Overview
It’s a surprisingly common story: Each year there are bright, highly motivated students who dream of being physicians but unexpectedly find a roadblock on their path to medical school. Some have a high grade point average, but a borderline Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) score, or vice versa.
Dr. Sean Loudin participated in Marshall’s Medical Sciences program as a stepping stone into medical school. He is now a well-respected member of the Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, is Pediatric Clerkship Director, and an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Marshall’s Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine.
Often students are advised to enter a graduate-level science program to enhance their skills then reapply to medical school. Marshall’s program is the ideal choice: it is specifically designed to maximize your chance of gaining entry into medical school.
Marshall University’s Medical Sciences area of emphasis is a two-year, non-thesis degree in Biomedical Sciences. Through offering science courses basic to medicine, this degree is designed to provide you with the background required to pursue a variety of careers in health professions. This could include careers in the allied health sciences, such as public health and health care administration, or in non-research positions including managerial and biotechnology patent law. More commonly, Marshall University’s Medical Sciences area of emphasis is selected for its goal to improve the science foundation of students seeking admission into doctoral programs in medicine.
Testimonial
Pictured from left to right are: Matthew Snyder, Heather Saffel, Ross DeChant, and Brittany Wall. All four were Medical Sciences’ students who graduated with the M.S. degree and recently entered Marshall University’s Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine (MUSOM).
“The BMS program at Marshall University was hands down the best preparation I could have had prior to entering medical school. Looking back, I can not imagine beginning medical school without the knowledge and experience the BMS program provided me. The first hand exposure to life as a medical student, which is unique to the BMS program here at Marshall, is invaluable and provided me the confidence to know that I can succeed.”
~ Matthew Snyder, M.S., MUSOM Class of 2016, BMS Medical Sciences Graduate
Marshall Advantages
- Marshall’s Medical Sciences area of emphasis is tailored especially to meet the needs of future medical students or other professional schools.
- In fact, you take many of the same courses medical students take!
- We pay half of the registration fee for you to take an MCAT review course!*
- This program is not research-oriented, whereas many traditional graduate programs in the sciences give heavy preference to Ph.D.-bound applicants.
- Facilities! You will be taught by School of Medicine faculty in high-tech, multimedia, and state-of-the-art rooms where both medical students and medical sciences students come together.
- Should you choose not to attend medical school, our two-year, non-thesis M.S. degree gives you valuable credentials to enter a career in the pharmaceutical industry, public health, or biotechnology.
*The BMS program will pay for half of an MCAT review course registration fee for students who are registered to attend the second year of the Medical Sciences program.
Application Information, Review Timeline, and Assistantships
Please visit our Master’s of Science (Non-thesis) Application Information, Review Timeline, and Assistantships Page.
Duration of Program
It is not uncommon for students enrolled in the Medical Sciences area of emphasis to be accepted into medical school prior to completion of the degree. In such cases, students are welcome to leave the program to pursue what we knew to be their ultimate goal: medical school.
Students choosing to complete the degree will find that it typically takes two years.
Core Curriculum
A minimum of 36 credit hours is required to qualify for this non-thesis Master of Science degree.
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Fall, Year I |
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|---|---|---|
| Course number | Course title | |
| BMS 600 | Biochemical, Cellular and Molecular Foundations of Biomedical Sciences | |
| BMS 680 | Seminar | |
| PHS 626 | Neurophysiology I | |
|
Spring, Year I |
||
| BMS 680 | Seminar | |
| BMS 685 | Introduction to Research* | |
| PHS 627 | Neurophysiology II | |
| PHS 629 | Mammalian Physiology (recommended elective) | |
|
Students returning for the second year of the program may take an MCAT Prep course over the summer that will be partially subsidized by the BMS Graduate Program. |
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Fall, Year II |
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| Course number | Course title | |
| MCB 631 | Medical Microbiology I | |
| BMS 680 | Seminar | |
| PMC 621 | Medical Pharmacology I (recommended elective) | |
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Spring, Year II |
||
| Course number | Course title | |
| MCB 632 | Medical Microbiology II | |
| PMC 622 | Medical Pharmacology II (recommended elective) | |
| BMS 680 | Seminar | |
| MTH 518 or equivalent | Biostatistics | |
Successful completion of this area of emphasis will require a 3.0 grade point average and acceptable performance on the final comprehensive assessment (pass/fail), which will be administered to all degree candidates during the final exam week in the spring semester of the second year. This degree will not guarantee admission into Marshall University School of Medicine or any other medical school.
* This course emphasizes literature research in diseases of high incidence in the Appalachian Region.
Apply Now
Ready to apply? Apply online now!