Medical College of Georgia

The Medical College of Georgia is the flagship medical school of the University System of Georgia, the state's only public medical school, and one of the top 10 largest medical schools in the United States. Established in 1828 as the Medical Academy of Georgia, MCG is the oldest and founding school of Augusta University. It is the third-oldest medical school in the Southeast and the 13th oldest in the nation. With 22 departments, it offers both a Doctor of Medicine as well as MD-PhD, MD-MPH, and MD-MBA degrees.In response to the state of Georgia's worsening shortage of physicians, the school has undergone tremendous growth in recent years. Beginning in 2010, MCG expanded to include multiple regional campuses across the state. In addition to its main clinical campus in Augusta, clinical training is offered at campuses in Albany, Rome, Savannah/Brunswick, and Athens. The Athens campus is a full, four-year campus and houses 40 of the school's 230 first-year students as part of a partnership with the University of Georgia. In 2013, the MCG Foundation received $66 million as a gift from Dr. J. Harold Harrison, a notable vascular surgeon and MCG alumnus. This unprecedented gift allowed for the creation of a number of scholarships, multiple construction projects, and plans for even further expansion in the future.HistoryMCG was founded in 1828 as the Medical Academy of Georgia by the Medical Society of Augusta to address a need to train new physicians. Its first seven students enrolled in a one-year course of lectures and clinical training hosted in the Old Medical College building, leading to the bachelor of medicine degree. The next year, the governor signed a legislative act altering the charter of 1828 by expanding the curriculum to two years, culminating in a doctor of medicine degree, and changing the name to the Medical Institute of Georgia. The school changed its name in 1833 to its current name, and for the next 80 years continued to operate with an emphasis on research and training physicians.