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AS Elective Enrollment - UMass Chan Students

Proposed Educational Plan (PEP)
Prior to scheduling any Advanced Studies elective students must meet with their mentor to discuss their Proposed Educational Plan (PEP) for Advanced Studies. Every UMass Chan student must submit an approved PEP before enrolling in electives.

The PEP is a vehicle for students and their assigned Learning Communities Mentor to discuss the goals and objectives of the students Advanced Studies education. Section A of the PEP notes the field of medicine the student is considering.  Section B outlines the “ideal” desired schedule.  Section C lists any tentatively planned electives that the student may consider. Section D indicates Step exam dates.  A comment section is provided to communicate with your mentor. Only electives on an approved PEP (Section B or C) will be approved for enrollment. Students are encouraged to discuss any questions/concerns about elective enrollment with their Mentor.

All Advanced Studies (AS) students must have an approved PEP in Peoplesoft by Feb 1.  Instructions on how to complete a PEP can be found on the right side of this page.

Enrollment Requirements: Students MUST be registered for a minimum of nine (9) credit hours for that semester by two weeks before the start of the semester and must maintain a minimum enrollment of 9 credit hours during the semester in order to maintain active student status (be eligibility for course credit, malpractice insurance, financial aid, etc.) For additional information see “Matriculating Student Status” and “Number of Years to Complete the MD Degree” in the Student Handbook.

Elective Types
Internal Elective: An elective course offered by the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School or its affiliated hospitals. An array of Advanced Studies courses and their descriptions are posted on the Student Affairs Elective List website.

External Elective: UMass Chan students are encouraged to apply for Advanced Studies electives at any of the LCME accredited schools or teaching hospitals. External electives are elective courses given at institutions other than the UMass Chan Medical School or its affiliated hospitals. Students can apply for external elective through the AAMC’s online Visiting Student Learning Opportunities™ program known as VSLO® or by paper application through the Extramural Electives Compendium (EEC).

  • The Visiting Student Learning Opportunities (VSLO) program is an online AAMC application designed to make it easier for medical students to apply for senior electives at U.S. medical schools and teaching hospitals. Please visit the Host Institution link for a current list of participating U.S, medical schools and hospitals. 
  • Extramural Electives Compendium (EEC): If you are not applying to any of the VSAS participating medical schools and/or teaching hospitals, please use the AAMC’s Extramural Electives Compendium (EEC) to search for additional visiting student application information. The online ECC can be found here.
International Electives: For more information on International Electives, students should contact the faculty sponsor for the elective. Additional information can also be found here.

Additional electives may be taken with or without credit provided that the status is indicated prior to the start of the elective. Students who desire to take an elective for credit will have preference over students desiring the elective for non-credit.

Evaluations
Internal Evaluations: For all electives on a student’s schedule within the UMass system, the Elective coordinator will log into Oasis to complete the student evaluation.

External Evaluations: For all electives on a student's schedule outside the UMass system (External Electives):  It is the student’s responsibility to provide an email for the faculty completing the Oasis evaluation when completing the Away Elective Approval Form. Oasis will generate an email with a link to the student evaluation to be sent the week before the elective ends.

International Evaluations: For all international electives, It is the student’s responsibility to provide an email for the faculty completing the Oasis evaluation when completing the IMEP-GHP application. Oasis will generate an email with a link to the student evaluation to be sent the week before the elective ends.