Comparison of Course Schedule for 2-year and 3-year Pre-clerkship Paths

During the first year of medical school, all students will complete the same Foundations of Medicine, Practice of Medicine (POM), and Human Health and Diseases (HHD) courses at the same pace. Starting in Academic Year 2019-20, Early Clinical Experience (ECE) will also be part of the required coursework for Year One. In the autumn quarter of Year Two, students will either take the POM and HHD curriculum at full-pace or half-pace. Students in the traditional two-year pre-clerkship pathway will take a full course load of 6 half-days per week (diagram provided below), which still allows open time for longitudinal scholarship because there are no classes on Wednesdays and during summer quarters.

In comparison, the three-year pre-clerkship option only requires class work on 3 half-days per week for the autumn and winter quarters of Year Two and Year Three (diagrams provided below). Additionally, the spring quarter of Year Two will not have scheduled courses except for requirements for continuity. Since there are no classes during summer quarters, three-year pre-clerkship students will have nearly 6 months of open time for scholarship right after the winter quarter of Year Two. Spreading out the pre-clerkship education significantly increases the open time for scholarship. The three-year pre-clerkship is a selective option that students must apply for prior to the second year of medical school.