This
list of medical schools in the United States includes
major academic institutions that award either the
Doctor of Medicine (MD) or
Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degrees, either of which is required to become a
physician or a
surgeon in the
United States. MD-granting
medical schools are accredited by the
Liaison Committee on Medical Education, while DO-granting medical schools are accredited by the
American Osteopathic Association Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation. There are presently 141 accredited MD-granting institutions and 31 accredited DO-granting institutions in the United States. Alaska, Delaware, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming lack medical schools (Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho participate in a regional campus model with the University of Washington School of Medicine known as WWAMI Medical Education which allows 4 years of medical school to occur in each state). Regional campus models have allowed smaller states to gain access to clinical experiences at larger hospitals that their states lack. Additionally, the regional campus model allows medical students to gain valuable rural experiences which are often lacking with medical schools situated in larger metropolitan areas.