Modular Medical/Dental Integrated Curriculum (MMEDIC)

The Modular Medical/Dental Integrated Curriculum is an early assurance program to the BU Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine. Founded in 1977 as a collaborative effort between the College of Arts & Sciences and the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, the MMEDIC program is now open to premedical and predental students enrolled in undergraduate degree–granting programs at all Boston University schools and colleges.

The MMEDIC program admits to the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine or the School of Dental Medicine, subject to review (as described below), a limited number of qualified students who have completed two years of undergraduate study at the University. It offers an integrated curriculum composed of undergraduate and medical/dental school–related courses, enabling students to enhance their transition to the professional school curriculum. The MMEDIC program thus introduces certain preclinical subjects into the last two years of the undergraduate program. In order to achieve curricular integration, students enroll in courses in the fields of medical/dental science, public health, philosophy, and medical anthropology.

The MMEDIC program does not accelerate the prehealth-professional sequence but rather permits an enhanced educational transition from undergraduate to graduate professional study. Students must be registered in an undergraduate four-year degree program, of which at least three years must be taken at Boston University; the last two years of undergraduate study, including at least 64 course credits, must be completed in the MMEDIC program at Boston University. Students must also register at the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine or School of Dental Medicine for at least four years for a total of eight years of combined study. Additional information may be obtained from the Pre-Professional Advising office, 100 Bay State Road, 4th Floor, Boston, MA 02215.

Eligibility & Admission

The program admits a limited number of students who expect to enter their third year of undergraduate study in September. Admission into the program is based on academic record, letters of recommendation, and involvement in college and community activities, as well as on less tangible qualities of personality, character, and maturity.

Students who are interested in applying to the MMEDIC program should pursue a rigorous prehealth course of study and demonstrate superior performance in and out of the classroom. Coursework must include one year of general chemistry (8 cr), one year of organic chemistry (8 cr), and one year of biology (8 cr) by the completion of sophomore year. Engineering students complete the biology requirement through ENG BE 209 Principles of Molecular Cell Biology and Biotechnology and additional engineering courses. After an initial review of applications, well-qualified applicants are invited for personal interviews with members of the admissions committee. Admissions decisions are made after completion of the spring semester of sophomore year.

Tuition

Tuition for the first two years of MMEDIC (i.e., the third and fourth years of undergraduate study) is the same as that charged to students in the regular curriculum of their college. Tuition for the third year of MMEDIC (i.e., the first year of study at the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine or School of Dental Medicine) and for the remaining three years of professional studies is the same as that charged to students enrolled in the school’s regular curriculum.

Scholarship Assistance and Loans

The full range of financial assistance programs is available to students in this program. The awards are based on financial need and academic achievement. Further information may be obtained by contacting the undergraduate Financial Assistance office and the Medical Campus Student Financial Services office.

Learning Outcomes

Students in the MMEDIC program are expected to demonstrate:

• Mastery of concepts, topics, and methods in the physical and life sciences that are considered foundational for the study of medicine or dentistry.
• Academic integrity and mature conduct as a member of the University community.
• Mastery of the life and physical science components of the first year of the preclinical curriculum at BU Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine or the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine.

General Requirements

All BU undergraduate students, including both entering first-year and transfer students, will pursue coursework in the BU Hub, the University’s general education program that is integrated into the entire undergraduate experience. BU Hub requirements can be satisfied in a number of ways, including coursework in and beyond the major as well as through cocurricular activities. Students enrolled in the MMEDIC program will ordinarily meet some of their BU Hub requirements through their undergraduate majors; students should consult with their major advisors for specific information. Students who will not meet BU Hub requirements in Scientific and Social Inquiry and Quantitative Reasoning through their majors will do so through required coursework in the MMEDIC program. Remaining BU Hub requirements not met through the major or through MMEDIC requirements may be satisfied by selecting from a wide range of available courses outside the major or, in some cases, through cocurricular experiences.

MMEDIC students must demonstrate their ability to master the medical/dental school–related coursework and must exhibit a high degree of maturity, integrity, and emotional stability to be promoted to each undergraduate semester and to the professional phase of the program. At the conclusion of each semester, or as necessary, the Promotions Committee for Early Assurance Programs reviews students’ progress. Students are expected to maintain a 3.20 GPA cumulatively and a 3.00 GPA for all science, math, and engineering courses taken after entry into the program to be eligible for promotion to the next semester and ultimately to professional school. Failure to meet these criteria will result in appropriate action by the committee, including academic probation, disciplinary probation, remedial coursework, suspension, or dismissal from the program. Students who have not achieved a 3.20 GPA cumulatively and a 3.00 GPA for all science, math, and engineering courses taken after entry into the program or have not met the program’s standardized test requirement are ineligible for promotion to the Chobanian & Avedisian SOM or School of Dental Medicine. All program and college requirements must be completed by the end of the spring semester of senior year.

At the end of each academic year, or as necessary, the Promotions Committee requests a report from Judicial Affairs to determine if students have violated University policies, as well as a report from the dean’s office of the schools and colleges in which MMEDIC students are enrolled to determine whether students have engaged in academic misconduct. The content of these reports is considered in all promotion decisions, including the decision on promotion to the professional phase of the program. Any student who has violated University policies or engaged in academic misconduct has the opportunity to submit a written explanation to the Promotions Committee.

