Combined Degree and
Physician Scholar Programs

The first step of the process is to gather information regarding the MD/MSTR dual degree. Interested students have several resources :

• MSTR Program — the Master of Science in Translational Research program website provides detailed information on the program and application process.
• MD/MSTR Information Session — every fall the Combined Degree office holds an MD/MSTR Information Session for medical students. Email announcements are sent out to students prior to the event. Check out the spring 2022 MD-MSTR Information Session Zoom recording and PPT slides (updated 11/15/22).
• Megan Maxwell, MSW — candidates are encouraged to contact Megan Maxwell, Associate Director of ITMAT Education Programs, to discuss the MSTR program or contact us here.
• Assoc Director of CD Office — students are encouraged to contact the Associate Director of Combined Degree Office, to discuss their interest in a Master's program.
• Perelman School of Medicine (PSOM) Financial Aid Office — As soon as a student is considering the pursuit of an integrated dual degree program, financial aid counseling and planning is strongly advised.

Additional Translational Research resources on Penn's campus:

• Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics (ITMAT) events

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Prior to application, each candidate identifies the project they wish to pursue, along with the lead mentor, who will supervise the research project. Students are encouraged to reach out to the MSTR Program to discuss their project and mentor selection prior to submitting their application. Additionally, it is helpful to meet with the MSTR Program to understand potential funding opportunities. The mentored thesis involves designing a research project, writing a formal research proposal, performing the study described in it, preparing a comprehensive scholarly scientific paper reporting the results, and presenting and defending the thesis at a public seminar.

Upon acceptance, each student is assigned additional programmatic mentors to complement their primary research mentor(s) and create a mentoring committee. This three or four person committee functions as an ongoing monitoring group for the candidate’s progress.

If accepted into the MD/MSTR program, the student will be requested to formally confirm enrollment with the MSTR Program Administration. In the spring prior to matriculation, the student will meet with the MSTR mentoring committee to discuss program requirements and finalize a plan of study.

The accepted student must notify the Registrar of the PSOM of his/her acceptance into the MD/MSTR program.

Students are strongly encouraged to meet with a staff member in the PSOM Financial Aid Office to discuss financial issues.

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Program Requirements:

The MSTR curriculum is composed of 12 credit units, which are distributed among four types of requirements:

• 6 core courses (MTR 600, MTR 601, MTR 602, MTR 603, MTR 604, MTR 605)
• 2 elective courses
• 2 laboratory experiences (2 different units of MTR 999)
• 2 credits for research project and masters thesis (MTR 607, MTR 608)

Required Course Units:               12

For more details about core courses, most elective courses and laboratory experiences, see the course work descriptions. Course work is also laid out in a sample study plan below.

Concentrations:

Students enroll in a core set of courses and also choose an academic pathway to concentrate in a specific area of translational science:

• Discovery
• Translational Therapeutics and Regulatory Science
• Entrepreneurial Science
• Bioinformatics/ Biomedical Informatics

Timing:

Perelman medical students will complete three years of the MD curriculum before beginning full time study in the MSTR program in July at the end of year 3. Students who are interested in the program early in their time as medical students are strongly encouraged to contact the program and to begin exploring possibilities for their research mentor/project. Interested students can work on a research project during the summer between years 1 and 2 of Medical School.

The July 1 start date at the end of year 3 for full time MSTR work means that MD/MSTR students will have only six months (from January through June) of year 3 to complete step 1 of the boards and take the electives and sub-I they need for residency application. Faculty advising and close communication with the PSOM Registar about scheduling issues are absolutely essential, given the compressed time frame. Students considering the MD/MSTR program should start planning as early as possible to make the best use of their time.

With careful planning, Perelman medical students may be able to complete both degrees in five years. Careful selection of a thesis project is crucial for students hoping to graduate in five years. The sample plan below describes the program for a student who is able to complete the requirements of both degrees in five years.

MD/MSTR Degree Completion Time:               5 years

MD/MSTR Sample Study Plan:

All of year 4 and the fall of year 5 will be devoted to full time work toward the MSTR, during which time students are not registered for the MD.

