The Department of Physiology and Biophysics participates in the UAMS combined M.D./Ph.D. program. Students must first be admitted to the College of Medicine and then separately to the GPIBS Ph.D. program. The curriculum for the first two years is the standard pre-clinical medical school curriculum. Students concurrently earn College of Medicine and Graduate School credit in the pre-clinical basic science courses. At the end of the second year, M.D./Ph.D. students in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics exit from the College of Medicine curriculum and complete the graduate portion of their training. This training includes original research under the direction of their research advisor, possible advanced coursework tailored to the student’s career goals, and successful completion of the qualifying examination and dissertation defense. Upon passing the USMLE Step 1 Examination, students then re-enter the College of Medicine for their final two years which includes required and elective clinical courses.