Historically, some of the oldest BS/MD programs were six year programs. But recently there have only been four BS/MD programs that were six year programs.
And now there are three. Penn State University has eliminated the six year option in the BS/MD program. Starting next fall all of the new BS/MD students at Penn State will be in a seven year program.
While some students have liked the six year programs because it got them to their ultimate goal of becoming a doctor sooner, there were problems. Since medical school was still four years long, these programs only had two years for the undergraduate program. Which basically meant students were doing nothing but taking the required science classes before medical school.
The shortened time frame meant students couldn’t do study abroad programs and doing research and extra volunteering were difficult. And forget taking classes outside the sciences which might make you a more well rounded physician. In addition, these programs have often been stressful given the shortened time frame that left no time for mistakes in scheduling.
Given these issues, I am not terribly surprised that Penn State has eliminated the six year option. They began offering a seven year option a few years ago and obviously they liked how that new option worked out.
For students that like the six year option there is still UMKC, NEOMED and Howard.
Leave a Comment