Clinical Rotations at Penn or other institutions are permitted during July and August between years 4 and 5. Please note that all courses require in-person attendance, and you may not attend a clinical rotation during a scheduled course.

The spring of year 5 will be used to complete the final requirements for both degrees.

More information on Tuition and Billing.

Year	Fall	Spring	Summer	Tuition and Billing	Maximum Direct Loan Eligibility (2022-23)
1	MD curriculum (Core 1)	MD curriculum (Core 1)		MD Tuition Fall and Spring	$42,722
2	MD curriculum (Core 1)	MD curriculum (Core 2)	MD curriculum (Core 2)	MD Tuition Fall and Spring	$47,167
3	MD curriculum (Core 2)	Boards 1 MD curriculum (Core 3)	MD curriculum (Core 3) through June; July-Aug full time MTR 601 MTR 602 Research project	MD Tuition Fall and Spring; MSTR Tuition Summer	$47,167
4	MTR 600 MTR 603 Research project	MTR 604 Elective 1 Research Project	MTR 605 MTR 999 (lab) Research Project	MSTR Tuition	$20,500
5	MTR 999 (lab) Elective 2 Research project	MD curriculum (Core 3) MTR 607 MTR 608		MSTR Tuition Fall; MD Tuition Spring	Fall $20,250; Spring $10,250

Note: each MSTR course is 1.0 c.u.

Medical School Planning:

There are several things to keep in mind when making your medical school plans:

• The MSTR degree counts as your Scholarly Pursuit requirement.
• MD/MSTR students need to complete: 1) 1 week of Bioethics and 2) no weeks of Frontiers (for students who MD matriculated before 2018) or 2 weeks of Frontiers (for students who MD matriculated in 2018 and later).

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Tuition Policy:

MD/MSTR students will be charged 7 semesters of medical tuition (6 semesters in years 1-3 and the final semester of year 5). During fall and spring semesters of year 4 and the fall semester of year 5, MSTR tuition will be charged per course unit plus fees.

Tuition and Fees:               

Tuition rates and fees are listed on the Master's Program Costs website. Tuition is listed per course unit and students are required to take 2 course units per term. View the MSTR program tuition costs by visiting the Master's Program Costs website and scroll to the Master of Science in Translational Science section, click on the title to expand and view the tuition and fees. The MSTR degree has a total of 12 course units. Tuition and fees for elective course units taken in the summer will be determined by the home school that offers that course.

Important Note:  In the sample plan of study, students take 2 courses total during the semester they are charged medical school tuition: MTR 607 and 608 in the final semester of year 5. As long as the student has not already used the benefit that allows med students to take 3 additional courses while registered for the MD program, there will be no additional charge beyond MD tuition in that semester. Please refer to the PSOM Additional Course Policy for information on tuition implications.

Grant Funding:

A potential partial funding mechanism for predoctoral students in the MSTR program is the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA). Selected students will be appointed to the grant for 12 months with a TL1 award. Learn more about MD-MSTR grant opportunities here.

Financial Aid:

As soon as a Perelman medical student is considering the pursuit of an integrated dual degree program, financial aid counseling and planning is strongly advised. Students should contact Michael Sabara, Director of Financial Services.  He is available to help explain program costs, the financial aid process, funding options and how to apply for financial aid. Here are some things to consider:

1. When paying Medical School tuition and registered as a medical student, an individual can retain his/her MD Scholarship (for tuition/living expenses) and has a Direct loan eligibility of $40,500. When a student is registered as a full time MSTR student, he/she is not eligible for MD Scholarship (for tuition/living expenses) and has a Direct loan eligibility of $20,500. In accordance with federal regulations, all sources of aid (loan, scholarships, fellowships,) cannot exceed the student budget.

2. Direct loans have aggregate limits, which are cumulative and include any undergraduate, graduate, and medical school loans borrowed in the Direct loan program. For any semester when a student is a full-time MSTR student (versus full-time MD student), the MSTR program aggregate limit is $138,500 versus the MD aggregate limit ($224,000).

