Whereas most students are admitted into the first year of the joint degree program, a few students each year join the program in their third year of training, having matriculated in our medical school initially and then having developed a strong and focused interest in research.

Students apply to the Mount Sinai joint degree training program through AMCAS. Applicants who identify Mount Sinai as a program to which they want to apply will then be forwarded a brief supplemental application form to complete. The latter application allows the student to more fully describe his/her specific reasons for applying to the Mount Sinai dual degree training program and to indicate specific areas of interest. The latter information is used for guidance in scheduling the most appropriate set of faculty with whom to schedule meetings if the applicant is invited to Mount Sinai for an interview. In addition to meeting the minimum subject requirements for admission to the M.D. program, the applicant must have significant research experience and have taken advanced courses in the sciences (e.g., physical chemistry, genetics, biochemistry).

Selected applicants are contacted by email to arrange an interview. Interview visits are scheduled from mid-November through late January. Interview visits begin on Monday afternoon and conclude on Tuesday afternoon, and offer the applicant an opportunity to meet with the Program Director and Administrator, members of the Admissions Committee, MTA Co-Directors, faculty members of the School of Medicine and Graduate School, and current students. Interviewees are also invited to attend a Medical Scientist Research seminar (MSRS).

Applicants are evaluated for admission by the M.D./Ph.D. Admissions Committee. The factors considered in the ranking by the Committee include undergraduate performance and courses taken, MCAT (and, if available, GRE) scores, recommendations from research mentors and other faculty from the undergraduate period, and, very importantly, the presentation at the interview of a commitment to and serious exposure to research.

Applicants who are offered acceptance to the M.D./Ph.D. Program or who are ranked highly on the wait list are encouraged to return to Mount Sinai for additional, relaxed opportunities to meet with faculty and students and to explore the special features of the program that relate most closely to their interests. All acceptances into the M.D./Ph.D. Program include an offer of financial support. A rolling system of admissions continues into the spring.

The MD/PhD application deadline is December 15, 2009.