An MD degree or doctor of osteopathic medicine (DO) degree is required in order to become a physician or surgeon in the United States. MD degrees are obtained from medical schools accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). The LCME is sponsored by the Association of American Medical Colleges and the American Medical Association, and it is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as the accrediting authority for medical education institutions. The American Osteopathic Association Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation is the accrediting body for DO-granting colleges.
Founded in 1879 by a small group of doctors as the Medical Department of Arkansas Industrial University, the medical school had its first home in the Sperindo Restaurant and Hotel in downtown Little Rock. Today UAMS is home to a state-of-the-art hospital and an outpatient center, and it is the state's main biomedical center for research. Affiliated research and clinical centers include the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute and the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy.
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences offers 65 degree programs and is home to colleges of medicine, nursing, pharmacy, health-related professions and public health. The university also has a graduate school, which confers master's and doctoral degrees in health and medical sciences. In addition to conferring the MD degree, the College of Medicine grants joint degrees combining MD degrees with master's and doctoral (Ph.D.) degrees. Included are master's degrees in public health, business administration and law.
Arkansas law requires that at least 150 students admitted each year to the medical school are state residents. The entering freshman class for the medical school's 2010 to 2011 school year included 174 students. Although preference is given to Arkansas residents, students from other states and international students can apply for admission. Applications to the College of Medicine must be submitted through the American Medical College Application Service, and prospective students must take the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT).