkships and required courses in Phase 2 are:
Competencies
In Phase 2, students are assessed using a competency-based framework. The 5 competencies are described below. Students receive competency decisions on Patient Care at the end of each clerkship and then additional longitudinal decisions on all 5 competencies at the end of the Phase. - MED 8451 - Competency: Patient Care Credits: 0
The ability to demonstrate compassionate, effective, evidence-informed, and equitable patient-centered care. - MED 8452 - Competency: Medical Knowledge Credits: 0
The ability to apply and integrate foundational, clinical, and social sciences knowledge to improve health care for patients and populations. - MED 8453 - Competency: Interpersonal and Communication Skills Credits: 0
The ability to effectively communicate and interact with patients, caregivers, and the health care team to contribute to high-quality patient-centered care - MED 8454 - Competency: Reflective Practice Credits: 0
The ability to engage in self-assessment, metacognition, and deliberate reflection on experiences to identify strengths and areas for growth. It includes critical appraisal of one’s own decision-making, self-awareness of biases and limitations, integration of feedback, and a commitment to continuous learning with a growth-mindset. - MED 8455 - Competency: Professionalism Credits: 0
The ability to demonstrate integrity, respect, and ethical reasoning, and promotes inclusion of differences in all interactions to improve health care for patients, communities, and populations.
Phase 3: Post Clerkship Curriculum
Phase 3 provides opportunities for students to fashion individualized and intellectually stimulating educational programs. Students explore and decide on specialty choice, prepare for residency application, and gain valuable experiences through required coursework described below. The majority of the Phase 3 curriculum consists of elective coursework selected and scheduled by the student with the guidance of their student affairs dean and their residency advisor. Electives are offered in numerous clinical specialties and subspecialties on both the Charlottesville and Inova campuses. Students can broaden their educational horizons by participating in research, humanities, ethics, health disparities, teaching, international global health electives, and more. This Phase begins with a two-week course, Bedside to Community that examines the structure, function and underlying health policies that define the United States healthcare system in order to enhance the medical students’ understanding of the elements that shape patient care today and in the future. In addition, students are required to complete at least one four-week Advanced Clinical Elective, four weeks of Critical Care Medicine, and four weeks of Emergency Medicine. Finally, all students participate in an internship readiness course prior to graduation with tracks based on their chosen specialty. Required courses for the final terms include:
Professionalism
Each School of Medicine student is responsible for learning and demonstrating behaviors that encourage civility, a collaborative spirit, openness to learning and the best quality patient care. Consistent with these responsibilities, these Professionalism Expectations set forth general standards for competencies in ethical behavior, honesty and integrity, advocacy, empathy and respect, self-awareness, responsibility for learning, teamwork, collegiality, balance and avoidance of conflicts of interest. These Professionalism Expectations are general standards that are intended to express values central to the mission of the School of Medicine and may guide the faculty and the Academic Standards and Advancement Committee in reviewing students’ attainment of competencies in Professionalism. For details please see: https://med.virginia.edu/ume-curriculum/ume-md-curriculum/longitudinal-curriculum/ . Evaluation of professionalism is an integral part of a student’s assessment and generally is accomplished through direct observation and feedback to students on course and clerkship assessments of student performance through the four-year curriculum. Any breach of professionalism resulting in a recorded observation, must be addressed with the student by their college dean and then further with the ASAC if necessary, per the Academic and Professional Advancement Policy (https://med.virginia.edu/policies/policy-on-academic-and-professional-advancement/) . Clinical Practice Examination
Students are required to take and pass the Clinical Practice Examination (CPX) after the completion of the clerkships. This is a requirement for graduation. Students who have failed the CPX are required to participate in CPX remediation sessions as a condition of their required reexamination. Steps 1 & 2 of United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE)
In order to be awarded the Doctor of Medicine, students must pass the USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 examinations. Time Limit for Completion of the M.D. Degree
Students must complete the requirements for the M.D. degree within six years of matriculation in the School of Medicine. Special time arrangements are available to those in the combination degree programs. Public Professional Licensure Disclosure
As a member of the State Authorizations Reciprocity Agreement, the University of Virginia (UVA) is authorized to provide curriculum in a distance learning environment to students located in all states in the United States except for California. (34 CFR 668.43(a)(6)& 34 CFR 668.72(n)). Upon completion of the Doctor of Medicine at the UVA School of Medicine, graduates may be eligible for initial professional licensure in another U.S. state by applying to the licensing board or agency in that state. Please visit the University’s state authorization web pages to make an informed decision regarding which states’ educational requirements for initial licensure are met by this program. (668.43(a)(5) (v)(A) - (C)) Enrolled students who change their current (or mailing) address to a state other than Virginia should update this information immediately in the Student Information System as it may impact their ability to complete internship, practicum, or clinical hours, use Title IV funds, or meet licensure or certification requirements in the new state. (34 CFR 668.402). Federal regulations require the School of Medicine to disclose whether its degree programs meet U.S. jurisdictions’ educational requirements for licensure (34 CFR 668.43(a)(6)& 34 CFR 668.72(n)). The University of Virginia School of Medicine is accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME ) and the program leading to the M.D. degree meets all requirements for eligibility for licensure in all U.S. jurisdictions. Initial licensure in all jurisdictions of the U.S. requires passing the United States Medical Licensure Examination (USMLE) Steps 1, 2, and 3. As a medical school accredited by the LCME, graduates of the School of Medicine are eligible to sit for the USMLE. The School of Medicine maintains general information on the USMLE testing and Graduate Medical Education placement (Residency Match) on our website. Students also are encouraged to research individual state medical board requirements; contact information is available at: https://www.fsmb.org/contact-a-state-medical-board/ Enrolled students who change their current (or mailing) address to a U.S. jurisdiction other than Virginia should update their information as soon as possible in the Student Information System. Medical students who wish to enroll in out-of-state offerings for academic credit (e.g., away electives), should refer to the School of Medicine’s elective policies. For more information: https://ira.virginia.edu/institutional-accreditation/state-licensure-confirmation Combination Degree Programs
Students in the School of Medicine may elect to expand their experience and training by pursuing a combination degree program. If approved, students will be given leave from the M.D. program to complete their combination degree and return to the M.D. program under the following conditions: Combined Degree Programs Overview Below are the available combination degree programs: Additional Information
For more information, contact Katherine Yates, Registrar, School of Medicine, 200 Jeanette Lancaster Way; 434-924-5200; som-registrar@virginia.edu; https://med.virginia.edu/md-program/ |
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