Awesome! Do you guys know anything about how the MD/MPH program works with Chapel Hill? I'm very interested in doing a dual degree but I'm not sure how feasible it is to get both in 4 years--I've heard that Duke allows students to pursue dual degrees during their 3rd year, and the UNC MPH program can be finished in 1 year? I'm also not sure how the cost would work for this; would I be paying tuition to Duke, UNC, or both?
I can speak on this a bit.
Completing a dual degree at Duke and getting out in 4 years is completely reasonable as far as time commitments go. The structure of the third year is basically focused around completing a scholarly project under the guidance of a mentor. Because most masters level programs are going to require scholarly research/projects, the school of medicine is flexible in allowing you to double dip tp fulfill this requirement. There are many degree options available to Duke medical students. The MPH at chapel hill is a very popular option (several students each year from Duke go this route), the MBA at Duke Fuqua School of Medicine is also a popular option however it will require an extra year to complete. There are degrees in public policy, management if clinical informatics, law, engineering, and then there is always the option to pursue degrees at away institutions.
Some things to consider
1. Cost: You will be paying dual tuition for your third year at the SOM as well as the tuition for whatever other program you are enrolled in. This will definitely increase your total cost of attendance, however there are some nuances to this. By the time third year rolls around, if you were planning on the MPH at chapel hill, you will have had plenty of time to establish yourself as a resident of NC, allowing you to pay in-state tuition at UNC. If you decide to pursue the Masters of Management in Clinical Informatics, this degree is technically housed under the school of medicine at Duke and as a dual enrollee you will be eligible to obtain a 50% tuition break on your masters degree. There is also an annual fund available to Duke medical students pursuing dual degrees, depending on the year and the amount of students pursuing a dual degree this may work out to approx 8-12k in scholarship money. Degrees requiring extra years (MBA, JD for example), you will have to pay a continuing education fee that totals around 600 dollars (thats right, six hundred, not six thousand) and that counts as your "tuition" for that year at Duke SOM, you will still be on the hook for tuition at your other program. This continuing education fee applies to anyone taking an "exta" third year, regardless of if you are pursuing another degree or not.
2. Timing: With the recent switch to Step 1 being pass/fail, it is really hard for me to comment exactly on how that is going to affect the future flow through Duke's third year. It used to be that students would take a protected block of time for "dedicated" Step 1 studying. My guess is that the focus will just shift to Step 2 CK and the dedicated block will just be used for this exam instead. Many students, if not most, would take their dedicated block immediately at the start of 3rd year and slay the Step 1 beast before beginning the research portion of their year. Dual degree students have to plan a little differently. It is hard to take a dedicated block of time when you have multiple schedules to balance (classes for your masters, random required courses through Duke for third year, any kind of extra curricular activities you might be involved in). Many dual degree students will shoot to use their winter break or other break from their masters to really take dedicated study time. The later into third year you get, the more you start to plan and worry about applications for residency and the start of interview season. The overall picture I am trying to paint is that you will no doubt be busier in some ways if you choose to pursue another degree, however it is a small sacrifice to make to be able to graduate with multiple degrees within 4-5 years.
I hope the wall of text was informative and not an overload. Since our classes have been cancelled I will have time to answer any further questions about dual degrees, Duke, Duke basketball, Durham, the dog scene in town, basically whaever.
Best of luck to all you amazing people!