USC-Caltech MD-PhD Program

Empowering Physician-Scientists

The Keck School of Medicine’s USC-Caltech MD-PhD students are privileged to study in one of the richest scientific environments in the nation. Our partnership with the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) gives students access to Caltech’s stellar faculty and state of the art research facilities. USC’s schools – including the Keck School of Medicine, the Viterbi School of Engineering, the Mann School of Pharmacy and the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences – provide students with an enviable range of cross-disciplinary research opportunities.

Personalized Mentoring

USC-Caltech MD-PhD students receive personalized mentorship from directors and faculty throughout the duration of the program.

Two Scientific Powerhouses

USC and Caltech provide vast opportunities for conducting forefront research. Students are able to pursue PhDs in many fields of interest. The program has strength in engineering at both institutions.

Brain image from the USC's Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute

World Class Facilities

Research is supported by state-of-the art facilities at both USC and Caltech, including the Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, the Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, and the Michelson Center for Convergent Biosciences.

Keck School of Medicine and USC Viterbi School of Engineering buildings.

Viterbi Keck Partnership

The Keck School of Medicine of USC and the USC Viterbi School of Engineering have announced that the Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering will become a joint department between the two schools, forging a formal partnership in education, research and innovation in technology and medicine. This joint department, one of the first of its kind in California, builds on decades of cross-disciplinary research and breakthroughs at USC, including the world’s first FDA-approved artificial retina, the first brain implant to restore lost memory function, and innovations in immunotherapy to treat cancer.

Beyond the Bench: Social Science and Humanities Pathways

Flexibility for students whose research interests extend beyond the traditional biomedical sciences. In addition to laboratory-based and engineering disciplines, students have the opportunity to pursue PhD training in select social science and humanities fields

medical student performing an ultrasounds

Excellent Clinical Training

Keck provides exposure to a broad patient population through Los Angeles General Medical Center (formerly LAC+USC), Keck Hospital of USC, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) and Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center. Students gain experience with diverse, medically complex, and underserved populations.

Curriculum

It is an exciting time to be involved in medical research and our program has the resources an aspiring physician scientist needs to learn to conduct groundbreaking medical research. Our goal is nothing short of training those physician scientists whose research will change the practice of medicine in the 21st century.

Explore the USC-Caltech MD PhD Program Curriculum