LEWIS KATZ SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

About the Program

Each year, the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University (LKSOM) welcomes a diverse class of students who have achieved academic excellence and demonstrated a commitment to serving others. Temple is renowned for its culture of service. We place particular emphasis on attracting future physicians who will provide care for underserved populations. Through their commitment to fulfilling the medical needs of our North Philadelphia neighbors and surrounding communities, our faculty pass on this tradition to our students.

LKSOM is dedicated to excellence in education, research and patient care, achieved by faculty, staff and learners who represent and serve our diverse society. The school provides:

• education that is patient-centered, instilling in learners the school's ethic of human service and lifelong learning;
• research that advances and integrates basic and clinical science; and
• patient care that is administered with compassion and understanding, utilizing contemporary knowledge and techniques.

LKSOM confers the Doctor of Medicine degree as well as offers the following dual degree programs: MD/PhD, MD/MA in Urban Bioethics, MD/MPH and MD/MBA.  

The MD curriculum is a four-year program that is divided into two phases: pre-clerkship and clerkship. Our commitment is to train students to provide outstanding quality patient care and to conduct medical research with the utmost in professionalism.

Time Limit for Degree Completion: 6 years

Campus Location: Health Sciences Center of Temple University in Philadelphia, PA and St. Luke's University Health Network Regional Campus in Bethlehem, PA

Full-Time/Part-Time Status: The MD program must be completed on a full-time basis.

Ranking: In 2023, U.S. News & World Report ranked the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University number 68 in Research and among the Best Medical Schools.

Job Prospects: Graduates of the MD program typically continue their training in Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredited residencies and fellowships in all disciplines of medicine throughout the United States. Following residency, graduates enter careers in academic medicine, private practice, research and industry.

Non-Matriculated Student Policy: All students must be full-time matriculants.

Financing Opportunities: Financial support opportunities include scholarships, loans and federal work study.

Admission Requirements and Deadlines

Application Deadline:

AMCAS^® Application: December 15
Transcript submission to AMCAS^®: December 29
Supplemental materials, including fee and letters: January 15

Candidates apply through the American Medical College Application Service^® (AMCAS^®). The application deadline is December 15 of the year preceding matriculation. Temple considers applications from U.S. citizens or those with permanent resident or refugee/asylee status with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

After receipt of a verified application from AMCAS^®, an automated email from the Office of Admissions is sent to candidates who meet the above criteria with details about how to access the LKSOM online supplemental application. A candidate's application is considered complete when the verified AMCAS^® application, supplemental application, application fee (if not waived), Casper results and required letters of recommendation are received. The supplemental application fee is automatically waived for candidates who were approved for the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Fee Assistance Program (FAP) prior to submission of the AMCAS^® application.

The supplemental application is used to help identify the applicant's unique interest in Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University. A $100 non-refundable application fee is collected online when you submit your LKSOM supplemental application.

Letters of Reference:
LKSOM participates in the AMCAS^® Letter Service. Letters can be sent to AMCAS^® through the AMCAS^® Letter Writer Application or Interfolio. All letters should be on letterhead and contain the letter writer's signature.

If LKSOM is designated as a recipient of the letter on the AMCAS^® application, AMCAS^® will release the electronic copy to LKSOM. All letters designated for LKSOM must be received before your application will be reviewed.

LKSOM will consider letters of recommendation from a premedical committee, a packet from a school letter compilation service, or three (3) individual letters. If submitting a compilation packet or individual letters, we prefer if possible, but do not require, two (2) letters from professors with whom you completed coursework from the AMCAS^® course classifications of Biology, Chemistry or Physics. One additional letter is required from a non-science professor, work experience or service activity. If submitting individual letters, we recommend submitting no more than six (6).

A premedical committee letter does not need a specific number of science/non-science letters. We welcome letters from research experiences but prefer them in addition to the requested science letters from professors with whom you have completed coursework. At any point in the application process, you are welcome to submit additional letters to support your application and are encouraged to use the AMCAS^® letter service to submit these letters.

Coursework Required for Admission Consideration: Applicants should demonstrate preparation for the rigors of medical school and achievement in the sciences through completion of a broad range of science coursework and the MCAT^® exam. While there are no absolute course requirements, LKSOM recommends that students complete coursework in Biology, Chemistry (both general and organic), Biochemistry, Physics, Psychology and Sociology. In addition, students should have a broad humanities education and strong writing skills. The Office of Admissions will only evaluate courses completed at a U.S. or Canadian university.

If recommended coursework in Biology, Chemistry or Physics has been completed online, at a community college, through AP credits, or through a study abroad program, we prefer to see classroom-based, upper-level science coursework in that discipline.

Coursework completed online or with P/F grades due to COVID will not negatively impact the review of your application.

