Students are required to complete the normal medical school curriculum. There is a requirement for students to achieve a 75 average during their first year of medical school, a cumulative average of 77.5 by the end of their second year, and an 80 average thereafter. During the first two years of medical school and throughout their graduate school training, students are required to attend the M.D./Ph.D. journal club on a weekly basis. This journal club is offered as a one credit elective course (MSCI 620/920, The Scientific Basis of Medicine) in the medical school and graduate school curricula. Students in the graduate portion of their training are required to complete a minimum of 64 credit hours towards their Ph.D. degree. At a minimum, this will consist of 15 graded credit hours of formal courses, 3 credit hours of seminar, and 46 credit hours of research. The requirements for the number of formal course work hours may be higher depending on the requirements of the particular graduate curriculum track the student chooses, and on the recommendations of the student’s advisory committee.

In addition to course work, students are required to pass a preliminary examination for entering official candidacy for a Ph.D., defend and file a research proposal, complete their doctoral research, and write and defend their dissertation. The specific procedures for satisfying these requirements are established by the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine Office of Graduate Studies.