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Pre-Health Program

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Early Assurance Programs

Marist College - Tufts University School of Dental Medicine 4 + 4 Early Assurance Program

This 4+4 Early Assurance program offers academically strong sophomores with a clear motivation for a career in dentistry an opportunity for early acceptance to Tufts, the preeminent dental school in New England. This program allows students to experience a more well-rounded education by taking a wider diversity of courses during their last two years at Marist, and also relieves some of the stress associated with completing the final two years and applying to dental school.

Students must complete four years and a B.S. degree at Marist prior to starting the four-year curriculum at Tufts. A Screening Committee at Marist will review applications from Marist sophomores and recommend no more than three (3) students per year to Tufts. Please note that the Screening Committee reserves the right to recommend no (0) candidates to Tufts in any given year, and that all admission decisions will be made by Tufts.

Initial eligibility criteria include completion of 20 hours of observation and/or assisting in a general dentist's office, as well as strong academic performance in a specified list of courses. Applicants will be interviewed at Marist and at Tufts, and those accepted will be required to complete additional observation/work hours with a dentist as well as maintain excellent grades in their remaining classes at Marist. An additional round of interviews, acceptable performance on the Dental Admissions Test (DAT), and other criteria during the remaining two years also are required.

Joint B.S./D.P.M. Programs with New York College of Podiatric Medicine

New York College of Podiatric Medicine (NYCPM), located in New York City, is the nation's oldest and largest college of podiatric medicine. Marist and NYCPM have developed two joint programs (Early Admission or Early Decision) for students interested in careers in podiatric medicine. Both programs require Marist students to complete at least 90 credits of coursework at Marist and/or other accredited institutions. These credits must include the following courses, or their equivalents:

BIOL 130-131 General Biology I-II 8 credits
CHEM 111-112-115-116 General Chemistry I-II, with lab 8 credits
CHEM 211-212-215-216 Organic Chemistry, with lab 8 credits
PHYS 211-212-213-214 General Physics I-II, with lab 8 credits
  English 6 credits

Students also must fulfill the following NYCPM admissions requirements:

  • A timely and satisfactory formal application
  • Three letters of evaluation with an acceptable level of endorsement
  • Official MCAT scores at least equal to NYCPM's current minimum
  • A satisfactory evaluation in a personal interview
  • 3.00 GPA in all of their undergraduate course work

Early Admission Option

Students will complete three years at Marist, and begin studies at NYCPM in the fourth year. Application will be made at the start of the third year at Marist. For those students accepted for Early Admission, Marist will accept as transfer credits at least 30 credits from the first-year NYCPM courses listed below, contingent upon the student earning a grade of "C" or higher in each course. The specific group of courses to be transferred must be approved by the student's major department at Marist. Once these credits are successfully completed and transferred, the B.S. degree will be awarded from Marist.

Bacteriology Biochemistry
Immunology Cell Biology & Histology & Lab
Physiology & Lab Gross Anatomy & Lab
Neurosciences Medical Ethics I
Molecular Biology & Molecular Genetics  

Early Decision Option

Students will complete four years and a minimum of 120 credits at Marist, but will apply to NYCPM at the start of the third year at Marist. Early Decision students will complete their senior year at Marist and receive the B.S. degree prior to enrolling at NYCPM. Such students will be expected to maintain a 3.00 GPA in all of their undergraduate course work after the admissions decision.

Marist College - Arizona School of Health Sciences Priority Admission Program in Sports Health Care

Marist College and Arizona School of Health Sciences (ASHS), a school of A.T. Still University of Health Sciences, have established an agreement to provide qualified Marist students the opportunity to receive priority consideration for admission to the Sports Health Care program offered by ASHS in Mesa, Arizona.

Under this agreement, Marist students will complete a B.S. or B.A. degree at Marist prior to starting this graduate program at ASHS. ASHS will reserve one (1) seat in each year's entering Sports Health Care (SHC) class for a Marist student who meets the criteria listed below, pending verification of required credentials. Applicants must submit a completed ASHS application no later than February 1 of the senior year at Marist. To meet these criteria, students must:

  • Receive a B.S. or B.A. degree from Marist College by the end of the summer session prior to enrollment at ASHS;
  • Maintain a 3.00 overall GPA (on a 4.0 scale) on all college coursework;
  • Complete all ASHS admission requirements as deemed satisfactory by the SHC Admissions Committee;
  • Provide proof of national certification as an athletic trainer, or eligibility for certification, by the National Athletic Trainers' Association Board of Certification prior to matriculation at ASHS; and
  • Complete all prerequisite courses by the end of the spring semester prior to enrollment at ASHS

For full details about initial eligibility criteria, application procedures, required follow-up activities, final admissions criteria and guidelines, please contact Dr. Lisa Stephens, Pre-Health Program Coordinator at Marist College (845-575-3000, ext. 2280 or Lisa.Stephens1@marist.edu).