Joint BS MD Programs

USC has dropped its BS/MD joint program. Such programs are for students who want to get into college and med school all at once (photo credit: Padsquad19).

After beginning the program nearly twenty years ago, USC has decided to eliminate its joint BS / MD program. For those of you unfamiliar with BS / MD programs, students applying to college who wish to become physicians can choose to try to knock out two birds with one stone by getting into med school as well as college all at once. Keep in mind admission to such programs is highly competitive and most universities that offer these programs only have a few slots every year to accommodate such students.

According to USC’s website, “When the Baccalaureate/M.D. program was created nearly 20 years ago, it provided health-related involvement opportunities and advising for a small group of students. We have now progressed to our ultimate goal of opening a comprehensive Dornsife-Keck Pre-Health Services Center which provides involvement opportunities and advisement for ALL of our pre-health students, rather than just a few selected students. We will continue our close working relationships with some of the top researchers and scientists in the medical fields and will be able to provide MORE students with access to these selective opportunities.”

USC also stressed that so many undergraduate students change their minds during the course of their college lives about what they want to do professionally. Just because you want to be a doctor in high school doesn’t mean you’ll want to be a doctor during freshman fall much less senior spring! Joint BS MD Programs are really only for high-achieving students who know for certain that they want to be physicians. If you’re such a student, contact us today to find out how you can gain admission to one of these programs and have a look at our blogs 7 Year Medical Programs and Medical School Rankings.