Quick Facts
A National Treasure
Meharry Medical College was founded just 11 years after the end of the Civil War with the mission of educating African Americans to serve the underserved. Today, the nation’s largest private, historically black academic health sciences center has trained thousands of health care professionals. Three out of every four Meharrians return to urban or rural communities to serve others by providing medical or dental services. Our faith-based roots within the United Methodist Church inspire us to respect and serve all. Our standards are high within an educational environment that is nurturing. We believe that health equity is key to alleviating suffering. Whether our graduates are physicians, dentists, scientists, professors or public health professionals, the Meharry experience equips them to affect the world as a force for change led by our motto: “Worship of God Through Service to Mankind.”
Admitted 119 medical students and some 110 residents in 2019. Trains residents in Family Practice, Internal Medicine, Occupational Medicine, Preventive Medicine, OB/GYN, or Psychiatry. Meharry Medical College provides professional liability coverage for medical students.
Admitted 63 dental students in 2019. Sponsors two post-doctoral programs: The Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery program and the General Practice Residency program.
Top three producer of African-American Ph.D.s in the biomedical sciences in 2013, according to Diverse Issues in Higher Education. Students participate in innovative and cutting-edge research programs with special emphasis in diseases and conditions that disproportionately affect underserved populations.
Offers M.S. Data Science and M.S. Biomedical Data Science degrees. First cohort began in fall of 2021.
• M.D.
• M.D./Ph.D.
• M.D./MSPH
• D.D.S.
• D.D.S./Ph.D.
• Ph.D.
• MSPH
• MHS
• Health Policy Certificate through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center for Health Policy
• Masters in Physician Assistant Sciences (MPAS)
Eight hundred and seventy-seven (877) students enrolled in all three schools combined; predominantly African American, inclusive of Caucasian, Asian, Hispanic and Native American students.
Eighty-four (84) percent of students received financial assistance in 2019.
Meharry employed nearly 800 faculty, staff and residents in 2019.
Meharry Medical College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award masters and doctoral degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Meharry Medical College. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges’ website address is: https://sacscoc.org/.
LCME accredits the program leading to the M.D. degree. The program has full accreditation. Contact the Liaison Committee on Medical Education at the Council on Medical Education. American Medical Association at 515 North State Street. Chicago, IL 60654 or call 312-464-4933. The Liaison Committee on Medical Education’s website address is: https://www.lcme.org/overview.htm.
The program(s) in Dental Education (status: approved without reporting requirements); Advanced Program in General Practice Dentistry (status: approved without reporting requirements); and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Program (status: approved with reporting requirements) are accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). The Commission is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education. The Commission on Dental Accreditation can be contacted at (312) 440-4653 or at 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611-2678. The Commission’s web address is: https://www.ada.org/117.aspx.
The Council on Education for Public Health Accreditation (CEPH) accredits the Master of Science in Public Health degree program. The program is fully accredited. Contact the Council at 1010 Wayne Avenue, Ste. 220. Silver Springs, MD 20910-5660 or call 202-789-1050 for questions about the accreditation of the Master of Science in Public Health degree program. The Council on Education for Public Health’s website address is: https://ceph.org/.
Operating budget of approximately $137.8 million annually, Endowment: Approximately $159 million (Represents marketable securities as of June 30, 2019).
Secured more than $136 million in research funding in the last 5 years from NIH, other federal agencies and other sponsors.
Statements of Goals for Student Achievement
& Student Success
School of Medicine
Students must complete a prescribed curriculum to earn the Medical Doctor (MD) degree. The curriculum is designed to be completed in four years. The first two years are dedicated to preclinical courses, which cover the basic sciences and fundamentals of medical practice. The remaining two years involve interaction with patients in ambulatory and in-patient settings for internal medicine, family medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, psychiatry, and surgery. Successful completion of coursework, internal examinations, external examinations, and clinical experiences are required for advancement through the curriculum. (Detailed information about the curriculum and requirements for graduation are in the 2019-2020 Academic Catalog.)
The School of Medicine sets goals and assesses student achievement in several ways, including, retention/on-time graduation, passing national board examinations, and job placement after graduation.
The majority of students who enroll in the School of Medicine complete the program. Of the 2011 cohort, 75% of 105 entering students graduated in four years and 91% graduated within six years. Of the 2012 cohort, 78% of 105 entering students graduated in four years and 88% graduated within six years. Of the 2013 cohort, 70% of 105 entering students graduated in four years and 87% graduated within six years. Of the 2014 cohort, 71% of 105 entering students graduated in four years and 82% graduated within five years. Of the 2015 cohort, 70% of 105 entering students graduated in four years.
The School of Medicine requires students to pass Step 1, Step 2 (CK) and Step 2 (CS) of the U.S. Medical Licensure Examinations (USMLE) to receive the MD degree. The first-time taker pass rate on Step 1 was 68% (72/106) in 2015, 73% (79/108) in 2016, 83% (80/97) in 2017, 79% (73/92) in 2018, and 82% (93/114) in 2019. The first-time taker pass rate on Step 2 CK was 83% (86/104) in 2015, 81% (70/86) in 2016, 79% (88/111) in 2017, 88% (93/106) in 2018, and 91% (80/88) in 2019. The first time taker pass rate on Step 2 CS was 77% (89/115) in 2015, 74% (61/83) in 2016, 78% (78/100) in 2017, 78% (78/100) in 2018, and 81% (72/89) in 2019.
