Nova Southeastern University’s Dual Admission program in Osteopathic Medicine can prepare you to be a capable, confident, patient-centered doctor. Dual admission allows you to save a spot in NSU’s prestigious Doctor of Osteopathic program while you earn your bachelor’s degree, so you can prepare for your future from your first day as an undergraduate student.
You will be able to participate in clinical settings with the first month of your inaugural semester in the D.O. program, allowing you to gain immediate access to the real world of medicine.
Elaine M. Wallace, D.O., M.S. | Dean, College of Osteopathic Medicine
With a focus on educating compassionate healers, our osteopathic medicine program could be the first step on your journey to joining one of the fastest-growing health professions in the country. It combines cutting-edge technology and scientific discovery with compassionate care and humanism, creating doctors who put their patients first.
The Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) program will prepare you to treat patients holistically and promote disease prevention as an Osteopathic Physician. You’ll put theory into practice and advance your experience with clinical rotations, including three months in a rural setting.
NSU’s D.O. allows you to pursue medical, surgical and obstetric specialties in professional internships and residencies. No matter which path you choose, you’ll learn to regard the body as an integrated whole and focus on preventive care to maximize the health of your patients.
The Dual Admission Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) program takes seven or eight years to complete.
The seven-year program (3+4) is a combined program; students will follow a three-year prescribed course of study in any undergraduate major. Students will be awarded a bachelor's degree upon successful completion of the first year of medical education at the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine
In the eight-year program (4+4), students will complete any undergraduate major and be awarded a bachelor's degree before starting their medical education.
Students in both programs will receive the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree after completion of the program.
You can earn any bachelor’s degree and your Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.).
Students applying for dual admission must interview during Shark Preview Weekend, an exclusive admitted students event.
Fall 2021 Admission: Feb. 1
To be considered for this dual admission program, there are some requirements you must meet. Undergraduate Admission Requirements are for first-time freshmen students applying to earn a bachelor’s degree. Graduate Admission Requirements are the standards students need to maintain while earning their undergraduate degree to remain eligible for the graduate or professional program.
For the 2021-22 admission cycle, you may apply for dual admission in osteopathic Medicine as test-optional (with or without test scores). If you apply for dual admission without test scores, the following requirements will apply: 1. Minimum required 3.5 GPA will be unweighted instead of weighted. 2. Minimum 3.5 unweighted GPA in required high school courses.
Please note that meeting minimum required test-optional criteria does not guarantee an interview. Students applying for dual admission consideration without test scores will be reviewed holistically.
Dual admission reserves your seat in NSU’s Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine program, but you must still complete a graduate application once you finish your bachelor’s degree.
Keep in mind that these are the basic requirements, and final determination of admission into the professional program is at the discretion of the College of Osteopathic Medicine. The college reserves the right to place the matriculant at the Fort Lauderdale / Davie Main Campus or Tampa Bay Regional Campus, pending availability.
For the 3+4 program, a degree is not required prior to transitioning to the graduate program. For the 4+4 program, you must complete a bachelor's degree. Additional prerequisites may be communicated upon admission.
You must maintain a 3.5 cumulative and science GPA. You must also earn at least a C in each prerequisite course.
Calculation of cumulative and science GPA for the purpose of program eligibility for dual admission will not reflect the "grade forgiveness/repeated courses" policy; all grades for retaken courses will be included. The science GPA for dual admission purposes is composed of only those courses with BIOL, CHEM and PHYS prefixes.
MCAT: You must have a total of 502 with a minimum of 125 on all subsections.
*All minimum test scores must be achieved on the same test attempt (no superscoring).
For the seven-year track, 90 major and general education credits must be completed. For the eight-year track, it’s 120 credits.
Transfer students are not eligible to apply to the Health and Medical Professions Dual Admission programs. Only students coming to NSU in the fall semester as first-time college freshman applicants are eligible to apply.
College credits that were earned through advanced high school programs such as AP, IB or college academy—or in summer coursework following high school graduation, prior to attending NSU—may transfer to NSU.
Students who enter NSU with earned college credits through advanced high school programs may be able to complete their degree and program requirements earlier than scheduled and request to enter their graduate professional programs earlier as well.
Please contact your admissions representative for more details regarding high school transfer credits.
Please be advised that a student's initial course placement in mathematics, science or composition may impact the timing of the completion of all dual admission prerequisites and major courses, and could result in the need to take summer courses.
Dual Admission is just one of NSU’s distinctive Premier Programs. These programs are designed to help highly motivated students accelerate their success, and most offer at least $19,000 in annual scholarships.
You can apply for just about any combination of the following Premier Programs:
You may apply for and be admitted into only one Dual Admission program for your first semester. Each program is unique and has its own eligibility requirements.
You can use the Shark Select Application or the Common App to apply to Nova Southeastern University.
Complete the supplemental Premier Program Application for Fall 2021 entry.
If you’re admitted to NSU and submit the supplemental application, you will be invited via email to choose which Shark Preview Weekend works for your schedule.
