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Program checklist · B.S.

Physician-Scientist, B.S.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · Troy, NY

A checklist is the list of requirements to complete this program and receive the award, as the college publishes it in its catalog. It is the same for everyone. It does not say what you have completed; that comes from applying your own record.

Program
Award
B.S.
Credential class
ceterms:BachelorDegree
Catalog edition
Rensselaer Catalog 2026-2027
Checklist type
degree-program
Description
This accelerated biomedical program leads to the B.S. degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) and the M.D. degree from Albany Medical College (AMC). Through this program, both degrees can be obtained within seven calendar years, including some summers. Admission to the biomedical program is limited to individuals who have not yet initiated full-time undergraduate study and who display the motivation, maturity, and intellectual capacity necessary to pursue this accelerated course of study. RPI conducts initial reviews and then forwards applications of candidates meeting the Institute’s program standards to Albany Medical College for further review. Only those applicants with uniformly superior academic credentials and the highest test scores are invited to the required interview at Albany Medical College. Some experience or demonstrated interest in biological or biomedical research during high school is considered as a factor in admission. The interview process assesses the applicant’s motivation for medicine, level of maturity, and level of personal development. Provided that the student maintains satisfactory standards of academic achievement, admission leads automatically to entrance into Albany Medical College after three years of study at RPI (six semesters). A minimum grade point average of 3.50 (overall GPA and science/math GPA) is required each semester at RPI. At the completion of the third fall semester, a minimum grade point average of 3.50 is required both in overall course work and in science/math for promotion to the medical portion of the curriculum. For students with AP credit for both Calculus l and ll, a third math course of their choosing must be taken at RPI. Having additional quantitative course work at the college level is important in this program. All course work at RPI must be satisfactorily completed before beginning the fourth year of study at Albany Medical College. A grade of D or F in any science course generally requires immediate transfer out of this program. Grades of I (Incomplete) are not accepted without prior approval. When an Incomplete is granted, the course work must be completed no later than one month after the last day of the examination period of the semester in which the incomplete was received. Promotion to the medical portion of the curriculum is based not only on academic achievement, but also on the fitness of the student to enter the profession of medicine. Students may transfer into RPI’s regular four-year undergraduate program at any time during the premedical portion of the biomedical program. The three years of study at RPI include a sound basis in the physical sciences, an introduction to the major concepts and principles of biology and biological research, and ample opportunity to become acquainted with the humanities, arts, and social sciences. Students in the Physician-Scientist program must take the at least 100 credits at RPI over the three years. During the third summer (the transition between RPI and Albany Medical College), students continue with research projects begun while at RPI. These research projects will be completed during the fourth summer while at Albany Medical College. Students should plan on spending six-eight weeks of full time study during the summers. Course credit will be given for preclinical courses taken at Albany Medical College to complete the undergraduate requirements for the 128-Credit B.S. degree. Since many biomedical students will enter RPI with advanced placement credit, a large proportion will have undergraduate course work credit in excess of standard requirements. These advanced placement credits will allow them to take advanced or additional course work, but cannot be used to decrease the length of time allotted to their undergraduate experience or to decrease the number of courses prescribed in the curriculum. All courses specifically named in the curriculum must be taken at RPI, or given AP credit, or transferred in from courses taken prior to admission at RPI. After completing the fourth year of the program, students receive a B.S. degree from RPI. The M.D. degree is received at the end of the seventh year and is dependent upon completing all requirements for the B.S. degree. Requests for further information and applications for admission to this program should be addressed to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 8th Street, Troy, New York 12180-3590.
Identifiers
IPEDS UNITID
194824
CourseShelf checklist
CK_194824_ff7f3df0
CollegeTransfer.Net
Institution Transfer Profile
Source
CourseShelf publish 61

Requirements to complete

Every course or condition the catalog lists, in the catalog's order.

