PhD Programs

MD/PhD Program
Curriculum
Graduate School

UK is one of only a few universities in the nation to have all six health science colleges – Medicine, Dentistry, Health Sciences, Nursing, Pharmacy and Public Health – on one campus, making the university well-positioned to pursue inter-professional health care education and collaborative research.

The MD/PhD Program allows students to tailor their educational experience by selecting from mentors and doctoral programs from departments across campus. During the graduate years, MD/PhD students complete requirements as determined by their particular graduate department, including coursework, qualifying exams, and dissertation requirements.

Please note: Due to the highly interdisciplinary nature of the University of Kentucky, faculty and mentors may hold multiple appointments and affiliations across different departments and/or different colleges. In these cases, students should discuss with their prospective mentor about which PhD department to complete the degree.

College of Medicine

Students in the MD/PhD Program receive credit for successful completion of the first two years of medical school that satisfies the requirements of first year of the Integrated Biomedical Sciences Program curriculum. This allows access to many of the PhD programs housed within the College of Medicine. A majority of PhD programs within the College of Medicine have procedures and requirements in place for MD/PhD students. MD/PhD students are open to seek mentors whose primary appointments are within the College of Medicine to complete their PhD degree with approval from the MD/PhD Program Director.

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College of Engineering

The UK College of Engineering is home to internationally recognized research programs in a multitude of areas, including energy, security, sustainable manufacturing, resilient infrastructure, transportation, advanced materials, computational systems, and health applications. MD/PhD students are open to seek PhD programs and mentors whose primary appointments are within the College of Engineering to complete their PhD degree with approval from the MD/PhD Program Director.

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College of Pharmacy

The PhD program at the UK College of Pharmacy is designed to help you pursue the health care challenges you are most passionate about. Whether your personal passion is for preventing deaths related to drug abuse, lessening the suffering that comes with depression or mental illness, or making critical medications affordable and accessible for all, UKCOP will support you in your specific journey. MD/PhD students are open to seek PhD programs and mentors whose primary appointments are within the College of Pharamcy to complete their PhD degree with approval from the MD/PhD Program Director.

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College of Public Health

The University of Kentucky established the College of Public Health to develop transformative solutions to health challenges through its teaching, research and service efforts. Ranked a Top 25 School of Public Health by U.S. News & World Report, the College of Public Health at UK takes seriously its responsibility to the communities and individuals that comprise the Commonwealth of Kentucky. MD/PhD students are open to seek PhD programs and mentors whose primary appointments are within the College of Pharamcy to complete their PhD degree with approval from the MD/PhD Program Director.

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College of Arts and Sciences

The College of Arts & Sciences includes 17 academic departments, 15 interdisciplinary programs, and 27 majors consisting of humanities, foreign language, math, science and the social sciences. Select departments have accepted MD/PhD students into their PhD programs and have procedures and requirements in place for MD/PhD students. MD/PhD students are open to seek other PhD programs and mentors whose primary appointments are within the College of Arts and Sciences to complete their PhD degree with approval from the MD/PhD Program Director and College of Arts and Sciences Departmental Leadership.

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Please note: this is not an exhaustive list and only includes programs with recent / active students enrolled. For more information about other programs or to be included in this directory, please contact Therese Stearns.