Fact sheet in PDF format
Download the IMS application
Established in 1981, the Interdepartmental Medical Science (IMS) program has been successful in helping students gain entry into U.S. medical schools. The IMS program offers an interdisciplinary curriculum that integrates first-year medical school basic science courses and presents them through clinical system-based modules. Applicants to the IMS program include students who are late in their decision to apply to medical school, students interested in improving their academic record before applying or re-applying to medical school, or students who would like a year in a medical school setting before deciding whether medicine is the career for them. The program has been designed for college graduates who wish to enhance their academic credentials required for entry into U.S. medical school programs. However, the IMS program can also assist students interested in applying to dental, optometry, podiatry, chiropractic or other health professional schools.
Considered a “special master’s” program, the IMS program affords students the opportunity to take actual first-year medical school courses, and they are graded based on the performance of the medical school class. Applicants to the IMS program must have already fulfilled undergraduate premedical requirements and demonstrated mastery of the material at a minimum grade of “C.” These prerequisites include a year of biology, chemistry, physics, and organic chemistry, including respective laboratory sections. The IMS program allows students the opportunity to test their preparation, motivation, and commitment to medicine.
See a list of advisors to the IMS program.
Curriculum
The IMS curriculum requires a full-time commitment to rigorous coursework. Students need to enter the program with strong academic credentials. Six major medical school courses are taken simultaneously with the College of Medicine first-year class. These include Medical Biochemistry, Cell Biology & Microanatomy, Medical Physiology, Medical Nutrition, Medical Immunology, and Medical Neuroscience. The medical school lectures are simulcast to the Health Sciences Campus (located in Center City Philadelphia) from the College of Medicine's Queen Lane campus (located in the East Falls section of Philadelphia). The lectures are digitally recorded and are accessible via streaming video on the web. The students are required to take the exact same exams and quizzes as the medical students. Additionally, course conferences and laboratory components for IMS students are conducted at the Health Sciences Campus, where the program is based. In addition to the medical school courses, students take a graduate-level medical ethics course each semester.
Performance on tests, quizzes, and assignments equal to the mean grade of the medical school class signifies a letter grade of “B” for the IMS students. Thus, IMS students receiving A's and B's are performing at the top 50% of the medical school class and can therefore present themselves with strong academic credentials before a medical school admissions committee. This permits admissions committees to directly evaluate the student's competence compared with their own first-year medical school class.
A benefit of the IMS program is that it is a one-year certificate program beginning in August and ending in early June. This allows students to apply to medical schools while in the program and matriculate into medical school following completion of the certificate. The tuition associated with the IMS certificate program is less than the tuition for a typical one-year special master’s program. Since many students are accepted into medical school after only one year of the program, financing one year of tuition is another significant benefit. Please know that it is not prudent for every student admitted into the IMS program to apply while attending the program. Some students need two years of strong academic performance, beyond their incoming coursework, prior to applying to become a competitive applicant to medical schools. During the admissions process, admission officers will counsel applicants regarding the benefits of enrolling in the one-year certificate or the two-year special master’s program.
Those who have at least a B average and wish to receive a graduate degree may continue for another year of training to complete the requirements for the Master of Science degree offered through the Master of Medical Science (MMS) program. The MMS program requires non-thesis based research.
Students may opt to apply to one of the research-based and thesis-requiring programs in the biomedical sciences offered at Drexel University College of Medicine rather than completing the two-year special master’s degree. Thesis or non-thesis M.S. or Ph.D. programs in biomedical engineering or biomedical science within the Drexel University School of Biomedical Engineering, Science, and Health Systems are also options. Acceptance into any of the graduate programs and transfer of IMS course credits is at the discretion of the individual program.
Upon successful completion of the IMS first-year program, students have a number of options for continuing their education and professional development. It is expected that the majority of students will apply and be admitted to medical school, as this is the main thrust and purpose of the program. Some students who find the practice of medicine no longer fits with their personal ambitions may find alternative career paths in professions related to health care but not as medical practitioners. For those students, Drexel University provides a curriculum leading to advanced study and preparation for research in either industry or academia through the School of Biomedical Engineering's biomedical science program.
Guaranteed Interview with Drexel University College of Medicine
Students may qualify for the “Guaranteed Interview” for Drexel University College of Medicine by doing the following:
- Student must apply to Drexel University College of Medicine through AMCAS.
- Must be enrolled in full IMS/MBS program.
- Have an MCAT score of at least a 27 with no section less than a 9 or a score of 30 or above on their most recent MCAT with no section less than a 7.
- Grade of B or better in all fall semester coursework.
Interviews are held in the spring semester after the first semester grades are posted. For those who do not apply to Drexel University College of Medicine during the IMS year, the guaranteed interview continues into the MMS program if the student still has a qualifying MCAT score and earns a grade of B or better in all IMS coursework.
Download the IMS application
Drexel University College of Medicine
Office of Professional Studies in the Health Sciences
New College Building, Room 4104
245 North 15th Street, Mail Stop 344
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Telephone: 215-762-4692
Email: medicalsciences@drexelmed.edu
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