Students enrolled in the M.D./Ph.D. program in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology will have satisfied all didactic course requirements upon passing all first and second year courses of the medical school curriculum (including Medical Pharmacology) and the USMLE Step I examination. In consultation with his or her mentor and dissertation committee, the student may take or be asked to take additional classes. Students will be required to prepare, present, and successfully defend a dissertation research proposal within their first full research year. This will serve as their qualifying exam for designation as a doctoral candidate. It is anticipated that students will prepare, present, and successfully defend their dissertation within three years for the awarding of the Ph.D. degree.