Admissions

Students interested in the study of medicine at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University may apply through a variety of admission routes designed to create a highly qualified and diverse medical student body.

The majority of the 120 matriculants in the first-year class apply through the American College Application Service (AMCAS). Approximately (40%) of the first-year class enroll from Brown’s eight-year combined Bachelor’s-medical degree Program in Liberal Medical Education. These students are joined by students entering through special programs at institutions with which the medical school has formed linkages (postbaccaluareate and early identification). These admission routes are described below.

AMCAS Admission

Qualified students or graduates of accredited colleges or universities in the United States or Canada may apply to Alpert Medical School (AMS) through the AMCAS route. Individuals must first complete and submit the electronic AMCAS application, found on the website of the American Association of Medical Colleges (https://www.aamc.org), and indicate that they wish to apply to the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Applicants must also complete a web-based secondary application (forwarded by AMS Office of Admissions) and submit an application fee to be considered an eligible candidate for admission.

The AMCAS applicant pool for the most recent entering class (MD 2016) was competitive, with over 3300 applicants vying for 57 seats (of 120). The applicant pool was impressive in geographic scope and size, including residents of 49 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and a number of foreign countries (predominantly Canada, China, and South Korea).

Additional information and related admission requirements may be found at http://www.brown.edu/academics/medical/admission. The Office of Admissions may be contacted by email (MedSchool_Admissions@brown.edu) or telephone (401) 863-2149. Letters and other correspondence should be mailed to the Office of Admissions, Box G-M, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912-9706.

Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME)

The Program in Liberal Medical Education is an eight-year continuum of liberal arts and medical education leading to both the bachelor’s and M.D. degrees. The PLME is open to high school graduates who have applied to and are simultaneously admitted to Brown for their undergraduate studies. The PLME seeks highly qualified and strongly motivated high school students who are committed to a career in medicine at an early age and who also wish to pursue another area of academic interest to an advanced level of scholarship within the framework of a broad liberal education.

From a large (approximately 2,000) and highly qualified applicant pool, roughly 50 students matriculate annually. For additional information regarding the PLME, access the website at http://www.brown.edu/academics/medical/plme/ or contact the College Admission Office, Brown University, Box 1876, Providence, RI 02912-9706; (401) 863-2378.

Postbaccalaureate Linkage Programs

The Postbaccalaureate (PB) Linkages are cooperative ventures between Alpert Medical School and the Premedical PB Programs at Bryn Mawr College, Columbia University, Johns Hopkins University, and Goucher College. Postbaccalaureate students enrolled in these programs may be offered admission to the medical school during the spring semester of their first year of study, thus allowing them to enter the medical school in the next class.

Selection occurs by a nomination process in which the premedical advisor selects candidates meeting established eligibility criteria (e.g., age, postbac grade point average). The number of PB students in each medical school class depends upon the number of places available as well as the caliber of the applicant pool. PB students nominated for admission must apply to AMCAS and complete an AMS secondary application. The MCAT is not required for admission. Timelines for this process are distributed to PB Program Directors on a yearly basis. Completed applications are reviewed by a subcommittee of the Admissions Committee, which selects nominees for interviews. The interviews follow the same protocol as that for AMCAS applicants and the same evaluation form is used.

The Early Identification Program (EIP)

The Early Identification Program (EIP) provides selected students at cooperating institutions with a place at Alpert Medical School upon continued academic progress and college graduation. This route provides opportunities for a medical career to two groups:

• Rhode Island residents enrolled at Providence College, Rhode Island College, and the University of Rhode Island; and
• Students enrolled at Tougaloo College, a historically black, liberal arts institution in Mississippi.

Eligible students are identified by their premedical advisor in the sophomore year of college, participate in selected PLME activities, and enroll in medical school after receiving the bachelor’s degree. Generally, up to two students may be admitted annually from each school. For more information and application procedures, please contact the premedical advisor at the participating institutions. For more information access the website at http://www.brown.edu/academics/medical/admission/other-routes-of-admission

Definition of Rhode Island Residency for Medical School Admission

An individual is considered a Rhode Island resident if he or she graduated from a Rhode Island high school and if the individual’s parent(s) have lived in Rhode Island for the previous two calendar years, as documented by federal tax returns. For dependent students, the custodial parent(s) must claim the student as a dependent on his or her federal tax returns for the prior two years. Individuals who are independent (i.e., not living with parents and filing individual federal tax returns for the previous two years) must have at least one parent residing in Rhode Island for the previous two years, as documented by federal tax returns.

