ABOUT THE COLLEGE
When osteopathic schools were forming throughout the country in the 1890s, two students at the Northern Institute of Osteopathy in Minneapolis--the Reverend Mason W. Pressly and Oscar John Snyder--targeted Philadelphia as a future home for an osteopathic medical college.
While the “City of Brotherly Love” had a rich history of medicine, it had but one “osteopathist” by the time Pressly and Snyder graduated in 1898 and 1899, respectively. The two doctors of osteopathy (DOs) followed through with their vision, incorporating Philadelphia College and Infirmary of Osteopathy (PCIO) on January 24, 1899. They rented two rooms in the Stephen Girard Building at 21 S. 12th Street—the first of many homes for the College—and opened their doors to students and patients.
In September 1899 the first PCIO degree was awarded to a transfer student; the first PCIO “class,” comprised of one woman and one MD, graduated in February 1900. It was not long before the early graduates formed an alumni association.
The word of osteopathy spread quickly in Philadelphia. As the number of students and faculty grew, the College moved to larger quarters, establishing its first “campus” at 33rd and Arch Streets, a suburban neighborhood in West Philadelphia. In a mansion surrounded by grassy lawns, a tradition of student life started with the organization of athletics, professional societies, fraternities and sororities.
By 1906 the College opened the Osteopathic Dispensary at 1617 Fairmount Avenue, forerunner of the Osteopathic Hospital of Philadelphia. The College moved to 1715 N. Broad Street (1908-1912), then to 832 Pine Street in the city’s Society Hill section, where a hospital would come to fruition at 410 S. Ninth Street.
The College prospered and moved through a number of sites in its first century, including Spring Garden, 48th and Spruce, and finally, City Avenue. During this growth period, the osteopathic medical curriculum intensified, osteopathic research was initiated, and clinic and hospital services grew rapidly as the medical school’s student body and faculty expanded dramatically.
Osteopathic medicine is one of the fastest-growing healthcare professions in the United States. Approximately one in four medical students attends a college of osteopathic medicine. More than 151,000 osteopathic physicians and medical students are an integral part of America’s health care delivery system. Today, all treatment modalities are available to osteopathic physicians, who may prescribe drugs, perform surgery and specialize in any area of medicine. DOs, whose primary care training prepares them to be highly skilled diagnosticians, are represented throughout the United States and in all branches of military service.
The addition of non-DO academic programs to the curriculum starting in the early 1990s began a new era of diversification for the College. In 1993, the College launched a graduate program in biomedical sciences and signaled the development of a graduate school. A range of clinically-focused, collaborative master's and doctoral-level programs and degrees are presently offered at the College today. In 2018, the organization of the graduate school expanded to two schools: the School of Professional and Applied Psychology and the School of Health Sciences. The programs of study under the School of Professional and Applied Psychology include counseling psychology, mental health counseling, school psychology, clinical psychology, educational specialist and organizational development. The programs of study under the School of Health Sciences are forensic medicine, biomedical science, physical therapy and physician assistant.
In 2005, the College opened a branch campus in Suwanee, Georgia, with a focus on helping to fill the need for more healthcare professionals in the South. Renamed PCOM Georgia in 2019, the location offers professional doctoral and master's degree programs.
In 2017, PCOM received initial approval from the American Osteopathic Association’s (AOA) Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) to establish an additional location in Moultrie, Georgia. PCOM South Georgia welcomed its inaugural class of DO students in August 2019. In 2020, PCOM South Georgia expanded its academic offerings to include a biomedical sciences program.
Academic year calendars are provided as guides and are subject to change.
Academic terms apply only to the coursework or non-clinical component of degree programs. Second-year DO; third- and fourth-year DO clinical rotation schedules; second-year physician assistant clinical preceptorships; and fourth-year pharmacy experiential learning schedules are provided by the respective academic department or school.
Calendars are subject to change.
