Amid a growing demand for physicians and rising education costs, Florida Polytechnic University and the Orlando College of Osteopathic Medicine are teaming up on a new program that lets students earn a bachelor’s and medical degree in just six years.
The BS/OD program, capped at 20 students per year, offers a direct pipeline from Florida Poly’s STEM curriculum to professional medical training at OCOM. Students will complete two years of undergraduate coursework at Florida Poly in Lakeland, then transition to four years of medical school at OCOM’s Winter Garden campus.
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“This is a transformative opportunity for students who want to become physicians and start serving their communities sooner,” Florida Poly president Devin Stephenson said in a news release. “It’s a rigorous, cost-effective path that meets a critical need for more doctors.”
The program targets students with a minimum SAT score of 1390 or ACT score of 31 and a grade-point average of at least 3.5. The Medical College Admission Test is not required.
In the news release, OCOM founder and cardiologist Dr. Kiran C. Patel called the initiative “a smarter, faster and more financially sustainable path” to a medical degree. By shaving off two years of schooling, the program cuts tuition and living expenses by about a third.
The agreement was formalized Tuesday during a signing ceremony with Stephenson and Patel.
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Osteopathic medicine takes a whole-person approach to care, integrating lifestyle and emotional well-being into diagnosis and treatment. DOs are fully licensed physicians and often practice in primary care settings, where demand is especially high.
Florida Poly is the only public university in the state solely focused on science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields.
Program application details will be released soon, with the first cohort expected to begin in fall 2025.
