Are Penn MD-PhD students expected to defend their thesis before returning to medical school?
Yes. Completing research and writing for a PhD thesis is tough to do part time while completing medical school. In the past we’ve allowed students to return to clinics without defending. Some of them graduate without completing their thesis and we have to haunt them forever. Current policy is that only in exceptional circumstances will we allow students to return prior to their thesis defense. Approval has to be granted on a case by case basis by the CD program director.
