Students considering a professional career in either medicine or dentistry should explore UConn’s Special Program in Medicine and Special Program in Dental Medicine. These programs provide a path to medical or dental school that offers students a unique opportunity for academic, personal, and social development and enrichment during their undergraduate years. These flexible programs were developed to encourage students to explore diverse opportunities that they might not otherwise consider in a traditional pre-med/dent study plan, thereby creating a more diverse and well-rounded student for entry to professional school.
Admission to these programs starts the student on a required 4-year coordinated undergraduate curriculum offering a number of enrichment opportunities. Students will then gain admission to the UConn School of Medicine or Dental Medicine upon successful completion of program requirements and graduation from their undergraduate program.
At the conclusion of these 8-year programs, a student will have earned both an undergraduate degree and a doctorate in either medicine or dental medicine. Admission to the Special Program in Medicine and Special Program in Dental Medicine is highly selective. They are the only programs of their kind offered by a public university in New England.
The Application Process
UConn applicants who are interested in applying to the Special Program in Medicine and the Special Program in Dental Medicine should follow the procedure outlined on the Undergraduate Admissions pages using the links in this paragraph.
Curriculum
UConn does not have a pre-med/dental medicine major. With more than 100 majors, you can pursue any field that is of interest to you. Many students study the life sciences but many also study engineering, business, or humanities.
Your education will include coursework and research on the Storrs campus as well as special events at the University of Connecticut Health Center. Upon completion of your undergraduate degree requirements, the University will confer a B.A. or B.S. After completing all requirements for the professional degree, the UCHC will confer an M.D. or a D.M.D. The program provides flexibility to accommodate individual choices, including options for an accelerated undergraduate path or taking an extra year to graduate.