Additional Dual Degrees for MD Students
VP&S offers its students the possibility to combine their MD degree with a number of other degrees. For additional information on each of these dual degrees, please contact the faculty below:
Master of Public Health
Please reach out to Julianne Parker, Associate Director of the General Public Health Program, for more information.
Thirty-nine points in public health coursework are required beyond the points needed for an MD degree, and tuition must be paid to MSPH for at least 32 of these points, nearly equal to a full year (two semesters) of registration. Medical students may take courses in MSPH under their medical school registration at no extra cost in the first three years at VP&S, except for the public health integrated core semester, which must be completed while registered at MSPH. Most students elect to take the public health program between their third and fourth years of medical school (during Differentiation and Integration), completing both degrees in five years. For more information, please see here.
Master of Business Administration
Please reach out to Katrina Mirasola, Director of Academic Affairs at Columbia Business School and Kristen Casano, Associate Director for Advising & Academic Success at Columbia Business School, for more information.
Join the ranks of the next generation of health care system leaders in the MD-MBA program with Columbia Business School. Medical students who pursue this path may envision a career as a hospital executive, a health care system CEO, or as the dean or chair of an academic department at a medical school.
Medical students can begin the MBA program in the January after their Major Clinical Year or in the January of their fourth year during the Differentiation and Integration portion of the MD program. MD/MBA students are required to complete the MBA in three consecutive terms (Spring, Summer, Fall). Additional information regarding the January-Term program, including application deadlines, can be found here.
Master of Science in Bioethics
Please reach out to the Bioethics Department for more information. The 36-point (credit) program is composed of five core courses, six electives chosen from the University course offerings, and a master’s thesis. Most students elect to take the MS in Bioethics program between their third and fourth years of medical school (during Differentiation and Integration), completing both degrees in five years. More information can be found here.
Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering
Please reach out to Dr. Clark Hung, Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Orthopedic Sciences, for more information. The Doctor of Medicine/Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering (MD/MS) dual degree program is an integrated program offered between the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University. The purpose of this program is to supplement the current training of medical students with world-class training in biomedical engineering at the graduate-level. This interdisciplinary educational experience will prepare students to become innovative leaders in science, engineering, and medicine. The program is open to a select group of Columbia medical students and makes possible the earning of both the MD and MS degree in 5 years (4 years for the MD program, 1 year for the MS program). The program allows for 6 pts from the MD degree, through completion of anatomy coursework, counted toward the Master of Science degree requirements. Students must apply separately to the Department of Biomedical Engineering. To learn more about the admission requirements and application process, please visit the Columbia Engineering website.
Master of Science in Biomedical Informatics
Please reach out to Dr. Herbert Chase, Professor of Clinical Medicine (in Biomedical Informatics) for more information. The MD-MA in Biomedical Informatics is a joint degree between the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (VP&S) and the Department of Biomedical Informatics in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS)of Columbia University. The purpose of the combined program is to integrate graduate-level training in Biomedical Informatics with the training of medical students. It is geared specifically to those medical students who desire to enhance their medical training with research and training in computational skills and data-driven research as it applies to medicine, biology, and public health.
The aim of the MD-MA program is to develop research and computational skills for medical students, which are greater than the individual programs, and which will enable medical students the opportunity to contribute to and become innovators in improving medicine and health care with solutions involving information technology and data science. Upon successful completion of the program, graduates are expected to have a strong foundation in the fundamental techniques of biomedical informatics as well as in medicine, and will have a stronger ability to face the current challenges in medicine and health care related to computational medicine, computational biology, machine learning in healthcare, digital health, and public health informatics. Third-year P&S students are eligible to apply for the dual MD-MA degree. The fourth year of medical school (fall and spring terms) will be spent as an MA student in our program. The curriculum is 30 points of Columbia University graduate (4000 level & above) coursework and 2 residence units. MD students use 6 points of P&S coursework towards the MA degree requirement. More information can be found here.
Master of Science in Human Nutrition
Please contact the Institute of Human Nutrition for more information. The program consists of 33 credits and a master’s thesis. Most students elect to take the MS in Human Nutrition program between their third and fourth years of medical school (during Differentiation and Integration), completing both degrees in five years. More information can be found here.
Master of Science in Narrative Medicine
Please contact the Narrative Medicine program for more information. The Narrative Medicine graduate degree requires 38 points (credits) to complete. Students must take the five core courses in Narrative Medicine (20 points/credits) and at least 6 points (credits) of NMED topics courses. For the remaining credits (12 points/credits), students may choose a combination of: (a) additional NMED topics courses; (b) elective courses chosen from other departments (must be 4000-level or higher); (c) optional Independent Study (1-4 points/credits) and/or Capstone project (2-4 points/credits). Most students elect to take the MS in Narrative Medicine between their third and fourth years of medical school (during Differentiation and Integration), completing both degrees in five years. More information can be found here.