MD/PHD Programs

Caltech offers MD/PhD programs in cooperation with the University of Southern California and the University of California, Los Angeles.

Caltech-USC MD/PhD Program

A joint program between Caltech and the USC Keck Medical School has been established for the granting of the MD/PhD degree. Students will do their preclinical and clinical work at USC, and their PhD work with any member of the Caltech faculty.

Admission to this joint program is made through the usual USC MD/PhD process, checking a box indicating interest in the Caltech option. A maximum of two students per year will be accepted into the joint Program. The MD degree would be from USC and the PhD would be awarded from Caltech.

The current director of the Joint Program is Dr. Brian Henderson, and the associate director is Dr. Robert Chow, both from USC. The coordinator at Caltech is Professor Paul H. Patterson.

Click here for more information about the USC MD-PhD program.

Caltech-UCLA Medical Scientist Training Program

A joint program between Caltech and the UCLA Medical School has been established for the granting of the MD/PhD degree. Students do their preclinical and clinical work at UCLA, and their PhD work with any member of the Caltech faculty, including the Biology, Chemistry, and Engineering and Applied Sciences Divisions.

Admission to this joint program is made through the usual UCLA MSTP process, checking a box indicating interest in the Caltech option. A maximum of two students per year will be accepted into the joint program. The MD degree would be from UCLA and the PhD would be awarded from Caltech. PhD studies involving collaborations between laboratories at both institutions could lead to a joint degree with both schools being cited.

The current directors of the MSTP are UCLA Drs. Stephen Smale and Kelsey Martin; Caltech Professor Paul H. Patterson is the Associate Director.

Click here for more information about UCLA MSTP.

Caltech-UCLA STAR Program

The STAR (Specialty Training and Advanced Research) program at UCLA Medical School began in 1993 as a mechanism to enable MDs who desire academic/research positions to seriously upgrade their scientific skills. In this program, the PhD candidates have already received their MDs, finished their internships and, in some cases, their medical residencies. Therefore, upon completion of the PhD, most of these people move directly into faculty positions in academic medicine. This is a cooperative program involving all clinical departments at UCLA. The Director of STAR program at UCLA is Dr. Linda Demer, an MD/PhD and chief of the Division of Cardiology.

Caltech became part of the STAR program in 1997, with one student currently on campus. Caltech STAR students will receive the Caltech PhD, and can enroll in any the Institute's divisions. The coordinator for the Caltech STAR program is Dr. Paul H. Patterson, Executive Officer for Biology. 

Click here for more information about the STAR program.