Selection Factors

Students admitted to Alpert Medical School must attain competence in the sciences basic to medicine at a sufficient level to provide adequate preparation for medical school. Applicants are expected to demonstrate competence by successfully completing the following premedical course requirements at a college or university in the United States or Canada: one semester of organic chemistry; and two semesters of physics, inorganic chemistry, and social and behavioral sciences. The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is required for AMCAS route applicants.

All applicants are selected on the basis of academic achievement, faculty evaluations, evidence of maturity, motivation, leadership, integrity, and compassion. For the PLME, Brown seeks highly qualified and strongly motivated students who wish to pursue an area of academic interest to an advanced level of scholarship within the framework of a liberal premedical education.

In order to be eligible for consideration, candidates must present a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.00 (on a 4.00 scale) in courses taken as a matriculated student at an undergraduate college. Applicants who have attended graduate school must achieve a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 (on a 4.00 scale) in courses taken in graduate school. Applicants must have completed requirements for the baccalaureate degree before matriculating into the medical school. All applicants must be capable of meeting the competency requirements expected of all graduates. Technological compensation can be made for some disabilities in certain competency requirements. Candidates accepted for admission who will need special accommodations cannot be admitted unless those supportive services are available, as determined by the Dean of Medicine and Biological Sciences. The processes for assessing whether applicants will be able to meet the competency requirements for the M.D. degree are described inTechnicalStandards for Medicine, listed below.

In keeping with the mission of Brown University, the office of admissions recognizes the importance of diversity to the success of the medical school. Dimensions of diversity include, but are not limited to: race, ethnicity, religious affiliation, gender identity, sexual orientation, veteran status, age, socioeconomic status and geographic background. Multicultural perspectives enrich educational understanding, improve outreach to the community, enhance trust and communication, and facilitate development of culturally appropriate clinical and research programs.

Technical Standards for Medicine

Policy and Process for Assessing Ability to Meet Technical Standards for Medicine:

1. No inquiry will be made on the application forms concerning disability. The Medical School has specific required Technical Standards for matriculation, continuation, and graduation. These Technical Standards are listed in the Student Handbook on the Medical School website.  Brown’s policies regarding technical abilities and skills necessary to meet the competency requirements are included with the letter of admission, and students are asked at that time to contact the Associate Dean for Medical Education if they have any concerns about their ability to meet these standards.
2. Applicants who are identified as having a disability through volunteered information, supporting credentials, or interviews will have an assessment of their ability to meet competency requirements only after a determination is made of their admissibility to the medical program.
3. Those applicants with disabilities deemed admissible to the Medical School will be requested to have submitted on their behalf appropriate documentation in regard to the disability from a qualified health professional. The health professional will be asked to provide an opinion on the candidate’s ability to meet the competency requirements for the M.D. degree. The applicant may also be requested to respond to that question.
4. The responses will be submitted to a committee appointed by the Dean of Medicine and Biological Sciences. This committee may ask for a review of the supporting documentation by appropriate members of the faculty in regard to the applicant’s meeting the competency requirements. The committee will ascertain what accommodations, if any, the medical program would need to make in order that the applicant might be able to meet the competency requirements, and assess the feasibility of any needed accommodations.
5. The committee will review the information received to determine if the applicant will be able to meet the competency requirements, with reasonable accommodations on the part of the medical program, if necessary.
6. The committee will recommend to the Dean of Medicine and Biological Sciences acceptance of applicants who can meet the competency requirements or will recommend nonacceptance if they cannot.

Process for Assessing Student’s Ability to Continue in the Medical School Should Disability Occur After Matriculation at Brown University:

