Opt-Out Master’s Degree for MD Students

PHSU students enrolled in the medical education program who cannot continue or complete medical studies and comply with the requirements of the MSMS program could apply to the Registrar’s Office for the Master of Science in Medical Sciences degree. The following are the requirements for MD students to qualify for the MSMS degree:

Requirements

1. Time Frame for completion of the Academic Program

A medical student will be allowed a maximum of three years after the satisfactory completion of the last course or clerkship of the medical education program to apply for the MSMS degree.

The total number of credits for completion of the MSMS degree includes the courses of the first year of the medical program; the students will have a maximum time frame of two years to pass all first-year medical courses in order to be eligible for the MSMS opt-out option.

1. Completion of Program Requirements

1. Course Requirement

Students must pass all courses in the first year of the medical program within the established time frame.

1. Comprehensive Qualifying Examination Requirement (CQX)

A CQX or USMLE Step 1 must be passed to qualify for the MSMS degree. The medical student who has not passed the USMLE Step 1 should apply for the MSMS degree to be eligible to take the CQX. The students will be allowed a maximum of three attempts to take and pass one of these examinations. The students will have one year after taking the last medical course or clerkship to complete this requirement.

1. Professional Behavior Requirement

The students must conduct themselves in accordance with the norms for professional conduct set forth by the Ponce Health Sciences University and the corresponding accreditation agencies.