Concurrent Degrees
UW Affiliated Dual Degrees
Master of Public Health (MPH) and Master of Health Administrations (MHA) are the only concurrent degree programs approved by UWSOM and the UW Graduate School. Both programs must be completed at the University of Washington.
Students with an interest in pursuing an additional degree concurrently with their MD degree are strongly encouraged to meet with a Student Affairs dean to learn about the schedule implications involved with pursuing a dual degree. Approval from a Student Affairs dean is required to participate in a concurrent degree program following the completion of the traditional third year or Patient Care Phase of the curriculum. Students must be in good academic standing to be eligible for consideration to enter another graduate program while enrolled in the School of Medicine.
You must independently apply for these programs. You can initiate applications for these programs during the admissions process to medical school and if accepted, must defer enrollment until after the completion of the Patient Care Phase.
If you want to pursue a non-concurrent program at UW or at another institution, and obtain approval to participate in the program, you will need to take a leave of absence to complete the program. During the leave of absence, you will not have access to UWSOM resources and cannot enroll in any UWSOM school work.
For more information about UW Concurrent Degrees, visit this site.
Tuition
Tuition for a concurrent degree is set by the program. You may contact the UW state residency office to clarify their residency status for tuition purposes. WWAMI regional students must discuss their plans with their Foundations Dean and are encouraged to meet with SOM Financial Aid to understand their financial obligations.
UWSOM tuition waivers cannot be used for a concurrent degree program.
Timeline & Scheduling
Enrollment in a concurrent degree program can begin only after the completion of the Patient Care Phase, third year OSCEs, and Step 2 CK. In addition, students are required to complete the following clerkships before starting the concurrent degree:
- Neurology OR Emergency Medicine
- Advanced Patient Care (APC) clerkship OR a Sub-I (4 weeks)
You must contact the UWSOM Registrar’s office at somreg@uw.edu to arrange your schedule to allow for completion of the Explore and Focus Phase after completion of the concurrent degree program. A concurrent degree cannot be completed in the final year of medical school as you must finish medical school with the Explore and Focus Phase.
You are also expected to complete all components of the concurrent degree program, including the thesis, before returning to the medical school curriculum.