Of the 2016 matched cohort of 78 students, 58% practiced in primary care specialties. Of the 2017 matched cohort of 78 students, 42% practiced in primary care specialties. Of the 2018 matched cohort of 77 students, 46% practiced in primary care specialties. Of the 2019 matched cohort of 84 students, 55% practiced in primary care specialties.
School of Dentistry
Students must complete a prescribed curriculum to earn the Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree. The curriculum is designed to be completed in four years. The first two years are dedicated to preclinical courses, which cover the basic sciences and fundamentals of dental practice. The remaining two years involve interaction with patients in the dental clinics and completion of specified dental procedures. Successful completion of coursework, internal examinations, external examinations, and clinical procedures are required for advancement through the curriculum. (Detailed information about the curriculum and requirements for graduation are in the 2019-2020 Academic Catalog.)
The School of Dentistry sets goals and assesses student achievement in several ways, including, retention/on-time graduation, passing national board examinations, and job placement after graduation.
Most students who enroll in the School of Dentistry complete the program. Of the 2011 cohort, 85% of 55 entering students graduated in four years and 93% graduated within six years. Of the 2012 cohort, 88% of 60 entering students graduated in four years and 97% graduated within six years. Of the 2013 cohort, 95% of 59 entering students graduated in four years and 97% graduated within six years. Of the 2014 cohort, 90% of 60 entering students graduated in four years and 93% graduated within five years. Of the 2015 cohort, 80% of 60 entering students graduated in four years.
The School of Dentistry requires students to pass Part I and Part II of the National Board of Dental Examiners (NBDE) examinations to receive the DDS degree. The percentage of students who pass the examinations on the first attempt is used as a measure of student learning and achievement. The first-time taker pass rate on Part I was 95% (56/59) in 2015, 91% (53/58) in 2016, 90% (55/61) in 2017, 69% (36/52) in 2018, and 93% (64/69) in 2019. The first time taker pass rate on Part II was 82% (50/61) in 2015, 82% (49/60) in 2016, 69% (37/54) in 2017, 81% (39/48) in 2018, and 68% (49/72) in 2019.
Students who graduate from the School of Dentistry pursue graduate study, private practice, or military service. The following table provides information about job placements of dental school graduates in the 2015 to 2019 graduating classes.
School of Graduate Studies & Research
The School of Graduate Studies and Research offers doctoral and master’s level degrees. The requirements for program completion vary according to the degree. In addition to satisfactory performance in courses, candidates for degrees awarded by the School of Graduate Studies and Research must successfully achieve the following requirements:
Detailed information about the curriculum and requirements for graduation are in the 2019-2020 Academic Catalog.
The program length for graduate degrees varies.
PHD: Students in the doctoral degree programs who complete all requirements in seven years or less are considered as graduating on-time. However, the program allows students up to nine years to complete all requirements. Of the 2008 entering cohort of 6 students, 33% graduated in seven years and 33% graduated within eight and nine years. Of the 2009 entering cohort of 13 students, 38% graduated in seven years and 38% graduated within eight and nine years. Of the 2010 entering cohort of 10 students, 30% graduated in seven years and 40% graduated within eight and nine years. Of the 2011 entering cohort of 7 students, 14% graduated in seven years and 29% graduated within eight years. Of the 2012 entering cohort of 8 students, 63% graduated in seven years.
MSPH: The Masters of Science in Public Health degree is designed to be completed in two years; however, students have up to five years to complete all requirements to receive the degree. The majority of students who enroll in the MSPH program graduate on-time (two years). Of the 2013 entering cohort of 14 students, 71% graduated in two years and 86% graduated within three years. Of the 2014 entering cohort of 21 students, 95% graduated in two years and 95% graduated within three years. Of the 2015 entering cohort of 20 students, 90% graduated in two years and 90% graduated within three years. Of the 2016 entering cohort of 22 students, 77% graduated in two years and 86% graduated within three years. Of the 2017 entering cohort of 19 students, 21% graduated in two years.
MHS: The Master of Health Sciences Program is a one year program designed to provide increased academic strength to pre-professional students. Admission in this program is by invitation only; however, there is no guarantee of admission to MMC. The majority of students who enroll in the MHS program graduate on time (one year). Students who do not complete the program in one year and meet specified criteria may have up to one additional year to fulfill program requirements. Of the 2014 entering cohort of 39 MHS students, 95% graduated in one year and 95% graduated within two years. Of the 2015 entering cohort of 55 MHS students, 76% graduated in one year and 81% graduated within two years. Of the 2016 entering cohort of 47 MHS students, 85% graduated in one year and 91% graduated within two years. Of the 2017 cohort of 40 MHS students, 88% graduated in one year. Of the 2018 cohort of 48 MHS students, 96% graduated in one year.
Students who earn degrees from the School of Graduate Studies and Research pursue graduate education, post-doctoral study, or employment following graduation. The records of placements for PHD, MSPH, and MHS graduates are as follows.
