This list of medical schools in the United States includes current and developing academic institutions which award the Doctor of Medicine (MD) or the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degrees, either of which is required for comprehensive practice as a physician in the United States. MD-granting medical schools are accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education while DO-granting medical schools are accredited by the American Osteopathic Association Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation. There are currently 158 accredited MD-granting institutions, [1] and 37 accredited DO-granting institutions in the United States. [2]
Although Delaware, Alaska, and Wyoming are the only states that lack independent medical schools, Alaska, Idaho (which also hosts an independent DO-granting school), Montana, and Wyoming are served by the University of Washington School of Medicine through the WWAMI Regional Medical Education Program. Since 2023 Montana is Served by the Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine Great Falls Campus, first Non Profit Medical school in the State. [3] Maine is served exclusively by one DO-granting school. New York has the most medical schools at 17.
Source: [4] [lower-alpha 1]
Source: [6] [7] [lower-alpha 2]
The following medical schools are under "applicant" or "candidate" status with either COCA or LCME.
State | City | School | Degree | Status | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Arizona | Tempe | Arizona State University School of Medicine and Advanced Medical Engineering | MD | Applicant | [8] [9] |
Arkansas | Bentonville | Alice L. Walton School of Medicine | MD | Applicant | [8] [10] |
Georgia | Athens | University of Georgia College of Medicine | MD | Applicant | [8] |
Illinois | Chicago | Illinois College of Osteopathic Medicine | DO | Candidate | [11] |
Maryland | Hagerstown | Meritus School of Osteopathic Medicine | DO | Candidate | [12] |
Nevada | Las Vegas | Roseman University College of Medicine | MD | Candidate | [8] |
New York | Buffalo | D'Youville University College of Osteopathic Medicine | DO | Candidate | [12] |
North Carolina | Fayetteville | Methodist University School of Medicine at Cape Fear Valley Health | MD | Applicant | [13] |
Ohio | Cincinnati | Xavier University College of Osteopathic Medicine | DO | Applicant | [14] |
Virgin Islands | Charlotte Amalie | University of the Virgin Islands College of Medicine | MD | Applicant | [15] |
Osteopathic medicine is a branch of the medical profession in the United States that promotes the practice of science-based medicine, often referred to in this context as allopathic medicine, with a set of philosophy and principles set by its earlier form, osteopathy. Osteopathic physicians (DOs) are graduates of American osteopathic medical colleges and are licensed to practice the full scope of medicine and surgery in all 50 U.S. states. The field is distinct from osteopathic practices offered in nations outside of the U.S.—in which practitioners are generally considered neither parts of core medical staff nor of medicine itself; rather, they are considered alternative medicine practitioners. The other major branch of medicine in the United States is referred to by practitioners of osteopathic medicine as allopathic medicine.
The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. that was established in 1876. It represents medical schools, teaching hospitals, and academic and scientific societies, while providing services to its member institutions that include data from medical, education, and health studies, as well as consulting. The AAMC administers the Medical College Admission Test and operates the American Medical College Application Service and the Electronic Residency Application Service. Along with the American Medical Association (AMA), the AAMC co-sponsors the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), the accrediting body for all U.S. MD-granting medical education programs.
The United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) is a three-step examination program for medical licensure in the United States sponsored by the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) and the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME). Physicians with a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree are required to pass the USMLE for medical licensure. However, those with a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree (DO) are required to take the COMLEX-USA (COMLEX) exams but may also sit for the USMLE as well.
The American Osteopathic Association (AOA) is the representative member organization for the more than 197,000 osteopathic medical doctors (D.O.s) and osteopathic medical students in the United States. The AOA is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, and is involved in post-graduate training for osteopathic physicians. Beginning in 2015, it began accrediting post-graduate education as a committee within the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, creating a unified accreditation system for all DOs and MDs in the United States. The organization promotes public health, encourages academic scientific research, serves as the primary certifying body for D.O.s overseeing 18 certifying boards, and is the accrediting agency for osteopathic medical schools through its Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation. As of October 2015, the AOA no longer owns the Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program (HFAP), which accredited hospitals and other health care facilities.
