UC Berkeley—UCSF Joint Medical Program
Introduction
The Joint Medical Program (JMP) is an innovative medical education program developed as a partnership between the School of Public Health and the UCSF School of Medicine. The program provides a creative, alternative approach to medical education by offering early exposure to interdisciplinary perspectives, with strong emphasis on the humanities and social sciences in medicine. Small group, cooperative learning is combined with master's level research and thesis.
The mission of the UC Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program is to train physician-leaders in the human, sociocultural, and bioethical contexts of health and disease.
Degree Program
The Joint Medical Program is a five-year M.S./M.D. degree program. The first three years are spent on the Berkeley campus completing the preclinical sciences component required for M.D. licensure and the course work needed to support a health-related master's thesis.
The M.S. degree is offered in health and medical sciences (HMS). Students take HMS courses especially designed for the M.D. and M.S. degrees, as well as required M.D. and master's courses from other campus departments. A minimum of 20 units is required for the M.S. degree.
Upon satisfactory completion of the basic sciences requirements for the M.D. curriculum, the M.S. units and thesis, and passing the U.S. Medical Licensing Exam, Step 1, students are awarded the M.S. degree by UC Berkeley and transfer to the UCSF School of Medicine. There, they continue the program by completing two years of clinical clerkships. Upon satisfactory completion of this phase of the program, students are awarded the M.D. degree.
The UC Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program also offers the Program in Medical Education for the Urban Underserved (PRIME-US) in conjunction with the UCSF School of Medicine. PRIME-US is a curricular track for applicants who evidence a strong career interest in caring for urban medically underserved populations in our community.
For more information, please visit the PRIME-US web site.
Admissions
The JMP welcomes applicants from all ethnic, economic, and cultural backgrounds.
Admission requirements are high. The successful applicant must demonstrate the ability to master the scientific complexities of today's medical curriculum.
One must also demonstrate clear motivation for wanting to become a doctor and a commitment to working with and helping people. The JMP seeks applicants who have demonstrated the ability and motivation to conduct research on biological, behavioral, or policy aspects of health and the health care system leading to completion of a Master of Science thesis.
Detailed admission requirements for the M.D., including prerequisite courses, are outlined on the UCSF School of Medicine web site.
Since successful JMP applicants are admitted as both medical and graduate students, all applicants should review the UCSF web site and meet UCSF admission requirements. Berkeley Graduate Division minimum requirements are a bachelor's degree or recognized equivalent from an accredited institution; a minimum GPA of 3.0; the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) in lieu of the GRE. Applicants are required to take the MCAT within 3 years of application. In addition to the academic requirements listed on the UCSF web site, the JMP recommends upper-division courses in the biological, behavioral, and social sciences and an introductory course in statistics.
If you have questions about prerequisite courses or the date of your MCAT, please call the Office of Admissions at the UCSF School of Medicine at (415) 476-4044.
Application to the JMP is made through the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) by designating the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine. Applicants who pass a preliminary review will be sent a secondary application from UCSF that will provide information and application materials for the Joint Medical Program.
Financial Support
Sources of financial support include graduate fellowships, programs offered by the Office of Financial Aid, research assistantships, and Graduate Opportunity Program fellowships.
Opportunities for Graduates
Joint Medical Program graduates take diverse career paths. Approximately half choose residencies in primary care, defined as internal medicine, family practice, pediatrics, and preventive medicine. Fellowships and additional training have taken our graduates into a broad array of clinical, teaching, public health and academic careers at local, regional, state, federal, and international levels.
A summary of match results for Joint Medical Program graduates from 2000-2007 reveals the following specialty choices: