The pre-medical studies designation (“designation”) is a university-wide academic track designed for undergraduate students interested in pursuing doctoral degrees in medicine such as MD, DO, PharmD, OD, DPM, DC, DPT or DVM. The designation is not designed or intended for students enrolled in Quinnipiac's entry-level clinical degree programs.
The pre-medical studies designation is not a stand-alone program and is completed along with a student’s undergraduate degree and major. The designation allows students to enroll in and track completion of courses commonly required by medical schools and other clinical doctorate programs. While the designation includes most standard prerequisites, requirements vary by program type and school. Students are responsible for checking programs of interest in advance of the application process to determine whether additional coursework is required to apply.
Pre-Medical Studies Enrollment: Students enroll in the designation after the start of classes by attending one “Pre-Med 101” workshop held by the director of pre-health advising. Pre-Med 101 offerings can be found on Handshake at the start of fall and spring term and will be advertised via Pre-Health Opportunities emails.
Prospective Students: Prospective undergraduate students wanting to enroll in the designation should select "pre-medical studies" as a track of interest when applying to QU. This automatically adds you to the Pre-Health Opportunities email list, whereby you receive information designation enrollment and Pre-Med 101 sign-up prior to matriculation and throughout first year.
Requirements:
To receive the pre-medical studies designation upon graduation, the following are required:
- Cumulative GPA of 3.30 or above for required designation courses
- Minimum of 18 credits of designation coursework must be completed at Quinnipiac
- All designation course requirements must be completed on ground (no online coursework accepted)
- All designation course attempts are calculated to determine GPA eligibility (no grade “replacement” for repeated courses)
- If designation coursework is completed elsewhere, it must be transferred in as QU credits and listed on the QU transcript to count towards designation completion.
Experiential Development
In addition to strong academic performance, pre-medical students need to actively pursue opportunities throughout their undergraduate years that help them gain knowledge about the healthcare field and their intended profession. A wide range of skills and competencies should be developed through involvement in:
- healthcare exposure (shadowing, clinical work, volunteering, etc.)
- research outside of the curriculum
- service commitments and community involvement
- leadership
Active participation in pre-med educational workshops, advising, and events is expected. Students should work toward developing the AAMC's Pre-Med Competencies for Entering Medical Students and utilize pre-medical resources available through the Association of American Medical Colleges.
Advising
Advising services for pre-medical students include preparatory workshops, guest speaker events, peer mentorship, and one-on-one advising. Early-college students are supported by the Pre-Med Ambassador peer mentorship program, which is overseen by the director of pre-health advising within the Office of Career Development and Experiential Learning. Enrolled designation students may seek advice on pre-professional development and the professional school application process from the director of pre-health advising. Advising topics include assessment of readiness, competency development, timeline planning, application strategy, essay reviews, school selection, mock interviews, and navigating the application process. Quinnipiac's Health Professions Advisory Committee (HPAC) offers optional committee letter evaluation process for eligible medical school applicants.
Transfer Students
Students who transfer to Quinnipiac University and wish to receive the pre-medical studies designation must complete a minimum of 18 credits of the required designation coursework at QU. Grades received for designation requirements taken at other universities may be utilized for transfer student GPA calculations to determine eligibility.
Advanced Placement Credits
The vast majority of Quinnipiac pre-med students opt not to utilize AP credits for entry-level biology and chemistry for strategic purposes (medical school policy or preference, and MCAT prep). Some professional schools may accept AP credits for required sciences provided that applicants complete advanced college coursework in the same discipline. Other schools, including many medical schools, either do not accept or do not prefer AP credits for prerequisite science courses. Students are encouraged to check with the specific AP policies for course requirements of any graduate or professional degree program to which they intend to apply.
Online Coursework
In accordance with professional school admissions policies, online courses will not be accepted for any designation course requirements. Online degree seekers are not eligible for the pre-medical studies designation.
Course Requirements
All courses listed in this section may count toward both the major (if applicable) and the pre-medical studies designation.
Required Courses (39 credits)
Students must complete all of the listed required courses, as they are the minimum prerequisites for application to most medical schools and form the basis of standardized admission tests such as Medical College Admission Test.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| General Biology I and General Biology I Lab | ||
| General Biology for Majors and General Biology for Majors Laboratory | ||
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| General Biology II and General Biology Lab II | ||
| Molecular and Cell Biology and Genetics and Molecular and Cell Biology and Genetics Lab | ||
| Required courses: | ||
| CHE 110 & 110L | General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I Lab | 4 |
| CHE 111 & 111L | General Chemistry II and General Chemistry II Lab | 4 |
| CHE 210 & 210L | Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry I Lab | 4 |
| CHE 211 & 211L | Organic Chemistry II and Organic Chemistry II Lab | 4 |
| PHY 110 & 110L | General Physics I and General Physics I Lab | 4 |
| PHY 111 & 111L | General Physics II and General Physics II Lab | 4 |
| CHE 315 & 315L | Biochemistry I and Biochemistry I Lab | 4 |
| MA 141 | Calculus of a Single Variable | 3 |
| Total Credits | 39 | |
In addition to the required pre-med designation courses, students applying to medical school must complete two English courses, Psychology 101 (PS 101), Sociology 101 (SO 101), and one additional math course (statistics recommended) to meet many medical school admissions requirements and prepare for the MCAT exam. Humanities such as ethics and philosophy, and advanced sciences such as genetics, cell biology, and anatomy & physiology, are highly recommended.
Students are encouraged to check the specific prerequisite course requirements of the professional program to which they intend to apply. Many professional schools recommend additional elective coursework to prepare for admission.
Pre-medical students should determine additional course requirements by using the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) resources on MD program course requirements and American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine's ChooseDO resource to determine DO program course requirements. Additional resources for determining course requirements are provided after designation enrollment.