Michigan State University is one of a handful of colleges nationwide that offer both a College of Human Medicine, where graduates earn an M.D. or doctor of medicine degree, and a College of Osteopathic Medicine, where graduates earn a D.O. or a doctor of osteopathic medicine degree.
The College of Human Medicine, established in 1964, graduates about 180 students annually, MSU data shows.
The college has eight community-based campuses in partnership with local hospitals, clinic, and health care providers. These campuses are located in Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Midland Regional, Southeast Michigan, Traverse City and the Upper Peninsula.
The College of Osteopathic Medicine was created in 1969, following the Michigan osteopathic community’s successful effort to secure a charter to create an osteopathic medical school in the state. It has 1,2000 students statewide, according to MSU.
The establishment of the school was then required through the state Legislature’s Public Act 162 and was transferred to Michigan State in 1971.
The university was the first to have a College of Osteopathic Medicine nationwide.
Osteopathy is different from allopathic medicine, which M.D.s learn, because it takes a holistic, mind-body-spirit approach to care. In the U.S., the same licensing boards give licenses to both types of doctors, who must meet the same standards for practicing medicine.
An MSU Board of Trustees’ agenda for this Friday’s meeting, when a proposed merger of the colleges has been scheduled for a vote, said both professions now share common goals, including holistic, patient-centered care, aligned foundational competencies and unified oversight of graduate medical education. The university is committed to ensuring that the transition to a unified approach maintains the integrity, heritage and excellence of each accredited degree program, according to the agenda item.
satwood@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Michigan State University has two medical colleges. How do they differ?
Reporting by Sarah Atwood, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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