The RPI Experience

0 items

    Seven-year Accelerated Physician-Scientist Program

    0 items

      Academic Year I

      0 items

        Fall - Credits: 16

        5 items
        1. BIOL 1010
          Introduction to Biology
          Not resolved to a course
          3
        2. BIOL 1015
          Introduction to Biology Laboratory
          Not resolved to a course
          or: BIOL 1016 - Introduction to Biology Computational Laboratory
          1
        3. CHEM 1110
          Chemistry I
          Not resolved to a course
          4
        4. HASS Core Elective
          Not resolved to a course
          4
        5. MATH 1010
          Calculus I
          Not resolved to a course
          4

        Spring - Credits: 16

        5 items
        1. BIOL 2120
          Introduction to Cell and Molecular Biology
          Not resolved to a course
          3
        2. BIOL 2125
          Introduction to Cell and Molecular Biology Laboratory
          Not resolved to a course
          1
        3. CHEM 1200
          Chemistry II
          Not resolved to a course
          4
        4. HASS Core Elective
          Not resolved to a course
          4
        5. MATH 1020
          Calculus II
          Not resolved to a course
          4

        Academic Year II

        0 items

          Fall - Credits: 16

          5 items
          1. BIOL 2500
            Genetics and Evolution
            Not resolved to a course
            4
          2. CHEM 2230
            Organic Chemistry Laboratory I
            Not resolved to a course
            1
          3. CHEM 2250
            Organic Chemistry I
            Not resolved to a course
            3
          4. HASS Core Elective
            Not resolved to a course
            4
          5. PHYS 1100
            Physics I (M)
            Not resolved to a course
            or: PHYS 1110 - Physics I (S)
            4

          Spring - Credits: 16

          6 items
          1. ADMN 1030
            Career Exploration
            Not resolved to a course
            0
          2. BIOL 4620
            Molecular Biology
            Not resolved to a course
            4
          3. CHEM 2240
            Organic Chemistry Laboratory II
            Not resolved to a course
            1
          4. CHEM 2260
            Organic Chemistry II
            Not resolved to a course
            3
          5. HASS Core Elective
            Not resolved to a course
            4
          6. PHYS 1200
            Physics II
            Not resolved to a course
            4

          Academic Year III

          0 items

            Fall - Credits: 17

            5 items
            1. BIOL 4110
              Investigative Medicine I
              Not resolved to a course
              1
            2. BIOL 4100
              From Neuron to Behavior
              Not resolved to a course
              4
            3. BIOL 4270
              Human Physiology
              Not resolved to a course
              4
            4. BIOL 4760
              Molecular Biochemistry I
              Not resolved to a course
              4
            5. HASS Core Elective
              Not resolved to a course
              4

            Spring - Credits: 19

            5 items
            1. BIOL 4120
              Investigative Medicine II
              Not resolved to a course
              1
            2. BIOL 4200
              Biostatistics
              Not resolved to a course
              4
            3. BIOL 4250
              Developmental Biology
              Not resolved to a course
              4
            4. BIOL 4130
              Biomedical Research
              Not resolved to a course
              6
            5. HASS Core Elective
              Not resolved to a course
              4

            Courses transferred from Albany Medical College

            0 items

              Summer III

              2 items
              1. ILEA 4400
                The Discovery
                Not resolved to a course
                0
              2. Research
                Not resolved to a course
                0

              Academic Year IV

              0 items

                Footnotes

                5 items
                1. Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) Core Electives: A total of 24 credits of HASS Core Electives should be taken. Students should take an Inquiry course during their first year. For a listing of HASS Inquiry courses go to: https://info.rpi.edu/hass-inquiry. In addition, students should take a HASS communication-intensive course during their first three semesters.
                  Not resolved to a course
                2. Students who apply Advanced Placement credits in place of BIOL 1010 and BIOL 1015 may take BIOL 2120 and BIOL 2125 in its place.
                  Not resolved to a course
                3. Students must take 1 of the following Laboratory courses alongside BIOL 1010 : and BIOL 1015 or BIOL 1016 . Biology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, Biological Neuroscience, and Computational Biology majors are recommended to register for BIOL 1015 . Biology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, Biological Neuroscience, and Computational Biology majors who posses thorough wet-lab experience and an interest in enhancing their data analysis skills are recommended to register for BIOL 1016.
                  Not resolved to a course
                4. Culminating experience and curriculum specific communication-intensive course.
                  Not resolved to a course
                5. The courses for the fourth year are completed at Albany Medical College. These courses are transferred back to RPI to satisfy the requirements for the four-year degree. Additional coursework at AMC is required for the M.D. degree. Please note that during summer between year 3 and year 4, a 0-credit hour research experience is required at Albany Medical College and must be completed for the bachelor’s degree.
                  Not resolved to a course
                Source. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, catalog Rensselaer Catalog 2026-2027 — https://catalog.rpi.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=34&poid=10115&returnto=938. Captured page pages/0091.html.gz. Assembled from the institution's published catalog as captured; every record names its captured page and source URL. Assembled, not asserted.