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Programs
WE ARE COMMITTED TO ENHANCING OPPORTUNITIES
Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences offers world-class graduate education leading to Ph.D. and M.D.-Ph.D. degrees, as well as master’s degree programs for Mayo Clinic residents and fellows.
We also offer a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship that introduces aspiring scientists to the world of biomedical research, along with other training opportunities for developing scientists.
Explore our Ph.D. Program in biomedical science
Aspiring biomedical scientists must acquire a broad background of knowledge and expertise, as well as in-depth understanding of their primary area of research interest.
At Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, you’ll discover a unique research training environment of academic inquiry and scientific discovery, combined with exceptional intellectual and technological resources designed to help you achieve your highest scientific career goals.
Whether you’re preparing for graduate school or applying now, the Mayo Clinic experience for biomedical science Ph.D. students is different.
Here are five key reasons why:
- Research training by leading investigators in fields ranging from molecules to populations, all in the context of exceptional health care. Embedded within a top academic medical center, you’ll have access to clinical data from more than 6 million patient histories.
- Research training opportunities at three digitally-interacting campuses in Rochester, Minnesota, Jacksonville, Florida, and Scottsdale, Arizona.
- A free agency funding model offered by only a handful of other elite programs. Every student is awarded a central fellowship for five years. Mentors are not allowed to fund student salaries as employees.
- A subsidized Career Development Internship program. Senior students experience embedded networking opportunities in career settings different from those of their research mentors.
- A national destination for research training of students from backgrounds underrepresented in science. Mayo’s NIH-funded IMSD is more than two decades old, and Mayo invented the NIH PREP concept.
Mayo Clinic M.D.-Ph.D. Program
The Mayo Clinic M.D.-Ph.D. Program educates students to meet the demands of a career as a physician-scientist. By combining M.D. and Ph.D. training, we prepare our graduates to be leaders in both clinical medicine and in scientific research to significantly impact the future of medicine and science. Our graduates go on to be highly successful in their respective fields of clinical medicine, research, medical education, and leadership.
Program highlights
- Our flexible curriculum prepares students with a sound foundation in medical training to fully understand all levels of their scientific research and how it contributes to patient care and human health. Above all, it gives students the flexibility to become the physician-scientists they want to be.
- Students are fully supported through a unique funding model: a guaranteed internal fellowship for up to eight years.
- Mayo Clinic provides nationwide opportunities throughout three unique campuses in Rochester, Minnesota; Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona; and Jacksonville, Florida. Students are able to take advantage of opportunities at any of the three campus locations for a truly unique educational experience.
- Modern research requires access to cutting-edge technology and research support services. Mayo Clinic provides students access to an unbelievable array of research and clinical resources.
Our program benefits from the exceptional clinical training of Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine and the extraordinary research education and resources of Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Mayo Clinic is well-known for its tradition of integrating patient care, research, and education. These connections are reflected throughout our curriculum, student experiences, opportunities, and graduate outcomes.
A career in biomedical research is not for everyone. But, if you:
- Love science and get a thrill out of discovery
- Always want to know why, not just what
- Enjoy tough problems that just don’t seem to want to be solved
- Want to contribute to new medical breakthroughs
… then a career as a Ph.D. or M.D.-Ph.D. scientist might be for you. You won’t be certain, though, until you immerse yourself in a research lab, and Mayo Clinic is one of the best places for you to do that.
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF), sponsored by Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, offers a great way to build your skills as a young scientist or test your inclinations toward research.
Our SURF fellows tell us about the lasting friendships they made during the program and how the experience helped them with their career decision-making process. And because the questions they are studying are at the forefront of modern science, many students earn acknowledgment or co-authorship in articles submitted to professional publications.
In addition to their lab work, they also describe some of their unique experiences:
- Mentors. The daily experience of learning from Mayo Clinic faculty, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, medical students and others who are farther along their career paths.
- Real-world research. The excitement of gaining hands-on experience with real-world research projects at a major medical center.
- Top-notch scientists. The opportunities they had for close collaboration with nationally and internationally recognized scientists.
- Modern facilities. The chance to learn how to use world-class instrumentation in modern research facilities.
- Community. Great times living, working and playing with the whole SURF community.
We work hard to bring together a wide variety of talented, motivated students from all ethnic, geographic, educational and economic groups.
A unique experience in clinical, translational, and basic science research for recent college graduates.
