Overview
The Department of Physics & Astronomy and the Cooper Medical School of Rowan University (CMSRU) offer a Bachelor of Science in Biophysics and a Doctor of Medicine degree, respectively. This accelerated program allows high-achieving Biophysics majors to obtain the Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Medicine in a seven-year period, rather than the traditional period of eight years if both degrees were completed separately. The program is a 3 + 4 arrangement where students begin Doctor of Medicine courses in their 4th year at Rowan University.
3+4 Doctor of Medicine Program Requirements
Requirements for the Doctor of Medicine degree are set forth in the CMSRU Student Handbook.
Additional Program Requirements: Students are required to maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.6 in all course work and a minimum grade point average of 3.6 in the science courses required for admission to CMSRU. Students must take part in one of the summer Premedical Urban Leaders Summer Enrichment PULSE programs at CMSRU or participate in forty hours of approved community service prior to entering their third undergraduate year. This service will be directed to under served populations and is non-medical. The Health Professions Advisor (HPA), or designee
on the Glassboro campus will serve as the supervisor for the service activity and provide verification that the service obligations have been completed.
Students accepted into the 3+4 Program will be admitted to CMSRU contingent upon the following:
- Completion of all general curriculum requirements at Rowan University.
- A minimum of 75% of the credits needed for a Baccalaureate degree completed before beginning the medical school phase of the Program.
- All prerequisite courses required for admission to CMSRU as specified in the CMSRU Handbook.
- Completion of requirements of the designated Rowan University major unless the major department agrees to provide credit for certain medical courses taken during the first year of medical school at CMSRU.
- A cumulative science grade point average of 3.60 or better.
- No final grade of “D”, “F” or “I” in any prerequisite course required for admission to CMSRU as indicated in the CMSRU Handbook.
- All students will be required to take the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) and obtain a score at or greater than the 70th percentile.
- Students in the Program will be required to participate in one summer Premedical Urban Leader Summer Enrichment Program “PULSE” program at CMSRU or an equivalent service experience as outlined above.
- Students must remain free of any citations for behavioral issues or academic integrity violations especially surrounding professionalism through their undergraduate education.
- CMSRU may refuse admission to any student applicant who does not meet the above requirements. Students may be required to decelerate or withdraw from the combined Program for academic or other reasons.
Eligibility and Admissions:
High school seniors who qualify for admission to Rowan University are eligible for admission to the 3+4 program. There are no restrictions on State of residency, but admission is limited to citizens or permanent residents of the United States. The high school grade point average and rank-in-class, along with letters of recommendation from high school teachers, will be of primary importance in evaluating an applicant’s credentials. Applicants are required to submit scores of the College Board Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SAT) Verbal and Mathematical components or the American College Testing (ACT). Applicants are expected to demonstrate knowledge of, and activity resonant with, the mission of CMSRU.
Students who self-identify that they wish to be part of this Program will formally apply to the Health Professions Advisor (HPA) at Rowan University upon acceptance to Rowan University. They will be given all the requirements of the program by the HPA. There will be an application form made available to the HPA through CMSRU that needs to be completed and sent by the HPA to the Director of Admissions at CMSRU. Qualified applicants will be scheduled for interview by members of a subcommittee of the CMSRU Admissions Committee. These interviews will be held on the CMSRU campus and at a date and time that will allow student notification prior to any final decision date for matriculation to Rowan University.
Student Status: Tuition for the first three (3) years of study at Rowan University, including summer courses, if any, will be the same tuition as charged to undergraduate Rowan University students. Tuition during the four (4) years of study at CMSRU will be the same as the tuition charged to students enrolled in the regular curriculum at CMSRU.
Students who satisfactorily complete the appropriate courses in the first year at CMSRU, in addition to all other Rowan University requirements, will receive a Bachelor of Science in Biophysics degree.
If, after the first semester of the medical first year, the student fails to meet the required CMSRU standards of performance and competency, CMSRU shall notify Rowan University. Representatives from Rowan University and CMSRU will meet with the student. If, after meeting with the student, CMSRU concludes that the student should not continue in the medical school, the student shall be dismissed from the Bachelor of Science/Doctor of Medicine Program. In consultation with the Biophysics coordinator, the Bachelor of Science in Biophysics degree may be completed and will still be eligible to earn the B.A. in Physics.
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