Curriculum Content by Class

Curriculum Overview

Beginning with the class of 2013, Columbia launched an innovative, flexible, new curriculum that reorganizes the academic structure of medical education by dispensing with the old designations of first, second, third, and fourth years. Those categories are replaced by three major segments in the restructured curriculum: Fundamentals, Major Clinical Year, and Differentiation & Integration.

This new curriculum takes advantage of the latest knowledge about how adults learn and is designed to inspire students to take ownership of their own learning. It fosters the team-based approach that is an essential element of medicine today, while at the same time allows students to explore their individual goals in medicine.

Successful completion of the MD degree requires the following:

• Passing all courses in the Fundamentals Curriculum 
• Passing all clinical clerkships in the Major Clinical Year 
• Passing all electives in the Differentiation & Integration curriculum 
• Completion of a Scholarly Project according to the policies outlined by the faculty committee 
• Passing of the USMLE Step 1 and USMLE Step 2 CK exams 
• Taking the USMLE Step 2CS exam  

Faculty committees oversee the policies and monitor student progress throughout their enrollment at P&S. Policies specific to the requirements above are delineated in the "Policies" section of this website and it is the responsibility of the student to be familiar with them throughout their time here. 

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