Pre-Med

UMass Dartmouth prepares undergraduate students for admission to medical and health-related professional programs through its Pre-medical/Pre-health Advising program. Students interested in pursuing advanced degrees in medicine (dental, medical, and veterinary professional graduate programs) can select any UMass Dartmouth major, but most students do select a science major, such as Medical Laboratory Science.

Please also visit the Pre-medical/Pre-health Professions web page.

Overview

Students interested in medicine identify themselves to members of the Pre-medical Faculty Committee, and depending on their major, are assigned a "pre-med" advisor, who provides individual guidance for students as they navigate their undergraduate experience in preparing for medical school candidacy. As part of the medical school application, the Pre-medical Faculty Committee interviews each applicant and writes a committee letter of recommendation to the professional schools of choice. UMass Dartmouth is fortunate to have a strong relationship with its medical school, UMass Medical.

For students who wish to pursue more direct patient care but do not wish to attend medical or dental school, becoming a physician's assistant (PA) may be an option. The MLS Pre-medical committee advisors also advise MLS majors, as well as students from other majors, interested in PA school.

MLS & Medical School Application

The Department of Medical Laboratory Science has an excellent track record of successful medical school applicants (100% success for those students who have applied), and proudly boasts having the most students from the UMass Dartmouth campus participate in the very competitive summer enrichment programs offered at UMass Medical for sophomore and junior students.

Within the previous five years, MLS graduates have been accepted to Brown University, UMass Medical, and University of New England College of Osteopathy. Because of their comprehensive background in diagnostic medicine, MLS graduates have been able to opt out of their laboratory related medical school courses and pursue advanced studies. Our graduates have researched at the CDC and included additional residency rotations beyond those that their medical school colleagues with other degrees are able to take.

Post-Baccalaureate Certificates

UMass Dartmouth does offer Post-Baccalaureate Certificates, which are individualized programs of study for students who may have earned a Bachelor degree from an accredited institution in non-science related majors, but who wish to take undergraduate courses to fulfill the admission requirements for professional school admission (dental, medical, and veterinary school programs).

For more information about a post-baccalaureate program, you can visit the Graduate Catalog (PDF; see page 18).

Contact Us

Prof. Frank Scarano
Pre-Health Director
College of Arts and Sciences
pre-med@umassd.edu