Degrees & Programs

Pre-Medicine

The department of SLU-Madrid is home to more than 20 faculty members who form an interconnected network of researchers that can help students fulfill the pre-med required courses.

Saint Louis University offers a pre-med program, which prepares students for the responsibilities and challenges faced by today’s health care. SLU encourages young men and women to be leaders in the field, emphasizing the importance of research, the development of skills and the application of knowledge and techniques.

Because of its location in Madrid, Spain, Saint Louis University provides students the opportunity to experience a unique learning environment that allows gaining knowledge in the area of global health care. In addition to that, students have the opportunity to learn and practice Spanish, a language of increasing demand in the health professions in the United States and elsewhere.

Requirements

Courses required for admission to medical schools are quite similar, although each medical school sets its own requirements. Health Professions Schools require applicants to have completed the premedical curriculum prior to application. The premedical curriculum at Saint Louis University meets the entrance requirements for most health professions schools in the United States. The courses required for admission to medical, dental, optometry, podiatry and veterinary schools, with few exceptions, include the following:

• Principles of Biology I and II (lectures and laboratory)
• Upper division biology course
• Introduction to Chemistry I and II (lectures and laboratory)
• Principles of Organic Chemistry I and II (lectures and laboratory)
• Physics I and II (lectures and laboratory)
• Calculus I

For the student who expects to complete a degree in four years and go directly into medical school, the premedical curriculum must be completed by the end of the junior year of college. These courses serve as a common denominator between applicants and are also the foundation upon which students build after arriving to a professional school. The premedical curriculum given above should be considered the minimum science preparation for a health professions school. Students should strive to take additional upper division biology and chemistry courses to strengthen their background in the sciences, especially if they elect a major in the humanities or social sciences. Excellent courses to consider as supplements include Cellular Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cellular Structure and Function, Quantitative Analysis, General Physiology, Physical Chemistry, Embryology, and Comparative Anatomy.

Medical and other health professions schools are stressing a broad general training at the undergraduate level. The CORE requirements of the College of Arts & Sciences at Saint Louis University include courses which satisfy non-science requirements. These courses include General Psychology, Composition and other courses which develop communication skills. Students should take more than the minimum CORE requirements in humanities and social sciences.

General Academic Preparation

Medical school admissions committees recognize the importance of a liberal arts education which includes a strong foundation in the natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, and development of excellent communication skills.

Although the completion of a college degree may not be specifically required by a medical school, there is an expectation that the applicant has pursued some discipline in depth. The successful applicant is a student who has developed the skills to "effectively acquire, synthesize, apply and communicate information." These skills are developed through many avenues of study, such as in the natural sciences, in the humanities, and in the social and behavioral sciences. Development of effective written and oral communication skills is especially important for medical school applicants.

Selection of a Major

Professional schools do not select students based on the undergraduate major. The process of selecting a major should include consideration of interest and individual strengths and weaknesses of the student. In selecting a major, students should consider what careers, other than medicine, interest them. The major, in an important sense, is Plan B.

Successful Saint Louis University premedical students have completed majors in many disciplines such as psychology, modern and classical languages, english, and theological studies, as well as the more traditional majors in biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics. "It is true that non-science majors who take a minimum number of science courses to meet medical school requirements must do well in those courses to ensure adequate preparation and favorable consideration by admission committees."

The Successful Applicant

Diversity within an entering class is considered highly desirable by medical schools. Students should avoid the common misperception that admissions committees seek some ideal combination of characteristics in the applicants they select for admission. What is important in the admission process includes:

• High level of scholastic and intellectual potential. These are measured by academic averages, both overall cumulative average and overall math/science grade average, the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores, and an evaluation from the Pre-health Professions Committee on Evaluations.
• Personal Qualities. Does the applicant have the leadership skills, motivation, perseverance, social maturity, curiosity, and sense of commitment deemed important in a physician?
• Knowledge of the profession. Has the applicant demonstrated an interest in the medical profession and developed knowledge of the profession? Experience in a health care setting, which students can get through volunteer work, an awareness of current events related to the medical profession, and interaction with health care professionals provides evidence of this interest and knowledge.
• Demonstration of a commitment to helping people. Participation in community and social service programs or working at a shelter for the homeless demonstrate the applicant’s degree of commitment to being of service to others.

TENTATIVE FLOW CHART

Course Description & Syllabus >>