What medical and graduate programs does UVA School of Medicine offer?

Updated

The University of Virginia School of Medicine offers a set of degree and training pathways that span medical school, doctoral research, combined degrees, public health, residency and fellowship training, and continuing education. Its site lists an MD Program, a Biomedical Sciences PhD Program, a Medical Scientist Training Program, a Public Health Sciences Program, Graduate Medical Education, and Continuing Education. If you are deciding where to apply, the practical next step is to open the page for the specific program you want, because admissions requirements, deadlines, and curriculum details live on those individual program pages rather than in one central catalog.

Degree and training pathways listed

Program What it is Best suited for
MD Program The medical degree pathway, supported by the school's system-based "Cells to Society" curriculum Applicants seeking a medical degree
Biomedical Sciences PhD Program Doctoral research training in the biomedical sciences Applicants seeking a research doctorate
Medical Scientist Training Program Combined physician-scientist training (commonly MD-PhD) Applicants who want both clinical and research training
Public Health Sciences Program Study in public health sciences Applicants focused on population and public health
Graduate Medical Education Residency and fellowship training after the MD Medical graduates pursuing specialty training
Continuing Education Ongoing professional education Practicing professionals maintaining or expanding skills

How the MD pathway is structured

The school describes its curriculum as system-based and named "Cells to Society." That framing signals an approach that moves from molecular and cellular foundations toward population and societal context. The MD Program page is where you should look for the detailed course sequence, clinical rotations, and admissions information.

The school also publicly marks milestones in this pathway. It celebrated 155 new medical students at its annual White Coat Ceremony, described as symbolizing the start of their medical education, and it celebrated the Class of 2026 at Final Exercises. These events show the entry and completion points of the MD journey, but they are not a substitute for the program page when you need requirements.

Research and combined training

The Biomedical Sciences PhD Program covers doctoral training, and the site notes that first-year students in that program received lab coats at a ceremony, marking their entry into research training. The Medical Scientist Training Program is listed separately, which is the pathway to check if you want combined clinical and research training.

The school also maintains a Research section with an Office for Research, services for researchers, research departments, centers, core facilities, and a research faculty directory. If your goal is lab-based training, those pages help you see the research environment that supports the PhD and combined programs.

Clinical departments and specialty exposure

The Clinical section lists departments including Anesthesiology, Dermatology, Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, Medicine, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Ophthalmology, Orthopaedic Surgery, Otolaryngology, Pathology, Pediatrics, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Plastic Surgery, Maxillofacial, & Oral Health, Psychiatry & Neurobehavioral Sciences, Radiation Oncology, Radiology & Medical Imaging, Surgery, and Urology. These department pages are useful for understanding where clinical training and specialty care happen, and they can help you identify areas of interest before or during medical school.

Leadership and departmental context

Recent appointments show active departmental leadership: Nassima Ait-Daoud Tiouririne, MD, was named chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences, and Bettina Winckler, PhD, was appointed chair of the Department of Cell Biology. For applicants, this matters mainly as context for the research and clinical areas the school is investing in, not as an admissions criterion.

How to use the site to decide

  1. Start with the Education section, which groups the MD Program, Graduate Medical Education, Biomedical Sciences PhD Program, Medical Scientist Training Program, Public Health Sciences Program, and Continuing Education.
  2. Open the page for the program that matches your goal.
  3. Look for admissions requirements, application process, deadlines, and curriculum structure on that page.
  4. Use the Research and Clinical sections to check whether the school's departments, centers, and core facilities align with your interests.
  5. If you are unsure between research and clinical training, compare the Biomedical Sciences PhD Program and the Medical Scientist Training Program side by side.

A common sticking point is assuming one page covers everything. The site separates programs, so requirements for the MD Program will not answer questions about the PhD or public health pathways. Another is treating news items, such as White Coat Ceremonies or chair appointments, as program information; they are useful signals about the school's activity, but the program pages are where you verify what you need to apply.