University of California, Riverside

Division of Biomedical Sciences



A Unique Path to Medical School


Special Note to Prospective Students for the UCR/UCLA Thomas Haider Program in Biomedical Sciences

As you may know, the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine has recently been granted "Preliminary Accreditation" by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) to open a full, four-year School of Medicine at UCR as of August 2013. This is very exciting news for us and we hope for you as well. As a result, we will no longer accept new medical students into the UCR/UCLA Thomas Haider Program in Biomedical Sciences. However, we now will offer the opportunity for you to apply to the UCR medical school. We are expanding the number of medical student seats at UCR and will start with a class of 50. The Thomas Haider Program at the UCR School of Medicine will continue the tradition of providing a unique pathway into medical school for UCR students.We hope that you will consider applying directly to the new UC Riverside School of Medicine for its inaugural class enrolling in August 2013. Additionally, you may also apply to the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. We look forward to receiving your application.

About the UCR/UCLA Thomas Haider Program in Biomedical Sciences

The UCR/UCLA Thomas Haider Program in Biomedical Sciences has provided UCR undergraduates a unique path of entrance to one of the country's leading medical school, the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

The Four-Year Haider Program Path

Years 1 and 2

Students admitted to the program will be jointly enrolled at UCR and UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine and complete their first two years of medical school at UCR. Unlike other medical schools where students are taught in classes of 100 or more, UCR's classes are small, comprised of 24 students during the first two years.

A human disease-based integrative medical curriculum reliant upon problem-based learning has been initiated with all students required to have wireless laptop computers. Classes in years one and two are taught by UCR's program faculty and by community-based physician faculty.

Years 3 and 4

Students move to UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine for the third and fourth years, where they participate in required and elective clinical rotations. UCLA Medical Center and the network of affiliated hospitals provide diverse settings for students to receive exemplary clinical experiences and utilize cutting-edge technology. In the fourth year, most graduating students are matched with one of their three top choices for a residency program.

Any student currently enrolled at UCR from any major  who has completed at least two years (six continuous quarters) in pursuit of a bachelor's degree and who completed the prerequisite college course requirements may apply for one of the 24 seats in the program. With careful planning, students can compete the planning for their major and the prerequisites for the program in four or five years of study.

Transfer students may also apply, so long as they have met the two-year completion requirement. Transfer students must have been enrolled at UCR for at least two years (six continuous quarters) in the pursuit of a bachelor's degree before entering the program. Applicants will be expected to have completed an undergraduate degree at UCR before beginning their medical studies.

Contents

For further information, please contact:

UCR/UCLA Thomas Haider Program in Biomedical Sciences

Student Affairs Office, Stat/Comp Bldg., Rm. 1626
University of California
Riverside, CA 92521-0121
951-827-4334 or 951-827-4333

Highlights

  • Small Applicant Pool, Better Odds - Only UCR students may apply for the Haider program's 24 seats. Approximately 200-250 applications are received annually, creating a 10 to 1 ratio of applicants to seats. In contrast, there are usually 5,000 to 6000 applicants for the remaining 121 available seats at the Geffen school, a ratio of 45 or 50 to 1.
  • Small Class Size - The small class size allows for close faculty/student interaction and personalized attention.
  • Great Preparation Programs - Faststart, the Medical Scholars Program, the Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program and the Health Science Partnership Program all help deserving students with a great education.
  • A Community-Based Medical Education Program - The program is affiliated with several local hospitals and medical centers, but there is no ownership of any medical group or hospital. Over 80 physicians from through out the Riverside community have joined UCR as clinical faculty and instructors.
  • Research - Most faculty members have undergraduates working on projects in their laboratories. The Biomedical Sciences faculty receive more than $1 million a year to support research in state-of-the-art facilities. Mini-grants and campus research awards are available to support undergraduate projects, adding opportunities for students to be on the cutting edge of biomedical research.
  • Broader Access - Students may apply up to two times for the program.

 

More Information

General Campus Information

University of California, Riverside
900 University Ave.
Riverside, CA 92521
Tel: (951) 827-1012

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Department Information

Division of Biomedical Sciences
B0600 Statistics Building

Tel: (951) 827-5705
Fax: (951) 827-3699

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