Thank you for your interest in proposing a new School of Medicine course. Below please find information about the course approval process. Questions may be directed to the
Electives Coordinator.
The Approval Process
New course proposals are reviewed by either the SOM Electives Committee (EC) or the SOM Graduate Programs Education Committee (GPEC).
- The EC reviews all new preclerkship elective course proposals and SOM graduate course proposals that pertain to medical students.
- The GPEC reviews those graduate courses in which there is a clear time conflict with would prohibit medical students from enrolling in the course, or are deemed to be specialized to the point that medical students would not enroll except on rare and specialized situations.
If your course proposal should be be reviewed by the EC, please see below for instruction. If your course proposal should be reviewed by the GPEC, please contact the
Electives Coordinator for the most current GPEC contact.
NOTE regarding EC review of proposals: The EC meets regularly during the academic year (September - June). Please submit all paperwork as early as possible (preferably five months in advance of the quarter in which you wish to offer the course). You will be notified whether or not the course is approved. Upon approval, SOM staff will be in contact with you to coordinate student enrollment in your course.
Student-Initiated Courses
A student who initiates a course should consider measures/develop a plan to ensure there is adequate faculty and administrative support and a plan in place to enhance/increase the likelihood for course continuation well after the student progresses to the clinical curriculum.
Scheduling / Curriculum Planning Information
When planning the curriculum for your course, please keep the following in mind:
- First and second year medical students have Monday, Tuesday and Thursday afternoons (beginning at 1:00 p.m.) available to take preclerkship electives.
- Preclerkship elective course grading is Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) only.
- Graduate course grading, please consult with your department office.
The formula for converting units to hours is:
Units | Hours |
1 | 1 hr. lecture/wk + 2 hrs. outside preparation |
1 | 2 hrs. seminar/wk + 1 hr. outside preparation |
1 | 3 hrs. conference weekly |
1 | Up to 4 hrs. weekly of laboratory, clinical experience, or directed reading. |
Required Paperwork
Please type all forms and submit via email to the
Electives Coordinator.
Additional Information
Policy on Course Directors
The course director must have a UCSD School of Medicine faculty appointment in an appropriate series. For example, instructional titles in the appropriate series include: salaried UCSD School of Medicine professors, professors in residence, professors of clinical _____ (e.g., medicine), clinical professors, adjunct professors. Faculty members who hold instructional titles of any rank in an appropriate series can direct courses. Voluntary clinical faculty members are not considered as having the "appropriate instructional" titles to serve as sole course directors of UCSD School of Medicine courses.
Resources for Course Development
The Office of Educational Development and Evaluation provides assistance with evaluations and course and faculty development. For more information, please visit the
MedEDTechEval site.
Current Medical Student Preclerkship Elective Requirement