Medical Schools in South Carolina
South Carolina has four schools where aspiring doctors can study medicine. This article compares the admission requirements, program options, and tuition rates for all four medical schools in the Palmetto State.
Medical University of South Carolina
The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston is home to a massive academic and health science center and hospital where admitted students gain real-world experience in research, patient care and healthcare administration. Their exclusive four-year MD program accepts fewer than 200 students each year. The MD program consists of two years of foundational pre-clerkship instruction, a one-year core clinical clerkship and a final one-year advanced clinical clerkship. Students who show exceptional academic performance may be eligible to apply for MUSC's fast-track program, which allows them to earn their MD in three years and progress to a residency.
<h2 id="section---UniversityOfSouthCarolinaSchoolOfMedicineColumbia">University of South Carolina School of Medicine - Columbia</h2><p>The University of South Carolina School of Medicine School in Columbia considers itself a leader in primary-care education. The program seeks to help meet the growing need for doctors in rural South Carolina. Students choose between a standard four-year MD degree or partner with another department on USC's campus to complete a seven-year joint MD/PhD degree. While the University of South Carolina does not run its own hospital, the college has partnered with local hospitals and healthcare institutions to ensure that students gain real-world experience throughout their time in medical school.
</p><h2 id="section---UniversityOfSouthCarolinaSchoolOfMedicineGreenville">University of South Carolina School of Medicine - Greenville</h2><p>The Greenville medical school is situated right by the state's largest healthcare provider, Prisma-Health Upstate. Its unique program begins with a hands-on EMT (emergency medical technician) training course. Students begin clinical and emergency healthcare work right away. By the end of their first year, students can choose from two distinct tracks for their MD: (1) the high-value care, performance improvement and population health track focuses on preparing students to become innovative healthcare providers who can address issues in their communities, specifically substance misuse and addiction, while (2) the lifestyle medicine track prepares students to educate their patients in evidence-based, healthy lifestyle medicine to fight growing chronic health issues in South Carolina like obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and some forms of cancer.
</p><h2 id="section---EdwardViaCollegeOfOsteopathicMedicineCarolinasCampus">Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine - Carolinas Campus</h2><p>The Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) in Spartanburg offers a four-year program that leads to a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree. For the first two years, students take classes for nine-to-twelve-week blocks until they complete their pre-clinical requirements. These classes focus on each system of the human body (like the endocrine system, nervous system, muscular skeletal system, etc.) and how internal systems interact with each other to form an individual's overall health. In the meantime, students also complete 16 to 20 one-day clinical experiences shadowing doctors from various disciplines. They complete their program with two years of clinical practice. Students can earn a Doctor of Osteopathic (DO) degree in four years or take an extra year to complete a joint DO and MPH (Master of Public Health) degree with VCOM's partner universities, including Virginia Tech.
</p><p></p><table border="1"><tr><th> University </th><th> Programs Offered </th><th> Tuition and Fees per Academic Year</th></tr>
<tr><td>Medical University of South Carolina </td><td>Doctor of Medicine (MD) </td><td>In-state: $34,406<br/>Out-of-state: $58,960*</td></tr>
<tr><td>University of South Carolina School of Medicine - Columbia </td><td>Doctor of Medicine (MD)<br/>Joint MD and PhD </td><td>In-state: $52,815<br/>Out-of-state: $91,896**</td></tr>
<tr><td>University of South Carolina School of Medicine - Greenville </td><td>MD with a specialization in Population Health and High Value Care<br/>MD with a specialization in lifestyle medicine </td><td>In-state: $43,802<br/>Out-of-state: $88,064**</td></tr>
<tr><td>Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine - Carolinas Campus </td><td>Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO)<br/>Joint DO and MPH</td><td>$46,500*** (without fees)</td></tr>
</table><p><i>Sources: *MUSC.edu, **SC.edu, ***VCOM.edu</i>
</p><h2 id="section---GettingIntoMedicalSchoolInSouthCarolina">Getting into Medical School in South Carolina</h2><p>While specific score requirements vary across programs, each medical school in South Carolina requires applicants to submit their MCAT scores. Students must also submit their college GPA (grade point average). Students need not have earned a specific bachelor's degree to apply; however, they must have demonstrated proficiency in college-level biology, organic chemistry, and physics classes as well as at least a few biomedical classes like anatomy, physiology, immunology, cell biology or genetics. All applicants must submit letters of recommendation from their previous college professors.
</p><p>Medical schools across South Carolina offer both MD and DO degrees. Because South Carolina's medical schools offer a variety of specializations and research focuses, you can choose the program that best fits your unique research and career goals. These are competitive programs and prospective students must work hard to gain the MCAT and GPA scores necessary for admission.</p>