Students who for any reason (e.g., academic, motivational, ethical, or emotional) are found to be ill-suited for the program may be dismissed from the program without loss of credit. Such students may apply for entry to professional school by the conventional route. Students may transfer voluntarily out of the program at any point and continue their undergraduate education at Boston University. Students may not apply to other medical or dental schools and remain in the program.

Medical Track

Students in the MMEDIC program must enroll in at least 16 course credits in each semester of their junior and senior years. Courses are selected in consultation with the director of the MMEDIC program, who must approve students’ course selections each semester.

In addition, students must enroll in four courses from a prescribed list of medical school–related courses during their junior and senior years. All students must take GMS BI 751 Biochemistry and Cell Biology, GMS PH 730/731 Human Physiology (two-semester sequence), or GMS AN 722 Cellular Organization of Tissues. The remaining courses may be selected from the following list:

• CAS PH 251 Medical Ethics (4 cr)
• CAS PH 452 Ethics of Health Care (4 cr)
• CAS SO 418 Sociology of Medicine (4 cr)
• GMS AN 722 Cellular Organization of Tissues (4 cr)
• GMS BI 751 Biochemistry and Cell Biology (6 cr)
• GMS BN 779 Beginning Basic Neurosciences (2, 3, or 4 cr)
• GMS MA 605 Pluralism and Healing in the United States: A History (4 cr)
• GMS MA 620 World Religions and Healing (4 cr)
• GMS MA 630 Medical Anthropology and the Cultures of Biomedicine (3 cr)
• GMS MA 640 The Cultural Formation of the Clinician: Its Implications for Practice (3 cr)
• GMS MA 650 Society, Healthcare, and the Cultures of Competence (3 cr)
• GMS MA 680 Culture, Migration, and Mental Health (3 cr)
• GMS MH 703 Counseling Techniques (3 cr)
• GMS MI 713 Comprehensive Immunology (4 cr)
• GMS PA 600 Introduction to Pathology and Pathophysiology of Disease (4 cr)
• GMS PH 730 Human Physiology A (4 cr)
• GMS PH 731 Human Physiology B (4 cr)
• SPH BS 704 Introduction to Biostatistics (3 cr)
• SPH EP 714 Introduction to Epidemiology (4 cr)
• SPH LW 740 Health and Human Rights (4 cr)
• SPH PH 719 Health Systems, Law, and Policy (4 cr)

Students on the medical track must take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) in the spring of the third year of undergraduate study. Students who take biochemistry in the fall of their senior year may petition the program director to take the MCAT in January of that year. Students must achieve a combined score at or above the 80th percentile on the four numerically scored sections of the MCAT to be eligible for promotion to the Chobanian & Avedisian SOM.

Medical students may, in accordance with federal and state law, or institutional policy, be asked to consent to a criminal background check. For students in the MMEDIC program, this may occur at the time of admittance to the program or promotion to the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and/or at other times in the course of the medical school curriculum. The results of this criminal background check will be considered in entrance and promotion decisions.

Dental Track

Students in the MMEDIC program must enroll in at least 16 course credits in each semester of their junior and senior years. Courses are selected in consultation with the director of the MMEDIC program, who must approve students’ course selections each semester.

Students who enter the dental track of the MMEDIC program must also complete the School of Dental Medicine’s required predental courses. The required courses are three semesters of biology (with laboratory) and two semesters each of general chemistry (with laboratory), organic chemistry (with laboratory), physics (with laboratory), English composition, and mathematics (including one calculus course).

In addition, students must enroll in four courses from a prescribed list of dental school–related courses during their junior and senior years. All students must take GMS BI 751 Biochemistry and Cell Biology, GMS PH 730/731 Human Physiology (two-semester sequence), or GMS AN 722 Cellular Organization of Tissues. The remaining courses may be selected from the following list:

• CAS PH 251 Medical Ethics (4 cr)
• CAS PH 452 Ethics of Health Care (4 cr)
• CAS SO 418 Sociology of Medicine (4 cr)
• GMS AN 722 Cellular Organization of Tissues (4 cr)
• GMS BI 751 Biochemistry and Cell Biology (6 cr)
• GMS BN 779 Beginning Basic Neurosciences (2, 3, or 4 cr)
• GMS MA 605 Pluralism and Healing in the United States: A History (4 cr)
• GMS MA 620 World Religions and Healing (4 cr)
• GMS MA 630 Medical Anthropology and the Cultures of Biomedicine (3 cr)
• GMS MA 640 The Cultural Formation of the Clinician: Its Implications for Practice (3 cr)
• GMS MA 650 Society, Healthcare, and the Cultures of Competence (3 cr)
• GMS MA 680 Culture, Migration, and Mental Health (3 cr)
• GMS MH 703 Counseling Techniques (3 cr)
• GMS MI 713 Comprehensive Immunology (4 cr)
• GMS PA 600 Introduction to Pathology and Pathophysiology of Disease (4 cr)
• GMS PH 730 Human Physiology A (4 cr)
• GMS PH 731 Human Physiology B (4 cr)
• SPH BS 704 Introduction to Biostatistics (3 cr)
• SPH EP 714 Introduction to Epidemiology (4 cr)
• SPH LW 740 Health and Human Rights (4 cr)
• SPH PH 719 Health Systems, Law, and Policy (4 cr)

Students on the dental track must take the Dental Admission Test (DAT) in the spring of the third year of undergraduate study. Students who take biochemistry in the fall of their senior year may petition the program director to take the DAT in January of that year. Students on the dental track must achieve a score of 18 or above for the Academic Average and Science subscores of the DAT to be eligible for promotion to the School of Dental Medicine.