3. Students who require funds in excess of their Direct loan may apply for a Direct PLUS loan. Details on this loan and instructions for applying can be found at the PSOM Financial Aid Office.

Part-time Student Status Implications:

If a student is considering a Master's curriculum plan that would include one or more part-time Masters semesters, we urge students to consider the following:

Part-time student:

- Is registered for 2 cus or 2.5 cus in a Masters primary semester.

- Is eligible for student loans and loan deferment.

- Part-time students’ health insurance (PSIP) coverage is not mandated by the University.  Students are strongly encouraged to continue health insurance of some kind and are eligible to opt-in to the PSIP plan.  

- To opt-in to PSIP: Online application during open enrollment periods. See PSIP website for open enrollment schedule. 

- A student who is full-time in the fall is considered subject to the insurance coverage requirement. This means that they must be enrolled in PSIP or waive out, and that enrollment or waiver is good for 12 months. If this student becomes part-time in the spring term, the PSIP enrollment or the waiver will not be terminated.

- A student who is part-time in the fall, and becomes full-time in the spring term will at that point become subject to the insurance requirement for the spring term and must then waive out or be enrolled for that term. 

- The clinical fee, which provides access to Student Health Services (SHS), is mandatory when on PSIP. A Primary Care Physician (PCP) designation needs to be considered for students who are not opting into SHS and who used SHS before for this purpose. If a part-time student is not enrolled in PSIP, they can opt-in to the clinical fee to have access to SHS. Students can stop by SHS for the application or call the insurance office at 215-746-3535 to request it.

- Is not eligible for Penn gym membership, but the student pays less in fees, which hopefully offsets this expense.

Students will need to proactively enroll for Penn Student Insurance Plan for both years 4 and 5 and are responsible for associated fees.

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The admissions process for the MD/MSTR program is competitive and requires admission to both the MD and MSTR programs. Students may only apply to the combined degree MD/MSTR program after admission and matriculation in the Perelman School of Medicine. Medical students at other institutions are not eligible to apply.

Admissions process:
There are two steps to applying:

1. Apply to the Master of Science in Translational Research Program
   The combined application form for the MSTR and TL1 training grant for MD/MSTR candidates and instructions for submission are available on the MSTR Application and TL1 Grant Funding webpage.
2. Submit Master's Program Registration Form to the Combined Degree Office
   In addition to submitting an MSTR application, Perelman medical students must also submit a Master’s Program Registration Form to the Associate Director of the Combined Degree and Physician Scholar Programs Office (6th floor JMEC).

Application deadline:               December 1 of third year [refer to MSTR Program website for details]

Perelman medical students may apply to the MD/MSTR program during their third year of medical school. Decisions to award CTSA funding will be made beginning in the fall of the third year.

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For more information regarding the MD/MTR program, contact:

MSTR Program: Emma A. Meagher, MD Director, ITMAT Education Programs 215-662-2174 emma@upenn.edu Megan Maxwell, MSW Associate Director, ITMAT Education Programs 215-662-4581 mmaxwell@upenn.edu Danielle Williams Education Coordinator, ITMAT Education Programs danwild@upenn.edu  Contact Us

Perelman School of Medicine: Francia G. Portacio, MPH Associate Director Combined Degree and Physician Scholar Programs Office Jordan Medical Education Ctr, 6th Floor 3400 Civic Center Blvd, BLDG 421 Philadelphia, PA 19104-5162 215-746-2359 francia.portacio@pennmedicine.upenn.edu Registrar Jordan Medical Education Ctr, 6th Floor 3400 Civic Center Blvd, BLDG 421 Philadelphia, PA 19104-5162 215-898-1165 psomregistrar@pennmedicine.upenn.edu Michael Sabara Director of Financial Services Financial Aid Office Jordan Medical Education Ctr, 6th Floor 3400 Civic Center Blvd, BLDG 421 Philadelphia, PA 19104-5162 215-573-3423 msabara@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

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