Master's Degree in Discipline/Related Discipline: A master's degree is not required.

Bachelor's Degree in Discipline/Related Discipline: A baccalaureate degree is required for matriculation. Students who matriculate through the Temple University Pre-Med Health Scholar program will earn their bachelor's degree after the first year of medical school.

LKSOM prefers a minimum of 90 semester hours from a U.S. or Canadian university.

Although the Admissions Committee holds no preference for science majors, all applicants, whether science majors or not, must demonstrate capacity for excellence in the sciences.

Statement of Goals: Applicants must submit a personal statement with their AMCAS^® application.

Standardized Test Scores:
MCAT^®: Required. Applicants must submit Medical College Admission Test (MCAT^®) scores taken within three years of matriculation, and no later than September of the year in which the candidate applies. Applications are considered with the most recent MCAT^® results (sections scores and total score).

Casper: All applicants to the MD program are required to complete Casper, an online open-response situational judgement test (SJT). Casper is scenario-based test that assesses non-cognitive skills and interpersonal characteristics that we believe are important for success in our program and complements the other tools that we use for applicant screening and selection. Applicants can register for the Altus Suite for Medicine (UME) (CSP-10111 – US Medicine) test at https://acuityinsights.app/. Casper test results are valid for one admissions cycle.

Program Requirements

General Program Requirements

Required Courses:

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
Phase 1 - Year 1
MEDS M010	Transition to Medical School	0
MEDS M107	Doctoring 1: Introduction to the Culture and Practice of Medicine	0
MEDS M011	Fundamentals 1: Human Structure	0
MEDS M012	Fundamentals 2: Cellular Function	0
MEDS M013	Fundamentals 3: Host Defenses and Threats	0
MEDS M014	Fundamentals 4: Basis of Disease and Treatment	0
MEDS M015	Systems 1: Neuroscience and Psychiatry	0
MEDS M016	Systems 2: Cardiovascular Medicine	0
MEDS M007	Systems 3: Renal (Systems 3: Renal)	0
Phase 1 - Year 2
MEDS M217	Doctoring 2: The Culture and Practice of Medicine	0
MEDS M024	Systems 4: Pulmonary (Systems 4: Pulmonary)	0
MEDS M022	Systems 5: Endocrine and Reproductive	0
MEDS M021	Systems 6: Gastroenterology and Nutrition	0
MEDS M023	Systems 7: Multi-Organ	0
Phase 2 - Year 3
MEDS M337	Transition to Phase 2	0
MEDS M316	Intersession: Black (Psychiatry and Neurology)	0
MEDS M317	Intersession: White (Internal Medicine and Pediatrics)	0
MEDS M318	Intersession: Silver (Family Medicine and Faculty Mentored Scholarly Experience)	0
MEDS M319	Intersession: Red (Surgery and Obstetrics and Gynecology)	0
MEDS M306	Faculty Mentored Scholarly Experience 2	0
INTM M301	Medicine	0
OBGY M320	Obstetrics/Gynecology	0
PEDI M330	Pediatrics	0
PSYM M340	Psychiatry	0
SURG M350	Surgery	0
FAMP M360	Family Medicine	0
NEUR M370	Neurology	0
Elective (1 block): Students must complete 4-weeks of electives block during their third year. Choose one 4-week elective or two 2-week electives. Electives are offered in several specialties, including surgical and medical subspecialties.
Phase 3 - Year 4
MEDS M447	Transition to Phase 3 (TTP3)	0
EMMD M403	Emergency Medicine	0
MEDS M908	Faculty Mentored Scholarly Experience 3	0
Select one from the following:
NESU M811	Neurosurgery Subinternship
ORTS M825	Orthopedic Surgery Sub-internship
INTM M850	Medicine Subinternship
PEDI M860	Pediatrics Subinternship
SURG M870	Surgery Sub-Internship
FAMP M879	Family Medicine Subinternship
UROL M890	Urology Sub-Internship
OBGY M895	OB/GYN Subinternship
Select one from the following:
INTM M476	Cardia Critical Care-CCU
INTM M530	Medical ICU (MICU) - Critical Care
NEUR M600	Neurological ICU (NICU) - Critical Care
PEDI M685	Neonatal ICU (ICN) - Critical Care
PEDI M690	Pediatric ICU (PICU) - Critical Care
SURG M769	Surgical ICU (SICU) - Critical Care
SURG M789	Cardiothoracic ICU (CT-ICU) - Critical Care
Electives (5 blocks): Students must complete five 4-week elective blocks in their fourth year. Students may choose any elective offered, including clinical and non-clinical experiences. Electives give students the opportunity to learn more about the specific field and, in clinical rotations, to continue to participate in patient care and improve clinical skills.
MEDS M667	Transition to Residency	0

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