Graduate Programs & Partnerships

Whether aspiring to a career in research, clinical practice, or both, Houston Methodist has established partnerships with leading universities near and far to offer students the most direct, well-rounded educational experiences. Our joint programs with Weill Cornell Medicine and Texas A&M allow complete integration of translational research into the curriculum, while our PhD partnerships allow visiting graduate students the opportunity to complete there thesis work under the guidance of Houston Methodist's renowned scientists.

Graduate Programs

Weill Cornell PhD program

The Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences (WCGS) has expanded its PhD program to an additional campus at Houston Methodist Academic Institute, the research and education arm of Houston Methodist Hospital in the Texas Medical Center. This builds upon the 16-year academic affiliation which seeks to train the next generation of physicians and scientists.

Weill Cornell PhD Program  ➝

ENMED Program

Become a "Physicianeer"

The revolutionary EnMed program partners Houston Methodist with Texas A&M University to transform healthcare through interdisciplinary translational research, medical technology development, and the training and development of “Physicianeers.”

ENMED program ➝

Texas A&M MD/PhD Program

Innovative Educational Path

Houston Methodist and Texas A&M Health Science Center have partnered to collaborate on innovative research and medical education. Students pursuing an MD/PhD degree have the opportunity to enroll in medical and graduate science classes at Texas A&M Institute for Biosciences and Technology (IBT) in Houston and complete three to four years of doctoral thesis work with a faculty mentor at Houston Methodist Research Institute.

Texas A&M MD/PhD Program ➝

PhD Partnerships and Affiliate Programs

  • Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences

    Founded in 1898, and affiliated since 1927 with what is now New York-Presbyterian Hospital, the Weill Medical College of Cornell University is among the top-ranked clinical and medical research centers in the country. In addition to offering degrees in medicine, Weill Cornell also has PhD programs in biomedical research and education at the Weill Graduate School of Medical Sciences. Along with neighboring Rockefeller University and the Sloan Kettering Institute, they have established a joint MD/PhD program for students to intensify their pursuit of Weill Cornell's triple mission of education, research and patient care. More recently, Weill Cornell has expanded their education influence by partnering with Houston Methodist, offering several new PhD graduate programs.
     

  • Rice University

    The Houston Methodist & Rice University Affiliate Graduate Faculty Program strengthens the growing research partnership between Houston Methodist and Rice University by fostering greater scientific collaboration, innovation and scholarly impact while enhancing the national reputation of both institutions. 

    Through the program, eligible Houston Methodist Academic Institute (HMAI) faculty may receive faculty status at Rice, enabling them to teach, mentor and co-advise Rice doctoral students and participate in unique training and research opportunities, including joint fellowships and collaborative projects in healthcare, medicine, biomedical engineering and related fields. 

    The program is open to all HMAI faculty who meet Rice University's eligibility requirements for appointment. 

    Learn about the first joint PhD fellowship between HM's Neal Cancer Center and Rice’s Dept of Chemistry.

  • Texas A&M University – MD/PhD and EnMed

    The Texas A&M College of Medicine provides a powerful, collaborative academic structure to produce the most competitive and innovative physician scientists in academic medicine. Doctoral degrees may be pursued through the College of Medicine's Medical Science Program, or through other programs more broadly related to biomedicine. Their partnership with Houston Methodist allows students in the Texas A&M MD/PhD program to pursue their research under the mentorship of one of the faculty in the Academic Institute.
     

  • University of Houston

    Founded in 1927, the University of Houston (UH) is the leading public research university in the vibrant international city of Houston. Each year, 35,000 students are educated in nearly 300 undergraduate and graduate academic programs, on campus and online. UH awards more than 6,500 degrees annually, with nearly 200,000 alumni.
     

  • University of St. Thomas

    The University of St. Thomas Cameron School of Business and the Houston Methodist Academic Institute have joined forces to develop a Master’s in Clinical Translation Management (MCTM) degree program to equip students with the business skills to move innovative treatments into clinical use. This unique partnership aims to produce leaders who can help reduce the time it takes for new pharmaceuticals and medical devices to move through research, clinical studies, regulatory approvals and, ultimately, to the patients.
     

  • Swansea University

    Swansea University was founded in 1920 as University College of Swansea. This institution is led by research and thrives on exploration and discovery, offering a good balance of excellent teaching and research. Cutting-edge facilities, such as the Institute of Life Science, Centre for NanoHealth, Centres for Sustainable Aquaculture Research and a suite of supercomputers, make Swansea one of the premier research-intensive universities in the United Kingdom.

  • Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education

    The Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education was founded in 1943, with the Monterrey Tech Institute of Industrial Research starting operations in 1951. Monterrey Tech has various campuses throughout Mexico and is the leading patent applicant among Mexican universities, generating three times as many international patents as their competitors. Some of Monterrey Tech's academic programs are offered as partnerships or joint degrees with other institutions and universities. The Houston Methodist Academy has collaborated with Monterrey Tech to provide a joint MD/PhD program for students pursuing medical degrees.

  • Polytechnic University of Milan

    The Polytechnic University of Milan was founded in 1863. It boasts a main campus in Milan, and five satellite campuses in cities across the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions. Building numerous international collaborations,  is also is home to one of the most competitive physical science and engineering research institutions in the world, just recently being ranked in the top 20 for engineering and technology, according to QS World University Rankings. Polytechnic University of Milan has had over 16,000 publications and over 4,000 patents since 2012. Nobel laureate Giulio Natta, the only in Italy's history in Chemistry, is one of the institution's noteworthy professors.

  • Polytechnic University of Turin

    The Polytechnic University of Turin is Italy's oldest technical university, having been founded in 1859. With several prominent graduate engineering programs, the institution boasts a student body from over 100 countries and collaborations with over 800 institutions. The Polytechnic University of Turin has a research structure focused on four "macro areas": Industrial Engineering, Management and Mathematics in Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Architecture and Industrial Design. These macro areas are expressed in Turin's 12 multidisciplinary research departments.

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