Pre-Med at Pace

Pre-med is a course of study that prepares students for entry into professional schools in medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, veterinary medicine, osteopathy, optometry, physical therapy, and podiatry. Students applying to medical school should present a strong foundation in the natural sciences, as well as a liberal education in the social sciences and humanities.

Pre-med is not a major in and of itself. While the majority of Pre-med students major in the biological, physical and social sciences, you can create your own undergraduate path to any of the medical careers and select a major that interests you. If you major in an area other than science, you will need to take a number of science courses to prepare for the professional school entrance examination.

Most medical, dental, veterinary, optometry and podiatry schools have the same general entry requirements. But it is important to understand that each school sets its own prerequisite course requirements, so there may be differences among the schools in any profession.

The following courses are required for application to most medical schools. They will also prepare you for many other professional program entrance exams:

• 1 year of General Biology with lab
• 1 semester of Genetics (strongly recommended)
• 1 semester of Biochemistry
• 1 semester of Cell and Molecular Biology (strongly recommended)
• 1 year of General Chemistry with lab
• 1 year of Organic Chemistry with lab
• 1 year of General Physics with lab
• 1 semester of Introductory Psychology
• 1 semester of Introductory Sociology
• 1 semester of Calculus

The Pre-med course of study provides you with individual advising by faculty on our Pre-medical Advisory Committee. While Nancy Krucher is the head of our Pre-medical Advisory Committee on the Pleasantville campus and JaimeLee Rizzo heads the committee on the New York City campus, all of our biology faculty advise students on their pre-med path. The committee will also write any necessary letters of recommendation.

The process outlined below should be followed by students who plan to attend medical school:

• Meet with a biology advisor each semester to establish course schedule and monitor progress. Students will also be advised of the basic requirements for entrance into medical or dental school.
• Students should have a minimum GPA of 3.0, but the goal should be over a 3.5 GPA
• During the spring semester of junior year, students should contact the Pre-Health Committee Administrators to discuss the pre-health committee letter and letters of recommendations. Students should also begin preparing for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), the Dental Aptitude Test (DAT), or the Veterinary Medical Admission Test (VMAT).
  • Pleasantville email: nkrucher@pace.edu
  • New York City email: jrizzo@pace.edu
• After a meeting with your advisor in late April or early May of junior year, the Committee will begin accepting letters of recommendation. The letters are placed on an on-line private Blackboard folder that only the Pre-Health Committee can access.
• Application to medical or dental schools is generally during or after senior year.

College graduates who are interested in a career in the health professions (medical, dental or veterinary schools), but still need the prerequisite science courses should meet with one of our biology advisors. Our faculty will advise students on which courses they need to take in preparation for entrance exams (MCAT, DAT, or VCATs/GREs). To begin this process, please submit an online application as a non-matriculated student.

For additional sources of information, please visit the following professional organizations:

• American Medical Association
• American Osteopathic Association
• American Dental Association
• American Veterinary Medical Association
• American Chiropractic Association
• American Optometric Association
• American Podiatric Medical Association

New York City

JaimeLee Rizzo, PhD
Phone: (212) 346-1761
Email: jrizzo@pace.edu

Pleasantville

Nancy Krucher, PhD
Phone: (914) 773-3770
Email: nkrucher@pace.edu

Andrew Wier, PhD
Phone: (914) 773-3947
Email: awier@pace.edu