Loyola University Chicago

Department of Biology

FAQs

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Applications must be submitted by August 1st, 2023

Please know that we fill our class on a rolling basis. We strongly encourage prospective students to complete their applications and enroll as soon as possible

An AMCAS GPA of 3.0 is required for admission to the MAMS program since almost all medical schools will require the same.  If your undergraduate GPA is less than 3.0, you can take additional undergraduate courses until your AMCAS GPA is at least 3.0 and then apply to MAMS. 

Yes, the MAMS Program requires applicants to submit their MCAT or GRE scores. 

MCAT:

Minimum score of 500 (within confidence bands). MCAT scores cannot be more than three years old.

GRE:  

Scores must be in the 75% in Verbal Reasoning and at least 50% in Quantitative Reasoning rankings.

Students who have applied to medical school must submit an officially processed and accepted copy of their most recently completed AMCAS, TMDSAS, or AACOMAS application. This copy can be sent in PDF or paper format. It does not have to be directly transmitted from the application service.

Yes. If you already have a medical school application/AMCAS assembled, please use as much of it as possible when applying to the MA in Medical Sciences program.

Yes. We gladly accept relevant updates (additional transcripts, new MCAT scores, letters of recommendation) to your file. Please forward any updates to gradapp@luc.edu.

MAMS is one of the original graduate pre-medical program in the United States, started in 1994.  The MSMP program was started in 2011 and was modeled after the MAMS program’s extraordinary success in helping students achieve their dream of entering medical school.  The MAMS faculty and advisor have decades of collective experience advising pre-medical students. 

The MAMS program has a full-time pre-medical advisor who assists only MAMS students with all aspects (ONE ON ONE) of their medical school application; the MSMP program does not have a dedicated advisor

 

MAMS faculty have previously taught as some of the best medical schools in the United States, including Washington University School of Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University Medical School, Rush Medical College, Stritch School of Medicine, Rosalind Franklin School of Medicine, and Michigan State School of Osteopathic Medicine.  This enriches the MAMS program significantly in terms of the insight our faculty can provide to students interested in these medical schools. 

 

Both programs teach graduate level courses approved by Loyola’s Graduate School.  None of the courses at either program are undergraduate courses or medical school courses.  Students do not take classes with medical students.

 

Very importantly, the MAMS program offers its students a Committee Letter and full review by Loyola’s Pre-Health Committee, collectively representing hundreds of years of experience in advising pre-medical students.  Many medical schools require a Committee Letter from applicants that graduate from institutions that have Pre-Health Committees.  There is no Pre-Health Committee or Committee Letter associated with the MSMP program.

 

Students graduating from the Loyola MAMS program show 15-percentile point increase (averaged) on their MCAT retake.

 

The Loyola MAMS program has a rich professional development program that is not credit based ensuring that ALL the credits you earn with MAMS contribute to your new AMCAS science GPA.  The professional development course in MSPS is credit based and may not be included as a science course by AMCAS. 

 

The MAMS program is housed on the beautiful Lake Shore Campus accessible to all of Chicago’s vibrant, diverse neighborhoods and cultural centers.  The MSMP program is housed at west suburban Maywood, Illinois.

 

Both program offer assistance finding clinical volunteer experiences.

No, MAMS staff cannot provide you with updates about your application. Students who are unsure if their application is complete should contact GPEM (Graduate and Professional Enrollment Management) by e-mail at gradapp@luc.edu, or by phone at 312.915.8950.

The MAMS program does not offer any scholarships.  All applicants need to complete the FAFSA (http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/) to determine their financial need. Please visit http://www.luc.edu/finaid/graduate.shtml for additional financial aid and loan information.

Students in the MA in Medical Sciences program are not eligible for regular graduate teaching assistantships or research assistantships, because their main focus must be on excelling in the prescribed curriculum.  Due to the rigorous nature of the course, we strongly discourage holding jobs while in the program.

At the graduate level, 12–13 credit hours per semester is considered a full-time course load, and is the equivalent of 16–18 credit hours at the undergraduate level in terms of effort required.

Time of acceptance notification varies greatly. Applicants who have received notification that their application is complete can be confident that the review process is underway.

July 15 is the deadline for communicating your acceptance of admission to the MAMS program in order to ensure a seat. Students must enroll by that date as well. However students subsequently admitted to medical school can withdraw from the program up to the end of the first week of classes without having to pay tuition.

For more information about the MA in Medical Sciences program, please send your inquiries to our MAMS staff at mams@luc.edu or call at 773.508.3285.

Students who are unsure if their application is complete should contact GPEM (Graduate and Professional Enrollment Management) by e-mail at gradapp@luc.edu or by phone at 312.915.8950.