Yes. You must be a US Citizen or Permanent Resident of the United States to be eligible for our MST Program. DACA applicants can be considered on a case-by-case basis and are dependent on funding availability. It is recommended that DACA residents contact the MSTP office when submitting an application. CU-MSTP does not enroll any international students.

While not necessary/required, post-baccalaureate programs can help support your application. We review applications holistically, so strong GPAs and MCATs are important, but we take great attention in reading all essays and letters of recommendation.

While graduate students at UC Denver may apply through the AAMC/AMCAS application and the School of Medicine to be considered for the MST Program at CU, they cannot transfer without going through the AMCAS application process.

Applicants can only be considered for either the MST or the MD program at any given time. Applicants who are not selected for interview with the MSTP or who are placed on an alternate status may request to transfer their application to the MD school for consideration. Consideration for MD admission may or may not be possible depending upon the timing of this request and is subject to the processes and timelines of the MD Admissions office.

Unfortunately, we are unable to give specific feedback on individual applications. The Medical School offers workshops each year to provide general feedback on how applicants can improve their applications for future cycles. These sessions are available to all medical school applicants, including MSTP applicants.

We do not require any additional classes, courses, or standardized tests other than what the SOM requires. Please see their list of requirements HERE.

The CU MSTP is an integrated program featuring several MSTP-specific courses. These courses are designed to ensure that program participants have exposure to all areas of a physician-scientist career throughout their training. For example, you will have courses to discuss research while in medical school and clinical precepting while in your PhD training. You can learn more about MSTP-specific courses here.

The curriculum is designed to be completed in eight years. Students will typically take 7-9 years depending on the length of their graduate research (3-5 year PhD). The program’s average time to degree is 8.4 years.

In addition to being a competitive medical school applicant generally, research engagement is the #1 aspect that drives a competitive application for our MSTP. Most of our successful applicants have completed at least 1 year of full-time research before applying. Research is one component of our holistic review of every application. We also seek applicants who have demonstrated academic success and resilience in college to indicate that the applicant will succeed in both medical and graduate school.

Being a MSTP student is a full-time job. During medical training, your days are largely scheduled for you and incorporate lecture, small group, and clinic-based learning and typically fall during a 9-5pm time frame. During graduate training, you have much greater flexibility with your schedule but still commit a similar amount of time and effort to your training as a medical student. CU MSTP students report having sufficient free time to pursue their hobbies/interests throughout both medical and graduate training.

CU MSTP provides a competitive stipend that is sufficient for students to live alone in the Denver neighborhoods surrounding campus. Students receive health insurance, dental insurance, and tuition coverage in addition to a living stipend. The stipend is evaluated annually by CU to consider inflation adjustments. This process includes a holistic review of how the CU graduate stipend compares to rates at comparable institutions across the country, using a cost of living multiplier for the Denver metro.

The people! Students report that the tightknit and supportive community within CU MSTP is a top reason for selecting this program. For example, CU MSTP has regular and well-attended social gatherings that allow students from all years to socialize, connect, and pass down advice.

Yes! There are weekly CU MSTP student research seminars and lunches with guest speakers that discuss essential topics covering professional development, how to use resources on campus, and advice from older CU MSTP students on how to succeed. Additionally, the CU MSTP has an annual retreat that features alumni as keynote speakers and allows students to present research, share clinical experiences, and connect. We also host the National MD-PhD Student Conference annually, which is planned by current students.

In addition to completing the MSTP, students have essential roles in CU MSTP admissions, recruitment, and education. The CU MSTP leadership greatly values CU MSTP students’ input and perspective when selecting future students and making decisions on how to continually improve the program.

All current PhD partnerships can be reviewed on the PhD curriculum page here. The MSTP is continually evaluating new program partnerships and the available PhD programs for MSTPs is subject to change.

Please also see the SOM FAQs here.