Calendar 2024-2025 (Last Year Before Transition to a Trimester Calendar in 2025-2026)
Summer 2024
Calendar | Date | Day | Event |
| June 3 | Monday | Summer term begins |
| June 19 | Wednesday | Juneteenth |
| July 4 and July 5 | Thursday and Friday | Independence Day Holiday |
| August 11 | Sunday | Summer term ends |
Fall 2024
Calendar | Date | Day | Event |
| August 12 | Monday | Fall term begins |
| September 2 | Monday | Labor Day Holiday |
| November 10 | Sunday | Fall term ends |
| November 11-17 | Monday-Sunday | Fall break |
Winter 2024
Calendar | Date | Day | Event |
| November 18 | Monday | Winter term begins |
| November 27-November 29 | Wednesday-Friday | Thanksgiving Holiday |
| December 2 | Monday | Winter classes resume |
| December 23-January 3 | Monday-Friday | Winter Holiday |
| January 6 | Monday | Winter classes resume |
| January 20 | Monday | Martin Luther King Holiday |
| February 23 | Sunday | Winter term ends |
| February 24-March 2 | Monday-Sunday | Break |
Spring 2025
Calendar | Date | Day | Event |
| March 3 | Monday | Spring term begins |
| May 26 | Monday | Memorial Day Holiday |
| June 1 | Sunday | Spring term ends |
Calendar 2025-2026 (Trimester Calendar Begins) Dates subject to change
Summer 2025
Calendar | Date | Day | Event |
| May 5 | Monday | First Summer Session Begins |
| May 26 | Monday | Memorial Day |
| June 2 | Monday | Second Summer Session Begins |
| June 19 | Thursday | Juneteenth |
| June 30 | Monday | Third Summer Session Begins |
| July 4 | Friday | Independence Day Holiday |
| August 24 | Sunday | Summer term ends |
| August 25-September 1 | Monday-Monday | Break |
Fall 2025
Calendar | Date | Day | Event |
| September 2 | Tuesday | Fall term begins |
| November 26-28 | Wednesday-Friday | Thanksgiving Holiday |
| December 21 | Sunday | Fall term ends |
| December 22-January 4 | Monday-Sunday | Break |
Spring 2026
Calendar | Date | Day | Event |
| January 5 | Monday | Spring term begins |
| January 19 | Monday | MLK Day |
| April 26 | Sunday | Spring term ends |
| April 27-May 3 | Monday-Sunday | Break |
Calendar 2026-2027
Summer 2026
Calendar | Date | Day | Event |
| May 4 | Monday | Summer term begins |
| May 25 | Monday | Memorial Day |
| June 19 | Friday | Juneteenth |
| July 6 | Monday | Independence Day Holiday (Observed) |
| August 23 | Sunday | Sumer term ends |
| August 24-August 30 | Monday-Sunday | Break |
Fall 2026
Calendar | Date | Day | Event |
| August 31 | Monday | Fall term begins |
| September 7 | Monday | Labor Day Holiday |
| November 26-27 | Wednesday-Friday | Thanksgiving Break |
| December 20 | Sunday | Fall Term Ends |
| December 21-January 3 | Monday-Sunday | Break |
Spring 2027
Calendar | Date | Day | Event |
| January 4 | Monday | Spring term begins |
| January 18 | Monday | MLK Day |
| April 25 | Sunday | Spring term ends |
| April 26-May 2 | Sunday-Monday | Break |
Calendar 2027-2028
Summer 2027
Calendar | Date | Day | Event |
| May 3 | Monday | Summer term begins |
| May 31 | Monday | Memorial Day |
| June 21 | Monday | Juneteenth (Observed) |
| July 5 | Monday | Independence Day Holiday (Observed) |
| August 22 | Sunday | Summer term ends |
| August 23-August 29 | Monday - Sunday | Break |
Fall 2027
Calendar | Date | Day | Event |
| August 30 | Monday | Fall term begins |
| September 6 | Monday | Labor Day Holiday |
| November 24-26 | Wednesday-Friday | Thanksgiving Holiday |
| December 19 | Sunday | Fall term ends |
| December 20-January 2 | Monday-Sunday | Break |
Spring 2028
Calendar | Date | Day | Event |
| January 3 | Monday | Spring term begins |
| January 17 | Monday | MLK Day |
| April 23 | Sunday | Spring Term Ends |
| April 24-April 30 | Sunday-Monday | Break |
Summer 2028
Calendar | Date | Day | Event |
| May 1 | Monday | Summer Term Begins |
| May 29 | Monday | Memorial Day |
| June 19 | Monday | Juneteenth |
| July 4 | Tuesday | Independence Day Holiday |
| August 20 | Sunday | Summer term ends |
| August 21-August 27 | Monday-Sunday | Break |
Fall 2028
Calendar | Date | Day | Event |
| September 5 | Tuesday | Fall term begins |
| November 22-Novemberr24 | Wednesday-Friday | Thanksgiving Holiday |
| December 24 | Sunday | Fall term ends |
| December 25-January 2 | | Break |
Spring 2029
Calendar | Date | Day | Event |
| January 8 | Wednesday | Spring Term Begins |
| January 15 | Monday | MLK Day |
| April 29 | Sunday | Spring term ends |
| April 30-May 6 | Sunday-Monday | Break |
