Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University, located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts in the United States of America.
Students come from all over the globe to study at HMS and benefit from close, collaborative relationships with peers and faculty members as they expand their knowledge base and learn to apply their skills in real-world settings.
Like most institutions of higher learning, HMS has certain eligibility requirements that students have to meet in order to be considered for acceptance.
The HMS Faculty of Medicine accepts applications from current students in good standing and graduates of accredited colleges/universities who:
- Present evidence that their intellectual and personal credentials are of such quality as to predict success in the study and practice of medicine
- Demonstrate aptitude in the biological and physical sciences during their undergraduate years, but not to the exclusion of the humanities and social sciences
- Supplemented their education with at least one year of college or university training in the United States or Canada if they have completed academic work outside the United States or Canada. Foreign students who do not have a baccalaureate or advanced degree from an institution in the United States or Canada are rarely accepted for admission.
- Demonstrate fluent and nuanced facility in English, as effective communication among the medical care team and between physicians and patients is crucial to the delivery of care
Students are required to complete at least three years of college/university work and have a Bachelor's degree prior to graduation from Harvard Medical School. Additionally, students must complete all required prerequisite coursework prior to graduation.
Prerequisite courses do not need to be fully completed in order to submit an application to Harvard Medical School; however, the required courses (and/or any degree programs an applicant is enrolled in) must be completed prior to graduation.
The majority of successful applicants will have completed most of the required courses prior to sending in their application.
Prerequisite courses include work in fields such as:
- Mathematics
- Behaviourial Sciences
- Chemistry
- Biology
- Physics
- Lab Experience
- Analytical and Writing Skills/Expository Writing
Important to note is that students who have been enrolled in other medical schools are not eligible to apply for admission to the first-year class of Harvard Medical School.
Students who have applied for admission to HMS on two prior occasions also are ineligible, and transfer students are not accepted.