Many talented underrepresented students approach college graduation not quite ready to start graduate training. Some students discover research late in their college careers and need more research experience to compete for top Ph.D. and M.D.-Ph.D. programs.
The Post-baccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP) encourages individuals from underrepresented groups or from a disadvantaged background who hold a recent baccalaureate degree in a biomedically relevant area of study to pursue a research doctorate. The program focus is to strengthen the research skills and academic competitiveness of program participants in an effort to help meet the critical need for diverse investigators in basic and translational research.
This objective is achieved by providing:
- An intense mentored research experience in basic science or translational research in the top laboratories at Mayo Clinic
- Special seminars and selected graduate-level courses to expand each student’s knowledge base so they can begin to apply basic science knowledge to biomedical research
- Mentoring and guidance to assist with successful continuation into a research doctorate program to succeed in a basic or translational biomedical research career
Program details
- Up to nine research assistantships are available on an annual basis, usually for a period of one year (a second year of support may be available)
- A salary of $28,000 a year
- Full eligibility for Mayo Clinic’s benefit package, including low-cost, comprehensive medical coverage
- A dynamic mentored research experience in a supportive environment characterized by outstanding research resources, a cooperative approach to research and an atmosphere with the highest level of mutual respect among all students and staff
- A curriculum that includes seminars, workshops, and courses
- Extensive mentoring on career choices and applying to graduate school
- Careful matching between student and mentor research and career interests
- GRE study materials and tutoring
- The option to enroll in a limited number of Ph.D.-level graduate courses (up to four credits per quarter) at Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
- Students interested in pursuing an M.D.-Ph.D. degree must submit their MCAT scores on the application and include their AMCAS documentation
Goals
GREP is a post-baccalaureate program for participants with an interest in biomedical research. You will gain research experience that will aid you in deciding on and obtaining opportunities in your chosen career path related to biomedical research. The experience will increase your competitiveness and prepare you for your next career step. These goals are achieved by providing:
- a mentored research experience in a world-class biomedical research laboratory
- participation in selected graduate classes and seminars to enhance understanding of and provide exposure to related research and career development tools, including networking opportunities
- presentation opportunities
- access to mentoring and guidance with next steps in career development
Choosing Mayo Clinic
THE OVERRIDING MISSION OF MAYO CLINIC GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES IS TO TRAIN FUTURE LEADERS IN BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH AND EDUCATION.
Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences has a distinguished history of preparing students for careers as competitive, independent research investigators. The distinctive character of Mayo Clinic stems from unique training experiences embedded within a premier academic medical center. As a student here, you’ll have access to clinical data from more than 6 million patient histories and the opportunity to work on a wide range of research projects in state-of-the-art research facilities.
Other key factors that distinguish Mayo Clinic include:
LOCATIONS
EXPLORE OUR CAMPUSES AND COMMUNITIES
Three world-class locations with diverse patient populations and research opportunities. Pick sunny, snowy, or both.
Three world-class campus locations and an extensive Midwest health system offer diverse patient populations, unparalleled research opportunities, and an array of things to do outside the classroom, hospital and clinic.
Phoenix, Arizona
Sun-drenched. Diverse. Growing fast.
Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona, are located in the Sonoran Desert within a metropolitan area of nearly 5 million residents. With Phoenix being the fifth-largest city in the nation, this sunny desert metropolis offers the amenities of a big city in the midst of a strikingly beautiful, rugged, southwest landscape.
Discover why everyone from outdoor adventurers to art and food lovers settle in around our Arizona campus.
Rochester, Minnesota
Hope. Healing. Energy.
For more than 150 years, Rochester has been a destination for patients facing the most serious and complex medical challenges. Some come here as their first option. Others find us as a last resort. But they all come to our southeastern Minnesota city in search of the same thing: solutions and hope. We’re a city that cares about families and celebrates diversity. A city committed to growth and the future.
See why people come from all over the world to train at Mayo Clinic and end up calling Rochester home.
Jacksonville, Florida
Coastal. Young. Sun-soaked.
Jacksonville is the largest city in the state with a diverse population of more than 840,000 residents. This northeastern Florida hub offers the best of a major metro area with the friendly charm of a small southern town.
Its mild climate, coastal location and 270+ annual days of sunshine mean there’s plenty to do year-round. You’ll find national and state parks, professional sports, open-air shopping, and a range of art and cultural events.
CONTACT
200 First St. SW
Rochester, MN 55905
507-284-3745
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