1. A student who develops a disability after matriculation at Brown University may be identified to the Medical Student Affairs Office through a variety of sources, e.g., reporting of accident or illness by peers, family, friends, or faculty and subsequent follow-up with health professionals managing the care.
2. If the degree to which the student has become disabled raises questions related to meeting the competency requirements after a review by the Associate Dean for Medical Education, a meeting of an ad hoc committee will be set up to discuss the situation. The student will be asked to meet with the committee members, unless the disability is so severe that the student needs to be represented by another individual. In some cases, it might be more appropriate to have a health professional, not directly involved in the care, serve as a consultant to the committee on the issues surrounding the disability.
3. The ad hoc committee will develop a recommendation as to the student’s ability to successfully pursue a medical education based on his or her ability to meet the competency requirements of the medical program. These educational accommodations will be discussed with the appropriate course directors to be certain that there is agreement on how the student will be managed. If facilities accommodations are recommended, the committee will discuss these with the appropriate individuals to be certain that the needs for the disabled student can be provided. The committee’s recommendations will be discussed with the student or his or her representative in the event that the student cannot attend.
4. When the recommendation is that the disabled student can meet the medical program’s competency requirements, the committee will develop a report on any educational program accommodations that, if made, will still meet the competency requirements.
5. Should the decision of the committee be to recommend to the dean that the student be dropped from enrollment in the medical program, the normal due process appeals mechanism will be in effect, and the Student Affairs Office will work with the individual as appropriate on potential alternative career options. For students in the Program in Liberal Medical Education continuum, being dropped from the program due to inability to meet competency requirements for medical education does not necessitate the withdrawal of the student from the undergraduate college if that phase of the student’s education has not been completed.

Advanced Scholarship

Medical students who wish to earn an advanced degree (M.A., Sc.M., M.P.H., Ph.D.), must meet the requirements of the Graduate School. Numerous academic departments at Brown offer graduate programs. All graduate studies are carried out under the supervision of a faculty member of a graduate program at Brown University and are subject to the specific requirements of that program in addition to the general guidelines given below. Students should discuss their interests and goals with a director of a graduate program in planning any study that might lead to an advanced graduate degree.

Educational Programs

Program in Liberal Medical Education

The Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME) offers a unique opportunity to combine undergraduate education and professional studies in medicine into an eight-year program.

The PLME is not an accelerated medical program. Rather, it encourages students to take advantage of the breadth of a liberal arts education, to take charge of their education, and to become active learners. At Brown, creative students need not sacrifice the benefits of a rich liberal arts education in order to gain admission to medical school.

The PLME provides great flexibility in curriculum planning. During the early years, students take courses related to their chosen concentration and to obtain a broad liberal education. In addition, students take courses designed to meet the competencies required for admission to Alpert Medical School. This begins with courses in the natural, social and behavioral sciences, and mathematics, which provide a foundation for later medical science and clinical courses.

Students may choose to work towards an A.B. or Sc.B. degree in the sciences, or to fulfill the requirements for an A.B. in the humanities, social sciences or behavioral sciences. Several interdisciplinary concentrations such as Public Policy and International Relations are also available. The expected duration of the program is eight years. The last four years of the program culminate in the M.D. degree.

Brown’s entire faculty is available to PLME students. This access to faculty throughout the University fosters collaborative teaching and research among scholars and students from widely divergent disciplines. Although the program is characterized by the unique breadth of educational opportunities available to students, it has great strength in the conventional biomedical sciences accompanied by in depth research opportunities as well.

The Medical Curriculum

The Alpert Medical School curriculum has been designed and implemented with the intention of creating an integrated, contemporary, compassionate, and flexible program of learning for our students. Our approach to medical education is predicated on the vision that tomorrow's physician must be a lifelong learner who is scientifically and clinically enlightened, patient and service-centered, and who understands the economic underpinnings of the US health care system. Our goal is to train physicians who will provide informed and compassionate care while at the same time serving as leaders and change agents for the health care system. To achieve the latter goal, we aim to train physicians who will be leaders at all levels.

These educational goals are pursued through a curriculum with the following structure. During Years 1 and 2, students enroll in four sequential semesters of Integrated Medical Sciences (IMS-I through -IV) and Doctoring-I through -IV. The elective Scholarly Concentrations Program is introduced to students during Year 1. Year 3 allows students to explore core disciplines and related specialties through the completion of required clerkships in medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics & gynecology, psychiatry, and family medicine. The transition from the third year to the fourth year takes place in May, after which time students have the opportunity to develop a program of elective rotations aimed at finalizing a career choice, and obtaining and preparing for a residency in their chosen field.

Alpert Medical School continues to employ a competency-based curriculum that was officially launched in 1996 for the graduating MD Class of 2000. The rationale behind the competency-based curriculum stems from the need to define the outcomes of the educational process: what are the desirable qualities of a medical school graduate, and what constitutes the essential knowledge base that will enable a graduate to make a successful transition to his or her chosen medical field?

