Skip to main content

Joint BS-MD Program

Program Description and Goals

The NSU/EVMS Joint Program in Medicine is a program for DNIMAS students. The Joint BS-MD Program between Norfolk State University (NSU) and Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) has been established whereby selected students may receive early assurance of a position into medical school at EVMS upon satisfactory completion of their undergraduate degree program of study. This permits the students to broaden their academic focus, enrich their undergraduate experiences, and relieve the stresses associated with applying to medical school, including waiver of the MCAT requirement.

The goals of the program are to: attract "Underrepresented Americans" to the field of medicine; help recruit students for the DNIMAS Program of NSU and for EVMS; decrease the pressures on premedical students in gaining entrance to medical school; and increase the academic opportunities for premedical students at NSU.

Selection of Students and Conditions of the Program

  1. The program is open to "Underrepresented Americans." Applications will be accepted once the student has enrolled into the DNIMAS Program and completed their freshman year. This program does not guarantee direct admissions into medical school from high school. Review and selection of applicants for this program will be the shared responsibility of NSU and EVMS through their appropriate committees.
  2. Students enrolled in this program are strongly encouraged to engage in a variety of extracurricular activities to enrich their undergraduate experience. Among these activities, health care experiences, through local hospitals, physician's offices, or rescue squads, are recommended. The joint NSU/EVMS BS-MD Program will facilitate research and medical experience for its participants prior to entering medical school.
  3. The minimum criteria for the program include a combined Scholastic Aptitude Test score of 1200 or above, rank in the top 10% of the high school class, and an overall GPA of 3.4. Students who excel in one or more of these criteria also are encouraged to apply. Students should have an overall science GPA from NSU of 3.4 at the time of application.
  4. Students selected for the joint program with SAT scores of 1200 (math and verbal only) are not required to take the MCAT for admission to EVMS. However, those students wishing to apply to other medical schools must fulfill published AMCAS requirements, which include satisfactory performance on the MCAT.
  5. The guarantee of a position at EVMS is contingent upon continued eligibility in this program. Students in this program should maintain an overall and science GPA of not less than 3.25, receive satisfactory reviews from the Pre-Health Committee (PHC) at NSU, and participate in seminars, classes, and medical and/or research experiences associated with the program. These criteria may be modified for students judged to have engaged in exceptionally difficult programs or other special circumstances. A joint committee of faculty members from the PHC and EVMS will review the continued eligibility of students for the Joint Program in Medicine each semester. Students in this program must take the courses required by EVMS: one year of biology; two years of chemistry, including organic chemistry, and one year of physics.

Subject to the availability of funds, students in this program will have the option to do internships at EVMS or an equivalent program.

About Eastern Virginia Medical School

Eastern Virginia Medical School has provided education in medicine (MD), biomedical sciences (PhD and master's) and other health professions (e.g., physician assistants, surgical assistants and art therapists) in southeastern Virginia since 1973. EVMS clinical faculty care for patients throughout Hampton Roads and we conduct biomedical research in areas such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and infertility.