The College of Osteopathic Medicine at Michigan State University (MSUCOM) offers a professional graduate program leading to the degree of Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.). The program is accredited by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA).

The D.O. program is organized to develop the knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviors consistent with the competent practice of osteopathic medicine.  The four-year program is divided into preclerkship and clerkship phases.  In the preclerkship phase, the foundational biomedical sciences and clinical disciplines are presented through an integrated curriculum.  Students are introduced to clinical skills, including professional development, data gathering, physical examination, diagnostic reasoning, and osteopathic principles and their application to patient care.  Early clinical experiences and patient encounters are interwoven to promote connections.  The clerkship phase provides immersive training across core clinical disciplines in the MSUCOM Statewide Campus System, as well as options for elective rotations throughout Michigan and elsewhere.  Throughout the program, there is longitudinal integration of the osteopathic core competencies, including development of professionalism and communication skills for interprofessional patient care; strategies for self-directed, lifelong learning; and application of principles of research and scholarly inquiry.

Admission

The science and practice of osteopathic medicine require an understanding of the relationships among the physical, biological, psychological, cultural, and environmental aspects of human behavior. Thus osteopathic education requires preparation in the natural, social, and behavioral sciences and the humanities. Candidates are expected to demonstrate their ability to work and think independently and in a scholarly manner. The mean grade-point average of students who are admitted to the program is 3.5 to 3.6.

Applicants for admission to the first–year class in the college must meet the following minimum requirements:

1. Completion of at least 90 semester credits in a college or university accredited by a regional accrediting commission of higher education.
2. Completion of 8 semester credits of biology with no grade below 2.0, including both course work and laboratory work in general biology or general zoology.
3. Completion of 16 semester credits of chemistry, including three semester credits of biochemistry, with no grade below 2.0.
4. Completion of 6 semester credits of English—including both oral and written English, with no grade below 2.0.
5. The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) must be taken by the end of September of the year application is being made. Scores cannot be more than 3 years old.
6. Suggested science course electives include anatomy, physiology, microbiology, histology, and statistics at the 300- and 400-level.
7. Suggested medical humanities and ethics electives include course work in philosophy, history of medicine and medical ethics. 

An application must be completed and all official transcripts submitted to the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Service (AACOMAS). It is highly recommended that the application be submitted no later than June 1 of the application year for students who wish to begin classes the following spring. The Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine forwards to all applicants a secondary application. Early application is essential because the college admits its students on a rolling basis. Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine classes begin in June. Most Admissions Committee reviews are conducted between September and March. Selection of students for the class and for the waiting list is generally completed by early April.

Requirements for the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Degree

The standard duration of the D.O. degree program is four years. A student may be granted up to six years to complete all degree requirements, as defined in the MSUCOM Policy for Retention, Promotion, and Graduation.  Specific program requirements leading to conferral of the D.O. degree include:

1. Completion of each required course in the preclerkship and clerkship phase with a passing grade or successful remediation.
2. Passing score on the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME) COMLEX-USA Level 1, COMLEX-USA Level 2 Cognitive Evaluation (CE), and COMLEX-USA Level 2 Performance Evaluation (PE) licensure examinations, with no more than three (3) attempts permitted on each examination.
3. Compliance with annual training requirements of the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) program.
4. Achievement of the academic requirements and professional conduct expectations of the D.O. program as outlined in the policies and procedures of MSUCOM and MSU.

Preclerkship Curriculum

The preclerkship curriculum consists of 100 required credit hours across seven semesters, representing years one and two of the four-year program.  The courses are offered in a predefined sequence. Successful completion of each course in a semester is required to advance to the following semester. The following courses are required:

ANTR	510	Clinical Human Gross Anatomy and Palpatory Skills							8
BMB	516	Metabolic Biochemistry: Nutrients and Products							1
BMB	528	Molecular Biology and Medical Genetics							2
FCM	640	Principles of Family Medicine I							1
FCM	650	Principles of Family Medicine II							1
MMG	531	Medical Immunology							2
MMG	532	Medical Microbiology							2
OMM	511	Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine I							1
OMM	512	Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine II							1
OMM	513	Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine III							1
OMM	514	Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine IV							1
OMM	515	Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine V							1
OST	551	Osteopathic Patient Care I							2
OST	552	Osteopathic Patient Care II							2
OST	553	Osteopathic Patient Care III							3
OST	554	Osteopathic Patient Care IV							3
OST	555	Osteopathic Patient Care V							3
OST	556	Pediatrics I							1
OST	557	Pediatrics II							1
OST	558	Pediatrics III							1
OST	559	Pediatrics IV							1
OST	571	Neuromusculoskeletal System							10
OST	572	Genitourinary System							3
OST	573	Endocrine System							3
OST	574	Female Reproductive System							3
OST	575	Gastrointestinal System							6
OST	576	Integumentary System							2
OST	577	Psychopathology							2
OST	578	Hematopoietic System							2
OST	579	Cardiovascular System							9
OST	580	Respiratory System							7
OST	582	Transitions I – Board Preparation							6
OST	583	Geriatrics							1
OST	598	Evidence-Based Health Science							1
PHM	564	Basic Principles of Medical Pharmacology							2
PSL	539	Principles of Cell Biology and Pathophysiology							4

Clerkship Curriculum

The clerkship curriculum consists of 133 required credit hours in years three and four of the four-year program.  Students may advance to clinical rotations after successful completion of the COMLEX-USA Level 1 examination.  During the clerkship curriculum, students will complete 77 credits, among six semesters, of required clinical clerkship core rotation courses and an additional 56 credits, among six semesters, to be selected from available required clinical clerkship elective rotation courses.  Core rotation courses are scheduled by the COM Clerkship Office and Base Hospital training site and may occur in different sequences.  Most core rotation courses are completed during year three. Two required longitudinal courses span each of the third and fourth year.

