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Horizons Program

Recognizing that medicine is a highly complex and diversified field and that needs and interests of medical students are quite varied, UMass Chan Medical School emphasizes a strong Elective/Horizons program to complement the required areas of study. It is anticipated that each student, with the advice of their mentor, will plan a program beneficial to their educational experience and postgraduate goals.

An elective is defined as a structured learning experience in a field of medicine or related fields approved by the faculty of UMass Chan Medical School, which is not specifically required as part of the basic medical school curriculum. In addition to the required Acting Internship (AI), Clinical Problem Solver (CPS), Pathways, Intersessions, and Transition To Residency, every Horizons student must complete 20 weeks of elective time outlined in the Student Handbook.

All electives can be found in the Electives Catalog:

Of the 20 weeks of electives, 12 weeks must be Clinical. The remaining 8 can be either clinical or non-clinical.
8 weeks maximum of clinical International electives can count toward graduation credit.
8 weeks maximum of Non-Clinical electives can count toward graduation credit.
Required Electives by Length:

Up to 8 weeks can be taken in blocks of two weeks or greater.
The remaining required electives must be in blocks of at least 4 weeks.

MD/PhD students may apply 8 credits from their MDP-741 course to meet 8 of the 20 elective credit requirement
Electives applied toward graduation credit are normally advanced fourth-year courses taken after required third-year clerkships are completed. Electives taken for credit at other times during the student’s medical school career may be considered for graduation credit with the approval of the Academic Evaluation Board (AEB).
The school does not restrict the proportion of time spent on internal versus external electives.
Elective programs offered are posted on the Student Affairs Web site.
It is the student’s responsibility to arrange their fourth-year elective schedule, obtaining all necessary paperwork and approvals prior to the beginning of each elective. The Office of Student Affairs is available for assistance with any questions or concerns.
Elective schedules are maintained by the Office of Student Affairs. It is the student’s responsibility to check his/her online elective schedule to ensure that an accurate elective program is on file.
It is the student’s responsibility to forward all elective confirmation correspondence to the Office of Student Affairs or email it to electives@umassmed.edu. Please note, because an elective is ‘requested’ or is listed on a student’s PEP is not confirmation that the elective was approved. If the approved paperwork is not received by the Office of Student Affairs, it will not be added to a student’s Schedule. Students should frequently check their Peoplesoft schedule, which is the ‘official’ schedule of record.

For changes to Elective/ Horizons schedule please see the Student Handbook: Section Three: "Attendance, Withdrawal, Rescheduling; Changes or Withdrawing from Electives/Advanced Studies Program."

Types of Electives
An elective is defined as a structured learning experience in a field of medicine or related fields approved by the faculty of the UMass Chan Medical School, which is not specifically required as part of the basic medical school curriculum. Detailed information about the types of electives available can be found here. Descriptions of clinical and non-clinical electives can be found in the student handbook.