For those who want to enroll in a medical school, Florida might be the perfect option. Placed in the 5th place of high-tech employment in the U.S., Florida has reported a decreasing number of active physicians. And this state has a growing population that will need more professionals in this area in the following years.
Also, Florida has many medical schools that grant M.D. degrees and D.O. degrees, so you’ll be able to apply to a variety of schools. Here we listed the best medical schools in Florida.
Top Medical Schools in Florida
1. University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine (UMMSM)
Established in 1952, The UMMSM is the oldest medical school in the state of Florida. It has a wide variety of education and research programs in several affiliated centers.
In 2018, it ranked as the 50th medical school in terms of research and the 39th in terms of funding from the National Institute of Health (NIH). However, some of its departments and hospitals are ranked within the top 10. For example, its Physical Therapy Department is the 9th in the U.S.
In terms of research, this medical school has many centers where members have made important scientific breakthroughs. They have around 1,500 ongoing projects. UMMSM has three hospitals on campus where training is done, and there are other affiliated centers, like the Jackson Memorial Hospital, one of the biggest hospitals in the U.S.
Besides the M.D. degree program, UMMSM has other dual degree programs, which include a joint M.D. and Master’s degree in Genomic Science program, and a joint M.D./J.D in collaboration with the University of Miami School of Law.
As it is usual for medical schools, admissions are very competitive. In 2018, there were 8,497 applicants, and only 542 of them were interviewed. The class size was 154 students. However, admissions are even more competitive for dual degree programs because class size is smaller and the number of applicants is usually similar. In 2018, the class size was 51 students. Because of this competition, the University of Miami medical school is considered the best medical school in Florida
UMMSM doesn’t accept international students, but it doesn’t have a limit for out-of-state students. Go read the Miami Medical School website to learn more about its programs and student services.
See Also: Cheap Universities in Florida
2. University of Florida College of Medicine
Founded four years after the UMMSM, in 1956, the University of Florida College of Medicine is located in Gainesville, Florida but also has facilities in Jacksonville. According to the U.S. News and World Report, the UF College of Medicine is placed as the 42nd medical school in the U.S. in terms of research. However, the Academic Ranking of World Universities ranked it as the 51st medical school in the world in 2012. If you are interested in attending a medical school in Florida, this one is a great one!
Along with the M.D. degree program, they also offer dual degree programs and a Physician Assistant program. Regarding residencies and fellowships, they have 75 different programs!
Admissions are also highly competitive, but maybe not as competitive as other medical schools. With an acceptance rate of 4.6%, there were 2,800 secondary applications in 2017 and only 135 students enrolled.
They accept students that live outside Florida, but they give preference to Florida residents. They also take into consideration those applicants that have a strong science and health background. Take a look at the University of Florida Medical School website if you’d like to learn more about your opportunities at UF College of Medicine.
3. Florida State University College of Medicine (FSU COM)
Founded in 2000, the Florida State University College of Medicine (FSU COM) is located in Tallahassee, Florida. It was ranked as the 3rd out of the top 10 medical schools with the lowest acceptance rates by the U.S. News & Report.
The M.D. degree program is divided into four years. The first two years of foundation coursework are done at the main campus in Tallahassee. Here they learn at no-risk simulated clinical environments.
The following two years of clinical rotation are done at regional campuses which are located in Orlando, Daytona Beach, Pensacola, Ft. Pierce, Sarasota, Tallahassee, and Ft. Pierce. During this phase, students have to work at a rural campus where they’ll work with patients under the supervision of professionals.
They have two fellowship programs of family medicine and micrographic surgery and dermatology oncology. They also offer seven residency programs on internal medicine, general surgery, family medicine, emergency medicine, and dermatology.
Apart from the M.D. and Ph.D. programs, they also offer a Physician Assistant program.
It has an acceptance rate of 4.6%, and it doesn’t accept international students. Learn more about their programs and requirements by visiting the Florida State University College of Medicine homepage.
4. University of Central Florida (UCF) College of Medicine
Founded in 2006, the University of Central Florida (UCF) College of Medicine is located in Orlando at the UCF Health Sciences campus. It received full accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) in 2017.
As it is usual, the M.D. degree program is divided into two years of foundation coursework and two years of clinical rotation. However, students at UCF College of Medicine start having clinical experiences during the first two years. It is also equipped with innovative simulation environments that include human patient simulators and interactive virtual patients.
Through the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, other degrees besides M.D. are granted. In terms of undergraduate degrees, they offer Bachelor’s of Science in Biotechnology, in Molecular Biology and Microbiology, and in Medical Laboratory Science. Regarding graduate degrees, they offer a Master’s in Molecular Biology and Microbiology and a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Biomedical Science.
You’ll have to prepare for admissions here as they are very competitive. They receive over 5,000 applications every year, and approximately 400 are interviewed. In the end, only 120 students enroll. However, this medical school in Florida aims to increase class size and enrollment to 480.
Check their UCF Website to read all the advice they give to become a competitive applicant. Bear in mind that you must have a bachelor’s degree from a U.S. college, you must pay special attention to your profile as a future doctor beyond scores and tests (volunteer work, clinical experiences, etc), and they don’t accept international students.
Check Also: Available Programs for International Students
5. University of South Florida – Morsani College of Medicine
Morsani College of Medicine is housed at the University of South Florida and is located in Tampa, Florida. It is a public medical school that was established in 1971. It is accredited by the Liason Committee on Medical Education to award Doctor of Medicine (MD). The three main focus of this medical school is Research, Community Impact, and Patient Care.
There are requirements for the classes that you take in your undergraduate program. You need to take a certain number of Science courses and some of the classes, such as Organic Chemistry, is required. You definitely should check out this requirement before you apply.
6. Florida Atlantic University – Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine
The Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University is a great medical school in Florida. It is currently ranked at around 100th place for medical schools in the US. In the latest admission cycle, there were 3,411 applications received, and from that application, 327 were interviewed, and 65 students enrolled.
As you can see, this medical school is not as competitive as the other medical schools on this list. However, the Schmidt College of Medicine is still competitive.
The school opened its doors in 2011 and has been expanding ever since. In 2015, this medical school received full accreditation from LCME, and because of that, applications started to flood in. In 2014, the college added an internal medicine program, and in 2016, they opened a general surgery program. This program is one of the largest in the country, having 45 residency positions open for general surgery. Also in that same year, their emergency medicine was approved for 18 residency, which is very good for a medical school.
We hope that you would consider this excellent medical school in Florida into your consideration!
7. Florida International University – Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine
This medical school opened in 2009 and has been offering Doctor in Medicine degrees ever since. Like the other medical schools on this list, this school is fully accredited by the LCME. The extensive curriculum at the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine at Florida International University prepares students by going through simulation training, clinical experience, and research.
Check Also: Cheap Medical Schools in the USA
We hope that you found this article on the best medical schools in Florida to be useful. If you are interested in studying abroad, check out the Available Programs for International Students!
