Medical Science FAQs

• Number of cohorts as of 12/2022: 14
• Average cohort size: 7 students
• Number of students accepted and enrolled since 2016: 85
• Graduation rate: 88%
• Average time to finish: 4.8 semesters
• Acceptance rate of MBMS graduates into medical school: 94%

The entire program (4 semesters) will cost around $23,000 (in-state tuition), depending on credit hours. However, if you get a Teaching Assistant position, you only pay the fees of around $8000 plus you get paid a stipend of $2000/semester. Other Medical Science programs cost between $52,000 and $70,000.  If you are from out-of-state, please inquire about reciprocity policies with the College of Arts and Sciences. Another cost will be the cost of an optional (but highly recommended) study abroad capstone surgical rotation in Greece. Scholarships are available for this trip, but it usually ends up costing the student around $3000. Most of our MBMS students choose this as a capstone course.

Because it is a clinical case based course that is a prerequisite for other courses within the MBMS curriculum. It allows Dr. Eilertson to track your progress and best advise you right away to get you on the right track. The lab teaches you clinical skills that will set you ahead of other medical school applicants. As a matter of department policy, Biology 7000 level courses are not counted toward a MS degree.  This physiology course is quite different from other physiology courses offered at other institutions. It is clinical case-based instruction that prepares you for the other courses in a sequence: Surgical Anatomy (cadaver) and Pathophysiology. That is why it is a required course to get into the program. GSU premed undergrads can take AMP Biol 3240, and it will count as long as they pass with a B or better.

A letter will be sent to the Graduate School indicating ineligibility for MBMS. You will be dropped from the Master’s program in Biology and, if you desire, will have to reapply into another concentration the next cycle. There is no guarantee that you will be accepted into the Master’s program, and you will not be eligible to reapply into the MBMS concentration.  It should also be mentioned that you will not be able to take Pathophysiology, Surgical Anatomy, and any capstone course associated with MBMS requirements.

We evaluate all applications in a fair and objective manner after the application deadline. Students wanting to switch need to apply the next term along with the other applicants. Since space is reserved in Biol 7240 for new MBMS students only (and not grad students in other concentrations), many students who want to switch into MBMS will find they need to abide by the same special status provisions. The switcheroo tends to add an extra gap year.

The current failure rate is 17%.

If you are enrolled under Special Status, you will need to take 7240, 7250, and 8700 seminar. Since you are paying for your tuition, it is best to keep the credit hours low and ensure you have enough time to pass these required courses so that you can be formally accepted into MBMS.

We understand that the top priority is getting into medical school and that waitlisted candidates will try to hold off long as possible for that acceptance letter! This has caused us to hold spots for months that often go unfilled. We reserve seats in key classes for incoming MBMS students. Therefore, once you are accepted, you have a 30 day window to notify the College and Dr. Eilertson of your intent to enroll, afterwhich your spot is given to another candidate. If you are not enrolled in the first semester, you will have to reapply to the MBMS program next cycle. There is a waitlist for our MBMS program, and we want to have a full roster before the semester starts. There is a lot to do in terms of course registration and orientation, so we need our full roster ready well in advance of the first week.

You will have to decide if you want to apply to the general Master's Program. This will require the GRE, so you may have to take that exam (and meet score cutoffs) before you apply into the general Master's program. There is no guarantee that you will be accepted into another concentration. Also, Dr. Poole and Dr.Eilertson will no longer be able to advise you even if you continue your medical career path. They only advise MBMS students. This doesn’t mean that you cannot apply to medical schools and continue a premed route through the general Masters degree program. However, many of the resources available to MBMS students will no longer be available to you. This includes Clinical Internships, Special seminars and Research positions.

You have to take the TA training course the first semester, which is a seminar specific to teaching. It is NOT the required seminar course in the MBMS program. You will have to apprentice in the lab the first semester you are at GSU without stipend or tuition waiver. If you are selected to teach, then you will arrange with the Instructor of Record for that lab to enroll in Biol 7802 each term you are teaching. You will also have to make sure your Lab Coordinator authorizes you for tuition waiver and stipend payment and grants you access to the lab. You have to receive $2000 in stipend and take 18 credit hours to be eligible to TA.

Generally, you apprentice the first semester and then teach 3 more terms. Teaching will probably extend your time at GSU, so be mindful of this. It is hard to predict when you will finish because it is really up to your schedule. Also, you MUST be enrolled in MBMS courses to teach. Once you have completed your coursework, you will only be allowed to teach on an as need basis. This is to provide tuition waivers for incoming MBMS students. We are limiting TA duration to three semesters to provide teaching spots for incoming students.

You will consult with Dr. Eilertson each semester before open enrollment so she can look at your transcript and advise you as to the best course combinations that align with your teaching/research/internship schedule. We want you to finish within 4 semesters conducive to the medical school application cycle. Also keep in mind that MBMS students must adhere to the set curriculum.  Dr. Eilertson must conduct your audit one semester prior to your graduation term.

Introductory labs pay about $1,400 and 3000/4000 level labs pay $2000. Therefore, if you teach intro labs, you will need to supplement your income to bring you up to $2,000 to qualify for tuition waiver. This can be done by grading, teaching another lab section (if available) and/or tutoring. Always consult with Drs. Poole and Eilertson to make sure you have sufficient credit hours while completing the coursework.

When you are a TA, you plan your courses around your teaching schedule. This means that you have to be flexible and plan your schedule carefully, allowing time for student interactions and lab setup/cleanup and TA meetings.   While teaching may be a means for a reduced-cost education, keep in mind you are being paid for this highly sought after position. Only excellent TAs are kept in the teaching roster.

MBMS has two capstone options:

• Biol 6998 is for pre-approved research projects.
• The other option is Biol 6997 which is a Clinical Internship option.

Both courses must be pre-approved by the Director of MBMS before enrolling in the course. The Biol 6997 Study Abroad Clinical Internship in Athens, Greece, is only offered during Maymester (qualifying as a Summer course) and has a program fee of approximately $3000. The MBMS Director is the instructor of record for these internships and will grade your clinical journals for a “non-thesis” paper.

Most medical schools require you to complete your Master's degree before you can start your M1. Therefore, it is advised that you take as many courses on the MBMS list as possible so that you do not get caught in a bind. Communication with Dr. Eilertson and Dr. Poole is critical. Please let them know your timeline for applying to medical school. If you are already on a waitlist, please inform them of this too.

Not if you want your GPA to be competitive with other medical school applicants.

Yes! But they will not count toward the 32 CH for MBMS. Please adhere to the set course list and schedule posted on the MBMS website. Many students find interesting courses to take (or retake some of those pesky Chemistry courses that you got C’s in) which often brings them up to the 12 CH for tuition waiver. Course substitutions are not allowed.

Yes. UMHC (Caribbean school) has an automatic acceptance for MBMS students meeting their minimum GPA requirement. Articulation Agreements really do not hold much weight other than from a post bac marketing perspective. And often, they are not honored or are difficult to police. So the bottom line is to keep your GPA high, score above a 510 on the MCAT and make your application stand out! Dr. Eilertson is here to help!

Dr. Eilertson for graduation audits, course advisement, premed application, and clinical internship capstones.

Larialmy Allen assists with onboarding of new students and course admissions

Robin Nguyen assists with GRA and GTA tuition waivers.

Dr. Eilertson and Dr. Poole can authorize you to enroll in courses.

Our MBMS students are able to use the Premed Advisory Center in 25 Park Place and have a Committee letter written on their behalf. GSU also has a new mentoring platform: Center for Advancement of Students and Alumni (CASA). Occasionally, they offer discounted MCAT Kaplan test prep courses on campus. We also have Personal Statement Writing Workshops in the spring as part of our Project Open Lab series. Scan here for the Open Lab Seminar Series website:

An audit needs to be done by Dr. Eilertson at least one semester before you graduate. Then after the audit is approved, you apply to graduate through the Grad office. This is very important. Also, you need to notify your Lab Coordinator that you are graduating. Please do not drop the ball on them! They need one semester to have someone apprentice with you!

This is an excellent way to get some of your graduate courses paid by HOPE scholarship AND shorten up your gap year before medical school.  Once you apply and are accepted by the College of Arts and Sciences into the Dual Enrollment program, you can take some of your senior courses at the graduate level.  If you are interested in the MBMS program, you must complete Biol 3800, 3240 and 3250 with a grade no lower than a B in each course and have a GPA no lower than 3.5. This does not guarantee you will be accepted into MBMS. Your application will still be reviewed along with the other applicants. If you are not accepted, you may default into the general Master’s degree program.

Which 4+1 courses will count toward MBMS?

Biol 6687, Biol 6686, Biol 6685 and Biol 6998