Options for Professional Study Beyond the Bachelor’s Degree

A science or engineering degree is a great starting point for careers in medicine, dentistry, optometry, or law.

NJIT offers you both standard and accelerated tracks to these professional programs. Majors available include Biomedical Engineering, Biology, Chemistry, Math, Physics, Environmental Science, History and many others. After reading the material below, see How To Apply at the bottom of this page.

Accelerated Programs

NJIT began its first accelerated medical program with New Jersey Medical School in 1989. Qualified Honors students now have a choice of accelerated study in medicine (two programs), dentistry, optometry, physical therapy or law. These programs (seven years for health professions, six years for law) combine a Bachelor’s degree at NJIT with a professional degree.

Accelerated students complete their undergraduate requirements in three years. Summer research and class work may be necessary.  Students must be accepted by their professional schools prior to entering the freshman year at NJIT, and are promised admission to the professional school if they meet all requirements of the Honors College and the professional school, and maintain a 3.4 GPA for the UMDNJ medical and dental programs or 3.2 for other programs. Some programs require students to take a professional test, such as the MCAT, DAT or LSAT or OATS. For a chart of detailed program requirements, please go HERE.

Accelerated Pre-Health Programs

Below is a summary of our pre-health program requirements. Composite SAT scores refer to Critical Reading + Math, and are very strict requirements. Applicants with SAT or grades below the given standards will not be considered. SAT II is not required and is not considered. The SAT Writing section is used only for placement purposes. Applicants must have rank in the top 10% of their class or the equivalent for their school.

• M.D. at the New Jersey Medical School (NJMS) of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), Newark. Applicants must have a composite SAT I score of 1400 in one sitting, or an ACT score of 32. Applicants who are admitted to the NJMS/NJIT combined BS/MD program receive a scholarship that covers their full cost of attendance.

• M.D. at St. George’s University Medical School, Granada, West Indies. Two years in Grenada, two final years of clinical training at St. Michael’s Medical Center, Newark. Composite SAT I score of 1300 or ACT of 29 required. Online forum for SGU students and potential students
• D.M.D. at UMDNJ-New Jersey Dental School, Newark. Composite SAT I score of 1300 or ACT 29 required.
• Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) at UMDNJ School of Health Related Professions, Newark. Composite SAT I score of 1250 or ACT 28 required. Top 15% of class.
• O.D. at the SUNY College of Optometry. Composite SAT I score of 1250 or ACT 28 required.

For details on admission requirements, the nature of each program, and program requirements, go HERE.

Accelerated Law Program

• J.D. at Seton Hall Law School. Composite SAT I score of 1300 or ACT score of 29 required and top 10% of class or equivalent for your school.

Majors Available for Accelerated Programs

We offer a choice of about a dozen majors for each accelerated program. See the list of accelerated majors AT THIS LINK. You must choose one of these majors in order to be scheduled for an accelerated program interview.

Applying to Accelerated Programs

There is an early application deadline for accelerated programs: November 1, except for the DPT and JD programs, which are January 15. Applications received after these dates  have a lower chance of acceptance, and the probabilities fall the later the application arrives. Students who plan to take or retake the SAT or ACT after this deadline should apply by the deadline and include a note on their essay that the scores will arrive later.

Before applying, please see the list of Majors Available for Accelerated Programs.

These programs are highly competitive. For all of these programs, applicants must be in the top 10 percent of their graduating class (for the DPT program, top 15%) or the equivalent at their school. Unlike other applicants to the Honors College, those applying to accelerated programs need to supply two letters of recommendation, at least one of which must be from a science teacher who writes specifically about your qualifications to be in this program.

Unfortunately, we cannot answer any questions about how particular activities, test scores, or grades will affect your chances of getting accepted. Admission is a 3-step process, involving an interview at NJIT, an interview at the professional school (if selected), and an acceptance decision by the professional school. Admission to NJIT and to the Honors College are separate from admission by professional schools, and admission to NJIT or the Honors College does not guarantee admission to the accelerated program.

The application to accelerated programs is part of the Honors College application, which, in turn, is part of the NJIT application. Please see below : HOW TO APPLY.

Entering Accelerated Programs After You Have Started College (Transferring in)

All accelerated programs, except the UMDNJ/NJ Medical School program, are also open to students currently enrolled at NJIT or, in most cases, transferring to NJIT. Applicants must present an outstanding academic record in a rigorous curriculum which should include at least some of the pre-health courses. Policies vary by program; please go to this web page (bottom of that page) for details. For the UMDNJ/NJ Dental School program, students must apply to the Associate Dean of the Honors College for admission no later than completion of 68 semester credits at NJIT or one (1) year prior to anticipated UMDNJ-NJDS matriculation.

How to Apply

Policies for Accelerated Students Enrolled in the Honors College

See also Tips for Writing an Honors College Essay.

Early Decision Program with NJ Dental School

Students may apply for an early decision on dental school acceptance. If accepted, you would complete your four-year BA or BS degree at NJIT prior to dental school. A request for that acceptance must be made, in writing, to the Associate Dean of the Honors College no later than the completion of 68 academic credits (normally at the end of the second year) and no earlier than completion of the first year at NJIT. Accepted students would have to meet the following criteria, at a minimum:

• Matriculation in a curriculum which will allow the completion of all predental requirements in four years.
• A cumulative grade point average of 3.4 or better.
• No final grade of “D”, “F”,“I” or “W” in any prerequisite course required for admission to UMDNJ-NJDS;
• No final grade of “D”, “F”, or “W” in any general courses taken
• Students will not be permitted to repeat any prerequisite course required for admission to UMDNJ-NJDS in order to remediate a “D” or failing grade.
• Submission of a Dental Admissions Test (DAT) score satisfactory to the UMDNJ-NJDS Admissions Committee before admission. (19 - 21 in Sciences is typical for admission).
• Acceptable recommendation from the undergraduate school.
• Recommendation by major department faculty and chair.
• An interview at UMDNJ-NJDS.

Meeting these minimum requirements does not guarantee admission.

Regular 4-year Track

At NJIT, you will have valuable opportunities for study and research with our faculty. Participating in these wide-ranging options will help you to develop the thinking and problem-solving skills you need to pursue a medical or dental degree or graduate study leading to a career in medical research.

We also offer many possibilities for interaction with corporations that serve the medical field, and with doctors and researchers at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) and St. Michael's Medical Center, both adjacent to NJIT.

Multi-disciplinary research projects on campus may involve you in areas of study as diverse as motion analysis, neurophysiology; biosignal processing, rehabilitation engineering, tissue engineering, biomaterials, stress and strain analysis in the cardiovascular system, optimal patterns of wound suturing, mathematical modeling of blood flow, medical imaging, neural networks, pattern recognition, biomedical optics, neurophysiology of rhythmic patterns, ECG and EEG signal analysis, and engineering applications to ophthalmology.

If you wish to discuss some of the options at NJIT for Pre-Health students, please call the Associate Dean (973-642-7664) or email honors@njit.edu.

PreMedical and Predental Requirements

How to Apply