The Curriculum

The LEARN curriculum at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University provides the opportunity for extensive and integrated training in the basic medical sciences and clinical disciplines of medicine. There are three distinct phases in LEARN:

Phase I: Foundational Phase (18 months)
Phase I begins with Transition to Medical School (TMS), an eight-day course designed to facilitate students’ transition from lay person to a medical professional in training. TMS is followed by Biomedical Building Blocks (B3), a 24-week sequence of four foundational basic science courses – The Body, Molecular Foundations of Medicine, Pathogens and Host Defense, and Basic Mechanisms of Disease. B3 is followed by a 36-week sequence of five Integrated Pathophysiology systems-based courses: Cardiovascular-Pulmonary-Renal, Mind-Brain-Behavior, Endocrine-Reproductive, Gastrointestinal-Nutrition, and Musculoskeletal. Three longitudinal courses span Phase I: Introduction to Clinical Medicine (ICM), Themes in Medical Education, and Medicine in Contemporary Society. Students must also Pass the final ICM summative OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Examination).

Phase II: Primary Clinical Phase (12 months)
Phase II begins with a two-week Transition to Clinical Care course followed by the Primary Clinical Clerkships. Clerkships are aligned in four 12-week blocks: Medicine and Primary Care; Pediatrics and Ob-Gyn; Surgery, Anesthesia and Emergency Medicine; and Psychiatry, Neurology and Radiology. Blocks 1-3 are each capped by a wellness week, during which students may take time to relax and recharge with family and friends, or participate in self-directed activities. Following the fourth clerkship block, students begin their dedicated Step exam prep period. During the fourth clerkship block, students take the summative Clinical Performance Exam, which they must pass.

Phase III: Advanced Clinical Phase (16 months)
Phase III provides students with a flexible and extended 4th year experience.  Over the course of 16 months, students complete a total of 40 weeks of credit, which includes, a 4-week sub-internship from among 11 specialties, 26 weeks of electives, a 4-week Selective, a 2-week General Transition to Residency, a 2-week Specialty Transition to Residency, and a 2-week Advanced Clinical Experience. Phase III also provides ample time for students to prepare for and take the USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 examinations, explore specialties of interest, participate in research, and apply to and interview with residency programs.

United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 and Step 2 
After completing Phase II and before beginning Phase III courses, students have 12 weeks of dedicated time (mid-January to early April) to prepare for and take the USMLE Step 1 exam. Many students will also take Step 2 during this time. Students who prefer to not take Step 1 and Step 2 back-to-back generally take four weeks in the summer of Phase III to prepare for and take the Step 2 exam. The deadline for completing Step 2 is August 1 of Phase III. 

Professional Licensure 

Effective July 1, 2024, federal regulation requires institutions of higher education to make a determination whether a Title IV eligible academic program that leads to professional licensure or certification meets the educational requirements for licensure/certification in the U.S. State where the institution is located and the U.S. States where “distance education” students are located at the time of initial enrollment in the program, as well as U.S. States where the program is advertised as meeting such requirements, and if applicable, the U.S. State where students attest they intend to be licensed/certified. The MD program at Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University is registered by the New York State Education Department and thus meets the educational requirements for licensure/certification for New York State. Through a good faith effort, and for the purpose of complying with the federal regulation, we have determined that the MD program at Renaissance School of Medicine meets the educational requirements for licensure/certification in the following U.S. States and Territories; however, it is important to note that Renaissance School of Medicine is not the licensure/certification authority in these U.S. States and Territories and cannot assess whether an individual candidate will be issued a license/certificate in these U.S. States and Territories and instead it is incumbent on each individual candidate to contact the licensure/certification authority in the applicable U.S. State or Territory for any further guidance on the requirements for licensure/certification requirements and application processes.

Click here for additional information about the LEARN Curriculum.