Education

Physical exam skills are taught in the first year to prepare students for their clinical experience and help them make earlier connections between medical and the basic sciences.

The School of Medicine educates future leaders in medicine, public health and biomedical science enrolled in its MD and other degree programs (listed below). The MD program follows a unique educational philosophy established in the 1920s by Dean Milton C. Winternitz, MD, known as the Yale system of medical education. No course grades or class rankings are given in the first two years, examinations are limited and students are expected to engage in independent investigation. Yale medical students have been required to write a thesis based on original research since 1839.

Each year, approximately 12 students enroll in the school’s MD/PhD Program, one of the original Medical Scientist Training Programs established and funded by the NIH. Within the medical school, the School of Public Health operates as a fully accredited degree-granting institution. Graduate students in the Combined Program in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences earn a PhD degree through the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

Students by degree program*

	MD		364
	MD/PhD		88
	MD/JD		2
	MD/MBA		11
	MD/MPH		8
	MMSc		67
	MPH		178
	PhD		294
	MD/MHS		28
Total			1,040

*Of the 364 students enrolled in the MD Program, 34 are currently on extended study pursuing academic research.

M.D. program details

Class of 2011 profile

	Applicants		4,057
	Class size		100
	Acceptance rate		6.3%
	Average GPA		3.72
	MCAT mean of sections		11.3
Male-to-female ratio			53 to 47
Faculty-to-student ratio			2.9 to 1
Tuition, 2007–2008			$40,720
Average debt, 2007 graduates w/debt			$115,385