Newark College of Arts
and Sciences does not offer a premedicine major. Students interested in
attending medical school (allopathic, osteopathic, or naturopathic), as well as those
interested in attending dentistry, podiatry, optometry, or veterinary schools,
instead are able to major in any subject offered by the college, including nonsciences,
with the provision that the core courses listed below are completed
successfully.
Schools for the health
professions typically expect applicants to have superior scholastic records.
Competition for admission is intense. Schools weigh not only grades, but also
scores on the appropriate standardized entrance examination, the college letter
of recommendation, records of extracurricular activities, and seriousness of
intent. Students who do not achieve a
minimum of a 3.0 cumulative grade-point average by the conclusion of the first
year are strongly urged to meet with a prehealth adviser to discuss alternative career plans within or outside of the health field.
Prerequisites
Medical
schools require the successful completion of specific science courses in
addition to basic undergraduate coursework. The prerequisites should be
completed by the end of the third year, with at least a 3.0 cumulative
grade-point average, and in advance of the nationwide standardized examinations
for the health professions. Schools generally require, at minimum, the
following subjects:
21:120:200 Concepts of
Biology (4)
21:120:201-202
Foundations of Biology: Cell and Molecular with laboratory (4)
21:120:205-206 Foundations
of Biology: Ecology and Evolution with laboratory (4)
21:120:360 Biochemistry (3)
21:160-113-114 General
Chemistry Laboratory (1,1)
21:160:115-116 General
Chemistry (4,4)
21:160:331 Organic
Chemistry Laboratory (2)
21:160:335-336 Organic
Chemistry (4,4)
21:640:135 Calculus
(3)
21:750:203-204 General
Physics (3,3) or 21:750:213-214 Elements of Physics (3,3)
21:750:205-206
Introductory Physics Laboratory (1,1)
21:830:101-102 Psychology (3)
21:920:201 Sociology (3)
Since medical
school requirements are subject to change, students should consult individual
schools for information. Ethics, logic, or other specific courses are sometimes required, and upper-level courses in the sciences are
strongly encouraged.
All students interested
in pursuing a prehealth preparatory track should plan to complete Concepts of Biology, Precalculus, and perhaps Calculus during their first year and should complete General Physics or University Physics by the end of their third year.
Those entering with a strong background in mathematics and the natural sciences
may want to take General Chemistry also during their first year and Organic
Chemistry during their second. Those with an average background in mathematics and
the natural sciences should take General Chemistry during their second year and
Organic Chemistry in the third year.
Standardized Tests
Schools in the health
professions require applicants to submit scores from nationwide standardized
examinations. Interested students should plan to take the examination
appropriate for their career goals prior to their senior year and are advised
to complete the prerequisites outlined above prior to standing for
examination. Please take into consideration that the prerequisites may vary based on the professional school you intend to apply to. Different examinations are required for application to different
kinds of schools:
Dental Schools: Dental Admissions Test (DAT)
Optometry Schools: Optometry Admissions Test
(OAT)
Veterinary Schools: Veterinary College Admission
Test (VCAT), Graduate Record Exam (GRE), or Medical College Admissions Test
(MCAT)
Advising
For more information on premedicine/other health professions, how to open
a Health Professions File, or the contact information for the prehealth advisers, please visit: https://sasn.rutgers.edu/student-support/current-students/pre-professional-programs/pre-health.
School of Arts and Sciences-Newark 
