One of America's oldest medical universities, training health professionals since 1824.
MUSC offers comprehensive health professions education across six colleges. The College of Medicine provides a four-year MD curriculum with approximately 180 students admitted annually, along with dual-degree programs (MD/PhD, MD/MBA, MD/MHA, MD/MPH). The College of Pharmacy offers a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree and dual PharmD/MBA programs. The College of Nursing awards bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees (PhD, DNP). The College of Graduate Studies offers advanced degrees in neuroscience, biostatistics, epidemiology, molecular biology, and related fields. The College of Dental Medicine grants DMD degrees, and the College of Health Professions offers over 20 training options at baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral levels.
The university occupies a 50-acre medical complex in downtown Charleston with more than 89 buildings. The campus includes specialized research facilities such as the Strom Thurmond Biomedical Research Center, Hollings Cancer Center, and the Drug Discovery & Bioengineering Building (completed 2011). Student life is supported by the Harper Student Center and various ambulatory care facilities. The university publishes MUSC Catalyst News as its official news source and maintains school colors of black and gold.
MUSC serves as South Carolina's only freestanding academic health sciences center and received over $200 million in extramural grant awards in fiscal year 2009–2010. The institution operates as a major regional referral center with specialized centers for cardiology, transplantation, cancer care, and digestive diseases. Clinical training occurs through partnerships with MUSC Health hospitals and the South Carolina Area Health Education Consortium (SCAHEC), which coordinates education across the state's teaching hospitals and rural health centers.
Established in 1824 by the South Carolina General Assembly, MUSC began as a private institution with seven faculty physicians and 30 students. The college transferred to state ownership in 1913 following recommendations from Abraham Flexner's influential medical education survey. In 1969, the state legislature elevated it to university status. The institution has expanded dramatically since the 1940s, growing from one building in 1913 to a comprehensive 76-acre complex with nine major buildings constructed since 1985.