The pre-medical studies designation (“pre-med designation”) is designed for undergraduate students who are interested in pursuing doctoral or advanced professional degrees in medicine such as MD, DO, DDS/DMD, PharmD, OD, DPM, DPT or DVM. Pre-medical designation status is not intended for students enrolled in QU’s entry-level professional track programs. Interested students may enroll in the pre-medical designation after the start of classes.
The pre-med designation is not a stand-alone program and is completed in addition to the student’s undergraduate degree and major. Application to professional school may require coursework outside of a specific major. The pre-med designation allows students to enroll in and track completion of these core requirements. While the pre-med designation will cover the majority of standard prerequisite courses, requirements vary by program type and school. Students must check their intended programs in advance of the application process to determine whether additional coursework is required to apply.
Enrolled designation students may seek advice on pre-professional development and the professional school application process from the Pre-Health Advising Office. Advising services include: preparatory workshops, individual advising, assessment of readiness, long-term planning, application strategy, essay critiques, school selection assistance, mock interviews and guest speaker events. The Pre-Health Advising Office, along with the Health Professions Advisory Committee, provides committee letters of evaluation for eligible medical school applicants.
For more information, please contact the director of pre-health advising at prehealthadvising@qu.edu
Requirements
To receive the pre-medical studies designation upon graduation, the following conditions are required:
- Cumulative GPA of 3.30 or above in required pre-med designation courses
- Minimum of 18 credits of pre-med designation coursework must be completed at Quinnipiac
- All coursework for pre-medical designations must be completed on-ground (no online coursework will be accepted)
- All attempts for repeated courses will determine GPA eligibility (grades will not be “replaced” for repeated courses)
- If coursework is completed elsewhere, it must be transferred in as QU credits and listed on the QU transcript
In addition to strong academic performance, pre-med designation students must 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 experiences such as:
- extended exposure to healthcare (shadowing, clinical work, volunteering, etc.)
- research outside of the curriculum
- substantial volunteer efforts and community involvement
- leadership experiences
Active participation in Pre-Health Advising Office educational workshops, advising and events is expected. Students should carefully review the AAMC's Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students and other pre-medical resources available through the Association of American Medical Colleges.
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 pre-med designation courses taken at other universities may be utilized for transfer student GPA calculations to determine eligibility.
Advanced Placement Credits
Some professional schools may accept AP credits provided that applicants complete courses for which AP credit has been granted with a higher level course in the same discipline. Other schools, including many medical schools, do not accept AP credits as a replacement for prerequisite science courses. Students are encouraged to check with the specific AP policies and course requirements of any graduate health profession program to which they intend to apply.
Online Coursework
In accordance with professional school admissions policies, online courses will not be accepted for any pre-med 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, Dental Admission Test, Optometry Admission Test or Pharmacy 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 plan to 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.