Our History
Since our first admitted and enrolled class of 24 students in the Fall of 1977, our program has been built from the ground up over nearly five decades of education, while holding the same mission--to educate the future of health care for the state of South Carolina.
Our Impact
We serve our state from our admissions process through our students graduation by putting an emphasis on selecting qualified students from our state, or out-of-state students who hold a tie to the state of South Carolina. Our students rotate through multiple in-state clinical learning environments where they participate and observe what future opportunities are available to them in hopes of encouraging our students to return to and serve their state.
Our Reach
Through the creation of clinical learning environments from the Midlands to the Pee Dee region of South Carolina, our students are able to gain the experience they need and impact the health care of our state. Whether they're completing rotations in downtown Columbia, spending their clinical years at our Florence Regional Campus, or taking part in an away rotation at one of our many other clinical partners throughout the state, our students are impacting health care from the time of admission, through becoming the next generation of health care providers for South Carolina.
Why USC Columbia
We partner with local health care institutions to ensure we're a leader in clinical learning opportunities. Throughout your time here, you'll have the opportunity to get clinical experience in primary care as part of the curriculum. We're the first medical school in the country to integrate hands-on clinical ultrasound technology into all four years of the program.
Your hands-on experience extends far beyond your clinicals. You'll also have opportunities to work on interdisciplinary projects that have a big impact on patient care with students from other schools from the USC campus. You'll find our students conducting research and taking classes at the Arnold School of Public Health, in the biology department in the College of Arts and Sciences and in the College of Engineering.
Being part of a world class Tier 1 research institute offers access to all the research tools and funding you need to successfully complete an MD/PhD dual degree. That includes access to all the research tools and funding you need to successfully complete an M.D./Ph.D. dual degree.
Our group of faculty have been built to help assist you during your entire experience here in Columbia from orientation to Match Day and long after you walk across the stage at Commencement.
From our undergraduate faculty who provide a world-class didactic education, to our clinical department faculty who help you discover your passion and specific discipline through real-world experiences.