Pre-Medicine
Harrisonburg, USA
Pre-Med
DURATION
4 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
TUITION FEES
USD 6,434 / per semester *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* in-state tuition fee | $15,076: out-of-state tuition fee. Additional fees may apply
Key Summary
The Pre-Medicine program provides guidance on courses, experiential activities, and competencies for students that are preparing to be competitive applicants to Doctor of Medicine (M.D.), Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.), Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (D.P.M.), Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.), and Doctor of Naturapathic Medicine (N.D.) programs after completing their Bachelor's degree at James Madison University. The Pre-Med program is a minor that students complete as part of their baccalaureate degree.
Pre-Medical students typically obtain a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) or Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree while completing the requirements for admission to medical school. Medical schools do not require or prefer a particular undergraduate major. Admissions committees welcome students whose intellectual curiosity leads them to a wide variety of disciplines. Medical schools recognize the importance of a strong foundation in the natural sciences, social sciences, critical thinking, and the humanities. Applicants must complete course requirements and demonstrate proficiency in diverse disciplines as evidenced by the science GPA, overall GPA, and their performance on the MCAT.
Once you complete 13 or more credit hours in biology, chemistry, physics, and/or math (BCPM) courses at James Madison University, you will be subject to performance standard reviews twice a year. You must maintain an overall and BCPM G.P.A. of 3.00 or above to retain the Pre-Medicine Program declaration. Since medical schools consider all course attempts during the admissions process, the G.P.A. calculations for the Pre-Medicine Program will include all course attempts. If your academic performance standards fall below a 3.00 overall or BCPM G.P.A., you are at a very high risk of not being admitted to medical school. Therefore, if you are unable to maintain an overall BCPM G.P.A. of 3.00 or above, then your Pre-Medicine Program will be administratively dropped.
Pre-Medicine Coursework
Pre-Professional Health Advising has developed requirements for the Pre-Medicine Program based on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), successful medical applicant profiles, and regional scans of medical schools’ prerequisites.
Courses (35 Credit Hours)
- BIO 140 + 140L: Foundations of Biology I and Lab (4 credits)
- BIO 150 + 150L: Foundations of Biology II and Lab (4 credits)
- CHEM 131 + 131L: General Chemistry I and Lab (4 credits)
- CHEM 132 + 132L: General Chemistry II and Lab (4 credits)
- CHEM 241: Organic Chemistry I (3 credits)
- CHEM 242: Organic Chemistry II (3 credits)
- CHEM 242L: Organic Chemistry II Laboratory (2 credits)
- CHEM 361: Biochemistry I (3 credits)
- PHYS 140 + 140L: College Physics I + Lab (4 credits)
- PHYS 150 + 150L: College Physics II + Lab (4 credits)
Intermediate and advanced BIO coursework (12 Credit Hours)
Choose from the subjects recommended by medical schools and associated with foundational concepts on the MCAT:
- BIO 245 + 245L: Microbiology and Lab (4 credits)
- BIO 240 + 240L: Genetics and Lab (4 credits)
- BIO 304: Cell & Molecular Biology (3 credits)
- BIO 370: Animal Physiology (4 credits)
You may want to explore the Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems Section of the MCAT to choose additional, advanced Biology coursework.
Mathematics Coursework (6 -7 credits)
Calculus: There are four 200-level Calculus options at James Madison University. There are two calculus "pathways"; the 231-232 sequence, 233-234 sequence, and 235 to prepare you for more advanced calculus courses. MATH 205 does not prepare you for more advanced calculus courses. Your ALEKS score may require that you take MATH 155 or 156: College Algebra beforehand, or that you take MATH 199: Algebra/Precalculus Gateway in conjunction with one of the following courses to be successful.
- MATH 205: Introductory Calculus I (3 credits)
- MATH 231: Calculus with Functions I (3 credits)
- MATH 233E: A Modeling Approach to Calculus, Part A (3 credits)
- MATH 235: Calculus I (4 credits)
Statistics:
- MATH 220: Elementary Statistics (3 credits) or,
- MATH 229: Introduction to Applied Statistics Using R (3 credits)
Behavioral and Social Science Coursework (9 credits)
Pre-Medicine students must complete 3 credits of Psychology, 3 credits of Sociology, and an additional 3 credits of Psychology, Sociology or Anthropology.
Students are encouraged to utilize opportunities to take Psychology and Sociology coursework that will also count for General Education's Cluster 4: The Global Experience and General Education's Cluster 5: Sociocultural Domain.
- PSYC 101: General Psychology (3 credits)
- PSYC 160: Life Span Human Development (3 credits)
- SOCI 110: Social Issues in a Global Context (3 credits)
- SOCI 140: Microsociology: Individual in Society (3 credits)
Pre-Professional Health Advising recommends that you take additional Psychology, Sociology, and Anthropology than these minimum requirements to prepare for the Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior Section of the MCAT. For additional MCAT preparation, students are encouraged to take upper-level courses, such as:
- PSYC 308: Health Psychology (3 credits)
- SOCI 375: Medical Sociology (3 credits)
- SOCI 385: Sociology of Mental Health and Illness (3 credits)
- ANTH 360: Medical Anthropology (3 credits)
English, Literature, and Writing Coursework (6 credits)
Typically, students complete this requirement while completing General Education's Cluster 1: Writing and General Education's Cluster 2: Literature requirements. Courses that can fulfill the 6-credit pre-requisite that many medical schools require can include:
- WRTC 103: (3 credits)
- any ENG course (3 credits)
- HUM 200: (3 credits)
Critical Thinking Coursework
While not required to complete the Pre-Medicine Program, students are strongly encouraged to take critical analysis and reasoning coursework to prepare for the Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills Section of the MCAT. The course at James Madison University that most strongly aligns with this section of the MCAT is PHIL 120: Critical Thinking. Therefore, when completing General Education's Cluster I: Critical Thinking requirement, students are strongly encouraged to select PHIL 120.
Excellent Income
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual income of $208,000 (2018 data).
Great Job Outlook
Employment of physicians is projected to grow 7% from 2018-2028 which is much faster than the average for all other occupations.
Madison awards more than 400 one- to four-year scholarships each year to incoming students. The primary criterion for merit-based scholarships is exceptional academic performance. Other selection criteria may include leadership, involvement, and career goals.
The Madison Scholarships Hub is the application center for all JMU Foundation scholarships at James Madison University. To access the Madison Scholarships Hub, log in to MyMadison. Under the Applicant tab, click on the Madison Scholarships Hub logo.
All students are encouraged to fill out the General Application in the Madison Scholarships Hub to be considered for various scholarship opportunities. Qualifications for the majority of our scholarships are based on the General Application information as well as information pulled directly from your admissions application.
Review the criteria carefully for any recommended scholarship opportunities you are presented with and if you meet the qualifications, click apply to submit the additional required information. Deadlines vary across departments so be sure to complete the General Application as soon as possible to receive full consideration. Some scholarship opportunities become available starting in the fall while others open later so be sure to check back in January, February and March.