The average time to degree for students in the UCLA-Caltech MSTP is eight years. The traditional course of study begins with the first two years of the DGSOM HEALS curriculum, followed by PhD graduate training, and concluding with the final year of medical school. PhD graduate training is credited toward MS3 Discovery in the HEALS curriculum. While the timeline pictorial below provides an overview of combined degree training, the MSTP and DGSOM work cooperatively and flexibly with students to enable optimal completion of all aspects of student training. More detail about each phase of MSTP training is provided in the Rotations and Advising, Medical Training and Graduate Training sections.