Earn your B.S. and M.D. in only seven years.

In 1964, Rensselaer and the Albany Medical College (AMC) were pioneers in initiating an accelerated degree program that enabled qualified individuals to complete requirements for both the B.S. and M.D. degrees in an accelerated time frame. Now, many years and hundreds of graduates later, we are expanding on our innovative approach and are offering a program that will graduate physicians who are intensively trained in medical research. Qualified applicants who are accepted in the Rensselaer-Albany Medical College seven-year program will benefit from a unique science-based program built upon the rich tradition of Rensselaer's many years of technological innovation, as well as Albany Medical College's similar tradition of leadership in health-care research.

Outstanding physician-scientists:

  • bridge the gap between the laboratory and the patient
  • conduct biomedical research critical for improving the health of the general population in this country
  • bring new drugs to trials and to clinical use
  • accomplish numerous research activities that only physicians can do

For more information, please, call Rensselaer Admissions at 518-276-6216.

Program Information

Timeline

Spend semesters one through five exclusively at Rensselaer. Split your sixth semester between Rensselaer and AMC. Begin research that extends over your third and final year at Rensselaer and into the summer preceding your first year of medical school.

Earn your B.S. in Biology at the end of your fourth year, and earn your M.D. at the end of your seventh year.

Research and Industrial Experience

Most students pursue undergraduate research in faculty laboratories. Many seek industrial experience through Rensselaer’s Cooperative Education Program.

Curriculum

During the first three years at Rensselaer, the curriculum involves 70 percent premedical science courses and 30 percent liberal arts. The student then enrolls at AMC, and a number of science courses are transferred back to Rensselaer so the candidate graduates from Rensselaer with his or her entering class.

Students are ideally positioned to accomplish sufficient research to graduate from medical school with special recognition: the M.D.D.R. (the M.D. with Distinction in Research). Some students may elect to earn a Ph.D. by applying to the graduate studies program at AMC. By interrupting their medical school training between the second and third year and entering the graduate studies program, students can earn a Ph.D. in three years. During their graduate training students enjoy full tuition remission and earn a competitive stipend.

Apply

The value of this program is outstanding, and the opportunities are unlimited, but the Rensselaer/AMC Accelerated Physician-Scientist program is not for everyone. If you are highly motivated, mature, and desire a solid knowledge of scientific research that will help you be a more broadly educated physician and may even help you contribute to the medical innovations of the future, this accelerated program deserves your serious consideration.

Selection for this program takes place during the senior year of high school. Please review the current application requirements from the Office of Admissions.

If accepted to the program, you are not required to take the Medical College Admission Test.