BS Program

Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education at the CUNY School of Medicine

The BS Program at the CUNY School of Medicine is part of an integrated curriculum leading to both the Bachelor of Science (BS) in Biomedical Sciences and the Doctor of Medicine (MD). During the first three years, students complete all undergraduate requirements. Upon successful completion, they progress to the MD portion of the program. Both degrees are conferred by The City College of New York.

Curriculum & Registration

See the City College Undergraduate Bulletin for full course descriptions.

Registration Policies

• Students must register on time for all required courses each semester.
• Enrollment in courses outside the prescribed curriculum requires prior written approval from the Associate Dean for Student Affairs.
• Failure to register correctly may be treated as withdrawal from the program.

Schedule Changes & Course Drops

Students must follow the curriculum sequence precisely, especially for MED courses, which must be taken in the prescribed order and semester.

• Postponing or dropping a course requires written approval from the Associate Dean.
• Dropping a repeated course is only allowed under exceptional circumstances.
• Failing to take a course on schedule may jeopardize future progression due to prerequisite conflicts.

City College Drop Policies

• Courses dropped within the first 3 weeks: Eligible for a refund under CCNY’s refund policy.
• Drops between weeks 4–10 with proper approvals result in a “W” grade (does not affect GPA).
• Courses dropped without official procedure result in a “WU” grade, equivalent to an F.

Accumulating “W” grades may affect academic standing and financial aid eligibility.

Electives Requirement

• 21 total credits of free electives are required.
• At least 2 credits must be Regular Liberal Arts and Sciences courses as defined by NYSED.
  Electives should ideally be completed by Fall of Year 3 to avoid schedule conflicts.
• Up to 8 credits may come from approved Independent Study courses.

Elective credit may be fulfilled through:

• CCNY courses
• e-Permit courses at other CUNY schools
• Approved Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) work
• Transfer credits (see below)

Independent Study

Students may pursue Independent Study under CUNY School of Medicine faculty supervision.

Setup & Approval:

• Student and faculty agree on topic, scope, hours, credits (1–4), and grading method.
• Submit an Independent Study Form to the Associate Dean for approval.
• Once approved, submit paperwork to the Registrar to enroll.

Projects with non-CCNY faculty (e.g., hospital staff) require a co-sponsoring CUNY Med faculty member.

Up to 8 credits of Independent Study may count toward the electives requirement.

Advanced Placement (AP) Credit

• CCNY awards AP credit for scores of 3, 4, or 5.
  Accepted AP subjects include:
  • Physics 1/B/C, Psychology, English Lit & Comp, U.S. or World History, Government & Politics
• Additional AP subjects may count toward electives.

Submit AP Scores To:

City College of New York (code 2083)
Office of Transfer Evaluations Services
Admin Building, Room 101
160 Convent Ave, New York, NY 10031

Transfer Credit

Students who have taken college-level courses before entering may receive credit, subject to:

• Letter grade “C” or better required
• Credit may fulfill electives or general education, but not MED requirements
• Official transcripts must be submitted to:

City College of New York
Office of Transfer Evaluations Services
Admin Building, Room 101
160 Convent Ave, New York, NY 10031

e-Permit Courses

Students planning to take courses at other CUNY colleges must apply for an e-Permit.

• Approval from the Associate Dean is required.
• e-Permit grades are factored into your City College GPA.
• e-Permit courses may count toward electives or gen ed, but cannot replace required MED courses.
• Courses must be taken for a letter grade (“C” or better) — Pass/Fail is not allowed.
  

More info: e-Permit Guidelines