A modern school of medicine exists in many minds and in many places. It includes many more disciplines than all those available to such physicians as Copernicus and John Locke, famous for discoveries well beyond medicine then or now. UCLA School of Medicine faculty and students may be found in the Molecular Biology Institute and in the Department of Physiology, in the clinics, wards, and operating rooms of the UCLA Medical Center and Los Angeles County Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, in the Health Sciences Computer Center, in the Louise Darling Biomedical Library, and in dozens of other clinical and scientific facilities.
Regarded by many physicians and medical faculty to be among the best in the nation, UCLA's School of Medicine encompasses a wide range of clinical specialties, including neurology, obstetrics and gynecology, ophthalmology, orthopedic surgery, pediatrics, radiation oncology, and surgery. Graduate work leading to the M.S. and/or Ph.D. degrees is offered through the Graduate Division, either separately or in conjunction with the M.D. program, in 10 different disciplines.
Each department of the school is staffed by a distinguished faculty of respected researchers and practitioners. They have at their disposal some of the most technologically advanced equipment and facilities, including two of the nation's 56 hospital-based biomedical cyclotrons producing short-lived radioisotopes for biological research and diagnostic nuclear medicine procedures.
The UCLA School of Medicine offers an M.D. degree program, several allied health programs in affiliation with other hospitals and universities, and a number of postgraduate medical training programs. In addition to specialties in medicine, neurology, obstetrics and gynecology, ophthalmology, orthopedic surgery, pediatrics, radiation oncology, and surgery, which lead to the M.D. degree, a range of master's and doctoral degrees is offered through the Graduate Division.
Anatomy and Cell Biology (M.S., C.Phil., Ph.D.)
Anesthesiology -- Nurse Anesthesia (M.S.)
Biological Chemistry (M.S., Ph.D.)
Biomathematics (M.S., Ph.D.)
Microbiology and Immunology (M.S., Ph.D.)
Neuroscience (Ph.D.)
Pathology -- Experimental Pathology (M.S., Ph.D.)
Pharmacology (M.S., Ph.D.)
Physiology (MS., Ph.D.)
Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences Clinical Psychology
Internship (Certificate)
Radiological Sciences -- Biomedical Physics (M.S., Ph.D.)
Note: The following Master of Science degrees require application to the doctoral degree program: Anatomy and Cell Biology, Microbiology and Immunology, Pharmacology, Physiology.
The four-year curriculum leading to the degree of Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) at UCLA is designed to develop a comprehensive scientific and humane approach to patient care that includes basic sciences, preventive medicine, diagnosis, and therapeutics. Clinical skills are taught in the context of anatomical, molecular, pathophysiological, and psychosocial factors in health, disease, and treatment.
During the first two years, which are devoted mainly to the basic sciences with only periodic, brief clinical exposure, instruction is primarily in the form of lectures, laboratory sessions, small-group problem-oriented instruction, demon-strations, and tutorials. In the last two years, instruction in patient care is given in the form of required and elective clinical rotations at the UCLA Medical Center and at the many affiliated hospitals.
All of the medical school departments participate in the medical curriculum leading to the M.D. degree. If you are interested in details on the M.D. curriculum and a listing of courses offered in each department, or if you wish to make application to the M.D. program, you should obtain a copy of the Announcement of the UCLA School of Medicine from the Office of Student Affairs, School of Medicine, 12-109 CHS, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1720. See the College of Letters and Science earlier in this section for details on the four-year premedical studies program.
Master's and/or doctoral degrees are offered through the UCLA Graduate Division in the following fields: anatomy (Department of Neurobiology), biological chemistry, biomathematics, biomedical physics (Department of Radiological Sciences), experimental pathology, microbiology and immunology, neuroscience, nurse anesthesia, pharmacology, and physiology. Detailed information on these programs, for which admission to the School of Medicine is not required, is provided in the departmental listings in the Curricula and Courses section of this catalog.
For information on the proficiency in English requirements for international graduate students, refer to Graduate Admission in the Graduate Study section of this catalog
The School of Medicine offers an articulated degree program in conjunction with the Graduate Division which allows you to earn both the M.D. and Ph.D. in seven years, depending on your course of study and research. The Ph.D. may be awarded in one of several medical science fields. For more information, contact the Medical Scientist Training Program at (310) 794-1817.
In addition, an arrangement with the School of Public Health enables you to pursue the M.P.H. degree while attending medical school. Interested students should consult the Student Affairs Office in the School of Public Health.
Programs in allied health include animal care technician, dental assistant, dental hygienist, dietetics technician, emergency medical technician, social work, pharmacy, respiratory therapist, vocational nurse, nurse anesthetist, operating room nurse, physician's assistant, physical therapist, radiologic technologist, radiation therapy technologist, and ultrasound technologist.
Information regarding these programs may be obtained from the Office of Allied Health Programs in the UCLA Center for the Health Sciences (310-794-8352).
Postgraduate training programs, including residencies, are available at several off-campus sites in addition to those offered at the UCLA Medical Center. Programs at the allied institutions broaden the scope of the teaching programs by providing extensive clinical facilities, special population settings, and diverse practice modes. Information about these programs is available from the Office of Student Affairs, UCLA School of Medicine.