Objective　To explore the differences of curricula setting of medical students in China and the United States

and the enlightenment for medical education in China. Methods　The curriculum of the 8-year students in Grade 2010 of Peking University was compared with the schedule of medical students in the same grade at the Pittsburgh University

specifically for the number of courses

the distribution of courses

the training of innovative abilities

and the doctor-patient communication courses. All the data were analyzed by SPSS 20.0

and t test and chi-square test were used for statistical analysis. Results　The total number of courses in the two medical schools was similar. The number of study weeks per year for Peking University was (41.6±8.7) weeks while that of Pittsburgh University was (39.6±8.5) weeks

without statistically significant difference(t=1.414

P=0.200). Courses of both universities were distributed from comprehensive courses to medical courses and from basic courses to clinical courses

and the professional courses were similar. Innovative ability training and doctor-patient communication education were reflected in the curriculum of both universities

but the training courses of the University of Pittsburgh began earlier and the form was more flexible. Among them

there was a total of 47 learning hours of the doctor-patient communication lecture in Peking University while the number of Pittsburgh University was 140 learning hours

including lectures and communication with standard patients and real patients. The difference was statistically significant (χ2=67.45

P=0.000). Conclusion　After more than 20 years of medical education reform

the curricula of medical students in China have basically reached the level of developed countries. Professional courses are similar to those of medical schools in developed countries. However

it is still necessary to strengthen the cultivation of innovative ability and medical humanities education.