Joint B.A./M.D. Program (Rutgers Undergraduate-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School)

Rutgers Undergraduate/Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Joint Bachelor of Arts/Medical Degree (B.A./M.D.) Program

Specially selected students will obtain bachelor's and medical degrees in a seven-year program of study taken at Rutgers undergraduate units and Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS).

Application to this program is open to all undergraduate students enrolled at Rutgers University. It is not directly associated with any one school within the university.

Admission is a two-stage and highly competitive process. In the first stage, undergraduate students are admitted into the program by an executive committee consisting of faculty from the appropriate units. Eligible applicants are sophomores at any of the undergraduate schools of Rutgers University who have spent at least a year here. Applicants from Rutgers University-Newark and Rutgers University-Camden who are admitted into the program are required to transfer to one of the Rutgers University-New Brunswick schools and must be able to complete virtually all of the requirements of that school by the end of their third year. During their fourth year, students will be full time at the medical school and will only be able to apply certain credits to complete their undergraduate degree. The executive committee reviews applications and selects those students who are deemed most qualified for the program. The second stage occurs typically after the fourth year of study. It is the responsibility of the RWJMS Admissions Committee to review the credentials of students recommended by the Joint Program Executive Committee. Students who are deemed to have met the academic and nonacademic standards of the program will be recommended to the RWJMS Admissions Committee. The purpose of this second, noncompetitive review is to ascertain that the student has maintained adequate academic and nonacademic qualities appropriate for retention in the medical school. It is expected that students will have grades of A or B (Honors or High Pass) in courses taken at both universities. However, recommendation is not automatic. The final decision rests with the RWJMS Admissions Committee. Upon approval by this admissions committee, the student will be permitted to continue into the fifth year of study and will be matriculated formally as a candidate for the M.D. degree at RWJMS.

Applicants to the B.A./M.D. program must be in their fourth semester at Rutgers University. Applications are available in the Health Professions Office starting April 1; they are due by the end of May. There is no rolling admissions policy. Decisions are expected to be made in July. By the end of the semester of application, applicants must have completed a minimum of 60 credits of which 30 credits must be at Rutgers, and must have been in attendance at Rutgers a minimum of one year. Additionally, applicants must have a minimum cumulative and science grade-point average of 3.5 by the end of the third semester and sustain it through the end of the fourth. The applicant must have completed, or be in the process of completing by the end of the fourth semester, two semesters of biology with lab, two semesters of general chemistry with lab, two semesters of organic chemistry, one semester of college-level mathematics, and one semester of English. Applicants who have not taken General Biology I and II at Rutgers University, either because they have been awarded advanced placement biology credits or because they have transferred equivalent courses from another institution, must have at least one year of upper-division biology courses at Rutgers-New Brunswick (i.e., two courses of at least 3 or more credits each at the 200 level or higher). Those students who are admitted to the program without having two semesters of physics, two semesters of English, and organic chemistry lab must complete these requirements by the end of the third year of study. The MCAT is not required for either the first or second stage of admission. An application form has been developed that allows the student to provide the executive committee with information it deems useful for its deliberations.

The bachelor's degree will be awarded upon completion of the undergraduate college and major requirements, usually by the end of year four, but no later than the end of year six, before clerkships begin. Upon satisfactory completion of year seven and all RWJMS requirements, the student will receive the medical degree.

Students who wish to pursue a major other than biological sciences must discuss their plans with the appropriate department in order to establish the requirements they need to complete for their major. Except as stipulated below, students enrolled in the joint program with a major in biological sciences are expected to fulfill all requirements of the major.

The courses taken during the first year at RWJMS can be used as elective credit to complete a major in biological sciences. The number of credits, however, is not directly translated between the two universities; no more than 4 credits per laboratory course and 3 credits per nonlaboratory course taken at RWJMS may be used toward the bachelor's degree at Rutgers.

A student enrolled in the program completing a major in biological sciences is required to take General Biology 01:119:115,116, and 117; Genetics 01:447:380; and three approved life sciences electives (3- or 4-credit courses) at Rutgers-New Brunswick. Students who have not taken General Biology I and II at Rutgers University, either because they have been awarded AP biology credit or because they have transferred equivalent courses from another institution, must take Genetics 01:447:380, and four approved life sciences electives (3- or 4-credit courses) at Rutgers-New Brunswick. A maximum of 15 credits from the RWJMS courses will be accepted toward the biological sciences major. Students in the program must meet with advisers at the medical school and at their undergraduate school when planning their elective courses. No more than one independent study/research course may be applied toward the biological sciences major for students in the B.A./M.D. program. Please be sure to meet with a biological sciences adviser when selecting life science elective courses because not all course combinations are allowed given overlap in subject matter taught at Rutgers' undergraduate units and RWJMS.

For further information on this program, you may contact the Division of Life Sciences, Health Professions Office, Nelson Biological Laboratories, 604 Allison Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8082, at 848-445-5667.