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 program director/HPAC chair to develop an appropriate course of study for their four years of college.