Ph.D./D.O. in Biomedical Sciences Dual Degree
The Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Sciences and Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (Ph.D./D.O.) program is a possibility for students interested in medical research and/or academic medicine. This degree is designed for the future physician who desires to see patients in a clinical setting while still maintaining an active interest in research.
Areas of emphasis include biochemistry, cell biology, microbiology, pathology, pharmacology and physiology.
Program Sequence
The Ph.D./D.O. program is typically completed in nine years. All degree requirements must be completed within nine years of entering the dual degree program.
| # Years | Links |
|---|---|
| Year 1-up to 5 | Complete Ph.D. degree requirements including courses, comprehensive qualifying examination, research, public defense, dissertation, (approxim years) |
| Upon completion of Ph.D. requirements or Year 6 to 7 | Complete first and second year medical school curriculum (D.O) |
| Year 8 to 9 | Complete third and fourth year medical school curriculum (D.O) |
- Both OSU CHS and the OSU Graduate College will participate in the Ph.D./D.O. Program for the purpose of supporting students whose educational goals may be accomplished through the program.
- Students must apply and be accepted to the DO Program and PhD Program at the respective colleges to participate in the Ph.D./D.O. Program. Students must communicate to each program that they intend to participate in the dual degree program at the time of application.
- Students must complete the graduation requirements of the PhD Program and successfully defend their dissertation before they can matriculate to the DO Program.
- DO/PhD students are expected to conduct original research and must complete a minimum of twenty credit hours of research and dissertation while in the PhD Program. The research conducted will culminate in a written dissertation that must be approved by the Advisory Committee and publicly defended.
- Admission to Doctoral Candidacy, Research Proposal, and Qualifying Examination must follow the guidelines outlined in the Student Handbook for the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program.
- The total number of graduate hours will not be less than sixty in the PhD Program. Required courses and Advisory Committee requirements may result in a greater number of hours.
- Under specific circumstances, the PhD Advisory Committee may endorse transfer credits towards the PhD degree from other institutions. Under these rare circumstances, the transfer credit must comply with the transfer guidelines as stated for the PhD Program, be endorsed by the student’s Advisory Committee, and approved by the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Committee as part of the student’s Plan of Study and by the Director of the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program.
- Students must complete the graduation requirements of the PhD Program and successfully defend their dissertation within a total of five years. Students who do not complete these requirements within five years may not matriculate to the OSU COM; and therefore, must reapply to the COM for further consideration.
- All coursework and degree requirements for the DO Program must be completed in the OSU COM. OSU COM will not accept any course credits towards the DO degree that were completed in the OSU Graduate College. All course credits for the DO degree must be completed at OSU COM.
- All Ph.D./D.O. Program requirements must be completed within nine years.
The total number of graduate hours shall not be less than 60. Note that 60 hours is the bare minimum requirement. Required courses and Advisory Committee requirements may result in a greater number of hours. The Ph.D. portion of the Ph.D./D.O. program, which includes graduate courses, comprehensive qualifying examination, research, and a dissertation, will take approximately 4-5 years. Thus, the time for completion of the Ph.D./D.O. degree program is approximately nine years. All Ph.D./D.O. program requirements must be completed within nine years.
Application Process for the Ph.D./D.O. Degree
In addition to submitting the Biomedical Ph.D graduate application materials listed in the Biomedical Ph.D., dual degree applicants must apply separately to the D.O. program. The student must submit an AACOMAS application online by February 28 for the year of matriculation and pay the AACOMAS application fee.
Please consult the D.O. admissions webpage for a complete list of application materials and procedures. Ph.D./D.O. students may apply upon acceptance to medical school or within their first two years of medical coursework.
Application Requirements Specific to the Ph.D./D.O. Program
- Ph.D in Biomedical Sciences admission requirements
- Doctor of Osteopathic admission requirements
- Applicants to the D.O./Ph.D. program are not required to submit a GRE score if they have earned a score of 500 or greater on the MCAT
- Applicants with a GRE score greater than 150 on both the verbal and quantitative sections and a writing score of at least 4.0, and an MCAT score of less than 500 will also be considered
- Non-U.S. citizens must have a permanent resident visa