Required Clinical Clerkship Core Rotation Courses:
FCM	620	Core Family Medicine Clerkship							6
FCM	622	Core Family Medicine Sub-Internship							6
Or
IM	658	Core Internal Medicine Outpatient Clerkship							6
IM	650	Core Internal Medicine In-Patient Clerkship							6
IM	657	Core Emergency Medicine Clerkship							6
IM	658	Core Internal Medicine Out-Patient							6
Or
FCM	622	Core Family Medicine Sub-Internship							6
IM	660	Core Internal Medicine Sub-Internship							6
NOP	656	Core Neurology Clerkship							6
OMM	602	Osteopathic Principles and Practice Clerkship							2
OSS	651	Core Obstetrics and Gynecology Clerkship							6
OSS	653	Core Surgery Clerkship							6
OST	602	Primary Care Ambulatory							5
OST	603	Core Clinical Concepts							9
OST	604	Essential Clinical Skills for Senior Medical Students							1
PED	600	Core Pediatrics Clerkship							6
PSC	608	Psychiatry and Behavioral Science Clerkship							6
Required clinical elective clerkship rotation courses:  the student must complete 56 credits (or 40 weeks) of additional clinical elective clerkship rotation courses; 18 credits (12 weeks) must be chosen from the medicine category and 12 credits (8 weeks) must be chosen from the surgery category.  The additional 10 weeks can be chosen from either the medicine or surgery category.
A complete list of required clinical clerkship elective rotation courses includes:
ANTR	685	Directed Study in Clinical Prosection							1 to 6
FCM	621	Family Medicine Specialty Rotation							1 to 24
HM	610	Pathology Clerkship							3 to 6
IM	621	Clinical Tropical Medicine Clerkship							1 to 20
IM	651	Cardiology Clerkship							1 to 20
IM	652	Gastroenterology Clerkship							1 to 20
IM	653	Oncology and Hematology Clerkship							1 to 20
IM	654	Pulmonary Disease Clerkship							1 to 20
IM	655	Nephrology Clerkship							1 to 20
IM	659	Medical Critical Care Clerkship							1 to 20
IM	661	Internal Medicine Specialty Clerkship							1 to 20
IM	662	Urgent Care Clerkship							1 to 20
IM	663	Emergency Medicine/Wilderness/Austere Medicine Clerkship							1 to 20
IM	664	Pediatric Emergency Medicine Clerkship							1 to 20
IM	665	Emergency Medicine Advanced Clerkship							1 to 20
IM	666	Emergency Medicine Toxicology							3 to 18
IM	667	Emergency Medicine Hyperbaric Medicine and Wound Management							3 to 18
IM	668	Emergency Medicine EMS and Disaster Management							3 to 18
IM	669	Emergency Medicine Ultrasound							3 to 18
NOP	657	Neurology Specialty Clerkship							1 to 24
OMM	601	Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine Clerkship							1 to 20
OST	615	Biomedical Research Clerkship							3 to 18
OST	622	Addiction Medicine							3
OST	623	Board Preparation							1 to 6
OST	624	Essentials in Diabetes							3
OST	685	International Clerkship Rotations							1 to 20
OST	686	Global Health: Mexico – Clinical Immersion							1 to 20
OST	687	Global Health: Peru – Clinical Immersion							1 to 20
OST	688	Global Health: Cuba – Clinical Immersion							1 to 20
OST	689	Global Health: Haiti – Clinical Immersion							1 to 20
OST	690	Global Health: Dominican Republic - Clinical Immersion							1 to 20
PED	601	Pediatric Specialty Clerkship							3 to 24
PMR	601	Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clerkship							1 to 18
PSC	609	Adult Psychiatry Clerkship							3 to 6
PSC	610	Child Psychiatry Clerkship							3 to 6
PSC	611	Addiction Psychiatry Clerkship							3 to 6
PSC	612	Geriatric Psychiatry Clerkship							3 to 6
RAD	609	Radiology Clerkship							3 to 12
RAD	610	Core Radiology Clerkship							1 to 20
The following rotation courses are credited toward the surgery requirement:
NOP	620	Ophthalmology Clerkship							1 to 24
OSS	640	Cardio Thoracic/Vascular Surgery Clerkship							1 to 20
OSS	641	Facial and Plastic Reconstruction Surgery Clerkship							1 to 20
OSS	642	Neurosurgery Clerkship							1 to 20
OSS	643	Podiatry Clerkship							1 to 20
OSS	644	Sports Medicine Clerkship							1 to 20
OSS	645	Urology Clerkship							1 to 20
OSS	646	Maternal Fetal Medicine Clerkship							1 to 20
OSS	647	Reproductive Endocrine Clerkship							1 to 20
OSS	648	Anesthesiology Advanced Clerkship							3 to 30
OSS	652	Obstetrics and Gynecology Specialty Clerkship							1 to 20
OSS	654	Core Anesthesiology Clerkship							1 to 20
OSS	655	Pain Management Clerkship							1 to 20
OSS	656	Orthopedic Clerkship							1 to 20
OSS	658	Otorhinolaryngology Clerkship							1 to 20
OSS	663	General Surgery							1 to 20
The number of rotation/course weeks determines the assigned credits.

Transfer Credits

For a student who is pursuing a full-time M.B.A. degree from MSU jointly with a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree from Michigan State University - College of Osteopathic Medicine, a maximum of 12 credits from the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine may be transferred to the full-time M.B.A. degree program.