All students are expected to gain competency in the Nine Abilities (see below) and knowledge base by graduation. Each course within the core curriculum of the Medical School identifies which abilities and parts of the knowledge base it addresses. Students may also meet the competency requirements through individualized study, group independent study projects (GISPs), or alternative courses that might be arranged as part of collaborative learning opportunities.

Nine Abilities:

1. Effective communication
2. Basic clinical skills
3. Using basic science in the practice of medicine
4. Diagnosis, prevention, and treatment
5. Lifelong learning
6. Professionalism
7. Community health promotion and advocacy
8. Moral reasoning and clinical ethics
9. Clinical decision making

MD/PhD Program

Students interested in careers in academic medicine may want to consider dual MD/PhD training.  Applications are only accepted from current PLME and Alpert Medical School students.  Other interested individuals must apply to the MD program.  Consideration for PhD training will take place during years 1, 2 or 3 of medical school.

Our approach to dual MD/PhD training offers curriculum flexibility.  Students may begin their graduate work after Year 2 or Year 3 of medical school.  Components of the requirements for the MD may be incorporated into the graduate years, and graduate work can provide partial fulfillment of the Year 4 requirements for the MD.

PLME students in their undergraduate years and medical students in years 1, 2 or 3 must meet with the Associate Dean for Medical Education to discuss entry into the MD/PhD program.  Selection is based on past research accomplishments, a clear commitment to a research career, and academic achievement at Brown.  Students without substantial research experience will be advised to garner such experience before making an application to the program.  Applications will be considered not only by the Associate Dean but also by representatives of the graduate program(s) of interest to the student.

Learn more about the MD/PhD Program at : https://www.brown.edu/academics/medical/education/other-programs/md-phd/

MD/MPH Program

Students interested in the MD/MPH program must apply separately to Alpert Medical School and to Brown University’s Graduate School. Regardless of the route of admission to the medical school— PLME, Standard, EIP, Postbaccalaureate, Advanced Standing—all students are eligible to apply for the MPH during the first three years at the Alpert Medical School.

There is no formal path for non-Brown medical students to enroll in the 5-year MD/MPH Program. However, medical students from other schools are welcome to apply to the MPH Program through the standard route and they may request that up to 4 courses from their medical school curriculum count toward the MPH degree.

Learn more about the MD/MPH Program at: https://www.brown.edu/academics/public-health/mph/dual-degrees

Primary Care - Population Medicine Combined MD-ScM Program

SCM in Medical Physics

Medical Physics is one of the select non-MD specialties recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties. Medical Physicists contribute to maintaining and improving the quality, safety and cost-effectiveness of healthcare services through patient-oriented activities requiring expert action, and optimized clinical use of medical devices, such as CT and MRI scanners, linear accelerators, and treatment planning systems, including patient risk and protection.

Activities are based on current best evidence or the Medical physicists’ own scientific research when the available evidence is not sufficient.  The career path eventually leads to residency training and certification by the American Board of Radiology. 

Students will write a publishable thesis and engage in practical experience, both of which are essential to securing a residency. This is also the key metric of success for students and ultimately the program, in addition to students’ academic success beyond residency and board certification. In addition, the program will be distinctive in that students will have a full semester to undertake their research and work closely with faculty.

Learn more about the SCM in Medical Physics Program at: https://www.brown.edu/med-physics-graduate-program/

Brown Gateways to Medicine, Health Care, and Research - Master of Science in Medical Sciences

The Gateways Program at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University provides academically promising, motivated students new pathways to careers in the health sciences. 

In this one-year, full-time program, you will complete 8.5 required courses culminating in a Master of Science (ScM) in Medical Sciences from Brown University. Courses include all four of the basic science courses and two of the three organ system courses undertaken by first-year medical students at Alpert Medical School. You’ll also complete a unique seminar course series about pressing issues in today’s health care system, such as social determinants of disease, population health, interdisciplinary teamwork, quality improvement, and health care communication. Integrated into this course series will be a longitudinal service learning experience at a community healthcare site and an associated community-based capstone project.

Learn more about the ScM in Medical Sciences program at: https://www.brown.edu/academics/medical/education/other-programs/gateways/master-science-medical-sciences

For additional information regarding Alpert Medical School please visit the website at: http://brown.edu/academics/medical/