Mar 28, 2024  
2021-2022 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2021-2022 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Pre-Medical - Minor


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The pre-medical minor enhances the competitiveness of students interested in applying to medical schools including allopathic, osteopathic, optometry, podiatry, chiropractic, etc. The American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) recommends that interested students, regardless of the major chosen, should select courses that emphasize the skills of verbal and written comprehension, a thorough understanding of human values, the ability to communicate effectively, and the power of thinking critically.

This 18-credit minor is highly interdisciplinary and was developed for students preparing for professional or graduate training in a health care specialty. The courses were specifically selected to focus on the desired  core competencies for entering medical students.  This minor is particularly suited for students with a natural science major (such as Biochemistry, Biomedical Sciences, Biology, or Chemistry) who wish to take a suite of integrative courses that will provide them with perspectives from the social sciences and humanities. Please note that students do not have to major in the sciences to attend medical school but should meet with the pre-health advisor as early as possible during their program at Nazareth to ensure all the prerequisite courses are completed.

The Health Professions Advisory Committee (HPAC) is dedicated to all of our pre-med minors and organizes workshops in personal statement and interviewing practices and conducts formal interviews as part of the comprehensive composite letter preparation for students applying to medical school. The (HPAC) Chair acts as the program director, oversees the minor programs and advises students in both individual and group sessions.

Pre-medical students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 and a minimum grade of C- or higher in all minor coursework. Students must also perform a minimum of 200 hours of community/pre-medical clinical service. Interested students should contact the pre-health advisor and HPAC Chair, Amber Charlebois, Ph.D., to develop an appropriate course of study for their four years of college.

Pre-Medical Minor Elective Courses


Students must complete a minimum of 11 elective credits. Please note that eligibility for enrollment includes completion of prerequisites noted in the course descriptions.

Note: * indicates a course that has material that will help students prepare for the MCAT exam.

Courses Required for Medical School Application


This section lists the science and math courses that are required prerequisites to gain entry to medical schools. Although not required to complete the Pre-Medical Minor, students must complete these courses to be eligible to apply to a typical medical school in the US.  In addition to the requirements listed below for medical school application, students should discuss their individual plans and goals with the Pre-Med Advisor as early in their program as possible.

Note: * indicates a course that has material that will help students prepare for the MCAT exam.

Additional Information


Many U.S. medical schools now require some undergraduate biochemistry coursework; please refer to the Medical School Admissions Requirement (MSAR) publication for information about this requirement for specific medical schools. Virtually all medical schools also require two semesters of college level English Composition/English Literature.

Students wishing to apply to Medical School must do so through the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) or the American College of Osteopathic Medical Application Service (ACOMAS) and take the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) typically during the spring of their junior year or in the summer after their junior year. An undergraduate GPA of at least 3.5/4.0 is highly desirable.

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