The medical curriculum is designed and delivered by the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences (UNDSMHS) basic science and clinical faculty.  Our goal is to prepare students to become:

• Physicians who are self-directed, lifelong learners capable of and willing to employ systematic approaches for promoting, maintaining, and improving the health of individuals and populations.

• Physicians who understand the scientific basis of medicine and are capable of applying that knowledge in the practice of medicine.

• Physicians highly skilled in providing care to individual patients.

• Physicians capable and willing to collaborate with other health care professionals in carrying out their roles as skilled clinicians and as agents for improving the health of individuals and populations.

The Goals, Objectives, and Principals of the curriculum can be downloaded here.

Students enrolling at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences generally earn their M.D. degree after four years of study. The first two years of study take place on the Grand Forks campus and are focused on basic sciences and clinical skills. At the end of the second year, students complete Step 1 of the national licensing exam.

During the third year students are assigned to clinical rotations on one of three campuses: Grand Forks, Fargo or Bismarck. All students complete 6 clerkships during this year: pediatrics, family medicine, surgery, psychiatry, internal medicine and obstetrics/gynecology.

Students spend their fourth year at one of four campuses - Grand Forks, Fargo, Bismarck and Minot. Two acting internships are required during 4th year, along with 6 electives and a research project. At the end of the fourth year, students complete both parts of the Step 2 national licensing exam.

Click here for a short (15 minute) overview of the UND Curriculum by Thomas Hill, Ph.D., Director of the Office of Medical Education .