Medical School Curriculum

Students generally earn their M.D. degree in four years.

What to Expect

Medical education is challenging and intensive. To succeed, students need academic stamina, strong study habits, emotional maturity and the cognitive ability to manage a demanding curriculum.

At UND, you’ll build on foundational knowledge to understand both normal and abnormal processes in the human body, as well as the behavioral and social factors that influence health. You’ll develop skills in diagnosis, treatment, prognosis and disease management, along with health maintenance, prevention, screening and public health.

Modern medicine also requires strong communication skills and the ability to work in complex, team-based health care environments. As a future physician, you’ll care for diverse patient populations while upholding the highest standards of professionalism and ethics.

Phase 1: Academic Courses

Timeline: 20 months
Location: Grand Forks, North Dakota

You'll study the basic sciences and begin clinical skills training in small-group settings.

What you'll learn:

Anatomy, pathology and physiology
Fundamentals of patient care and communication
Simulation-based practice with real clinical scenarios

Phase 2: Clerkships

Timeline: 14 months
Location: Grand Forks, Fargo, Bismarck, Minot or rural North Dakota sites

Phase 2 is where you move from classroom to clinic, rotating through seven core specialties:

Family Medicine
Internal Medicine
Obstetrics/Gynecology
Surgery
Pediatrics
Psychiatry
Neurology

Clinical Pathway Options

Choose from one of the following:

Traditional Clerkships: 4–8 week rotations in each specialty at one of our home campuses
ROME (Rural Opportunities in Medical Education): 20–28 weeks in a rural North Dakota primary care setting
MILE (Minot Integrated Longitudinal Experience): 44-week program combining all core specialties in one integrated experience

Additional Requirements

Two 2-week elective rotations
Clinical Epidemiology course and research project
Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)
Step 1 prep course and United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1

Phase 3: Electives and Acting Internships

Timeline: 12.5 months
Location: Clinical campus mostly in Grand Forks, Fargo, Bismarck or Minot

In Phase 3, you'll personalize your final year with electives, an acting internship and residency preparation. You’ll complete:

28 weeks of electives and acting internships
One UND-based Acting Internship (AI)
Step 2 prep course and USMILE Step 2
Transition to Residency Course
Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Course

Residency Training

Following graduation from medical school, you will move on to residency. Explore UND’s residency programs to see what opportunities we have right here at home.

Explore More

Get more details about UND’s medical curriculum by exploring the Medical Education area of our site.