Medical education in the United States includes educational activities involved in the education and training of physicians in the country, with the overall process going from entry-level training efforts through to the continuing education of qualified specialists.
Touro University Nevada (TUN) is a private university in Henderson, Nevada. It is part of the Touro College and University System. Touro University Nevada is a branch campus of its sister campus Touro University California.
The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) is an accrediting body for educational programs at schools of medicine in the United States and Canada. The LCME is sponsored by the Association of American Medical Colleges and the American Medical Association.
The American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) is a service run by the Association of American Medical Colleges through which prospective medical students can apply to various medical schools in the United States. It thus acts as something of a Common Application among the schools.
Medical school in the United States is a graduate program with the purpose of educating physicians in the undifferentiated field of medicine. Such schools provide a major part of the medical education in the United States. Most medical schools in the US confer upon graduates a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree, while some confer a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree. Most schools follow a similar pattern of education, with two years of classroom and laboratory based education, followed by two years of clinical rotations in a teaching hospital where students see patients in a variety of specialties. After completion, graduates must complete a residency before becoming licensed to practice medicine.
Most physicians in the United States hold either the Doctor of Medicine degree (MD) or the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree (DO). Institutions awarding the MD are accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). Institutions awarding the DO are accredited by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA). The World Directory of Medical Schools lists both LCME accredited MD programs and COCA accredited DO programs as US medical schools. Foreign-trained osteopaths do not hold DO degrees and are not recognized as physicians in the United States or in other jurisdictions.
The American Osteopathic Association's (AOA) Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) accredits medical schools granting the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree in the United States. The US Department of Education lists the Commission as a recognized accreditor.
The Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine (TouroCOM) is a private medical school with a main campus in the neighborhood of Central Harlem in New York City and additional campuses in Middletown, New York and Great Falls, Montana. It is a division of the Touro College and University System.
Sigma Sigma Phi, is the national osteopathic medicine honors fraternity for medical students training to be Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.). The National Osteopathic Medicine Honors Fraternity is a group united in the interest of preserving the highest class of medical scholastic excellence and includes community service.
Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine is a medical degree conferred by the 38 osteopathic medical schools in the United States. DO and Doctor of Medicine (MD) degrees are equivalent: a DO graduate may become licensed as a physician or surgeon and thus have full medical and surgical practicing rights in all 50 US states. As of 2023, there were 186,871 osteopathic physicians and medical students in DO programs across the United States. Osteopathic medicine emerged historically from the quasi-medical practice of osteopathy, but has become a distinct and proper medical profession.
Touro University College of Medicine was a proposed medical school to be based out of Hackensack, New Jersey. Its hospital affiliate was to be Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC). The medical school disbanded in December 2009.
The Medical School Admission Requirements Guide (MSAR) is a suite of guides produced by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), which helps inform prospective medical students about medical school, the application process, and the undergraduate preparation. The MSAR staff works in collaboration with the admissions offices at each medical school and combined B.S./M.D. program to compile information about each school and program. This data originates from a number of sources including the:
The College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (COMP) is a private medical school for osteopathic medicine located in downtown Pomona, California. The college opened in 1977 as the only osteopathic medical school west of the Rocky Mountains. COMP was the founding program of Western University of Health Sciences (WesternU), which now has eight colleges in addition to COMP, each offering professional degrees in various fields of healthcare. COMP has a single four-year program, conferring the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree. Graduates are eligible to practice medicine in all 50 states and more than 85 countries.
The Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine (OU-HCOM) is the medical school of Ohio University and the only osteopathic medical school in the U.S. state of Ohio. Its mission is to emphasize the practice of primary care and train physicians to serve Ohio, especially in the underserved Appalachian and urban areas of the state.
The Frank H. Netter M.D. School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University, also known colloquially as Quinnipiac Medical School, or simply "Netter," is a medical school located in North Haven, Connecticut. The medical school was established in 2010 with its first class starting in 2013.