M.A. in Biomedical Sciences Admission Requirements
Applicants for admission must meet the following requirements prior to entry into the Master of Arts in Biomedical Sciences program.
- Earned baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution.
- The following undergraduate courses must be completed with a grade of C or better prior to matriculation:
- Biological Sciences – One year with laboratory
- Physics – One year
- General or Inorganic Chemistry – One year
- Organic Chemistry – One year
- English – One year
(Laboratories for Physics, General or Inorganic Chemistry, and Organic Chemistry are strongly encouraged for all applicants.)
- Minimum GPA required:
- Overall GPA of 3.0
- Science GPA of 3.0
- While the MCAT is required to obtain admission to medical school, it is not required for admission to the Master of Arts in Biomedical Sciences program; however, students who enter the program having already obtained an MCAT score of 496 or higher have an advantage in that they have already met the MCAT component of the benchmarks and can therefore focus solely on their coursework.
- All students are required to meet the Bluefield University Technical Standards for Admission and Continued Enrollment found in the MABS Student Handbook.
Note: Many criteria beyond GPA play a role in the admissions process to this program, and acceptance into the program is competitive. While the Master of Arts in Biomedical Sciences program provides an opportunity for the student to demonstrate improved academic capability, it does not assure admission to a professional school.
Benchmarks & Acceptance to VCOM
Benchmark for VCOM Admissions
| GPA | MCAT | MABS to D.O. Interview Committee |
| 3.5-4.0 | 496 or above | Positive evaluation |
Meeting the benchmarks in the MABS program can provide a significant advantage for acceptance into the VCOM D.O. program on one of the four VCOM campuses. The MABS program can also eliminate the lag or glide year that is mandatory in most other programs.
The evaluation by the MABS-to-D.O. Interview Committee will require a short interview with the committee to evaluate the applicant’s professionalism and fitness for VCOM. Input from program faculty, staff, and administration as well as the student’s professionalism throughout the process will also play key roles in the MABS-to-D.O. Committee’s evaluation. The committee is composed of selected MABS faculty and staff plus members from the faculty and administration of each of the VCOM campuses.
Each year a significant number of the students who meet these benchmarks gain acceptance to VCOM. In a typical year, this number approaches 70% of the students who complete the program. Students who do not obtain the benchmarks often gain acceptance to other D.O. programs, pharmacy programs, podiatry programs, or other healthcare programs.
Benchmarks are reviewed in December, March, and May. The December review is based upon the Fall MABS GPA and the student’s most recent MCAT score. If acceptance is granted by the MABS-to-D.O. Interview Committee, a seat will be offered at one of the VCOM campuses for the following academic year, thereby eliminating the lag or glide year required by other similar programs.
The March review is for students who achieved a benchmark GPA in the Fall Semester but lacked the benchmark MCAT score. By taking the January MCAT and improving their score, such students can become eligible for the March review by the MABS-to-D.O. Interview Committee. All seats in the VCOM D.O. program are typically filled by March; therefore, students accepted by the MABS-to-D.O. Admissions Committee in the March review are generally placed on the waitlist at one of the VCOM campuses. If a student accepted in March does not matriculate from the VCOM waitlist, they will be reviewed again in May by the MABS-to-D.O. Interview Committee and may be offered early admissions to a VCOM campus for the following admissions cycle.
It should be noted that all acceptances from the December and March reviews are considered provisional and contingent upon successfully completing the program, maintaining a 3.60 GPA or higher in the Spring Semester, and maintaining a continued positive recommendation by the MABS-to-D.O. Interview Committee. A student whose grades decline below a 3.6 in the spring semester and/or who has their positive recommendation withdrawn for unprofessional behavior by the MABS-to-D.O. Interview Committee will no longer be offered the position, as the position was offered conditional upon maintaining those benchmarks.
In the event that a student did not meet the benchmarks in December or March, they remain eligible to be reviewed in May. The May review is based on the student’s cumulative MABS GPA and their most recent MCAT score. Upon receiving a positive evaluation by the MABS-to-D.O. Interview Committee, such students will be placed on the waitlist at one of the VCOM campuses and they may also be granted early acceptance to VCOM for the following year if they do not matriculate from the waitlist.
Online Distinctions
The GPA and MCAT benchmarks are the same between the on-campus and online programs, but meeting the benchmarks in OMABS earns the student an interview through the standard admissions process at VCOM. Benchmarks are monitored on three occasions toward earning a DO interview:
- Upon 50% completion of the course work
- Upon completion of all coursework
- Three months after completion of all coursework.
The last review will allow OMABS students to take the MCAT after completing the program and have it count toward earning an interview. Students can extend the program over two years and still maintain eligibility to obtain an interview at VCOM via the program benchmarks.