Students accepted into this program will spend their first three years at FDU. The following four years will be spent at the Lecom School of Dental Medicine. Following the successful completion of the first year of study at RSDM the student will be awarded a B.S. degree by FDU.

Admission requirements

Students who are in their fourth semester at FDU and who meet the application criteria may apply. Applicants must have had secondary school preparation in English, mathematics, biology, chemistry and physics. Please speak to the FDU preprofessional advisor for additional information on application criteria.

Following evaluation of applications by FDU and Lecom Admissions Office, the Joint Admissions Committee will decide which applicants to interview at FDU and Lecom. The interview at Lecom will be conducted by a member of the Lecom Admissions Committee. The final decision will be made by the Joint Admissions Committee following the review of the interviewers’ comments.

Admission to Lecom

Final admission into the New Jersey Dental School is dependent on satisfactory completion of the following:

  • 98 credits as listed below at Department of Biological Sciences, Fairleigh Dickinson University
  • A minimum grade point ratio of 3.50 and a minimum grade of “B” in each of the science courses required for admission to Lecom. There shall be no final grade of “D”, “F” or “I” in any course required for admission to Lecom, appearing on the student’s transcript
  • A satisfactory score on the Dental Aptitude Test must be submitted prior to admission to Lecom
  • Recommendations from at least four FDU faculty members including the director of the School of Natural Sciences and the preprofessional adviser
  • Students wishing to participate in the program must apply in writing to the pre professional adviser no later than completion of 60 credits at FDU
  • Participation in any orientation programs required by Lecom
  • Final entrance into the D.D.S. program is contingent on satisfactory performance in all six semesters at FDU.

Program Outcomes for BS Biology

Students majoring in Biology develop the following skills and abilities:

Ability to use the scientific method and understand its strengths and weaknesses: Clearly states a hypothesis; Identifies not only the basics of the issue, but recognizes the nuances of the issue.

Ability to research a biological topic using traditional and computer technology: Provides a thorough and relevant literature review; Considers alternate ways to approach the questions; Ability to read and evaluate professional scientific literature; Demonstrates understanding of the relationship between experiment and theory.

Ability to write and communicate science: Writing enhances the presentation; Writing is consistently well written; Writing communicates clearly using the language of biology; Writing displays an excellent command of writing mechanics; Topics are clearly organized; Topics are covered in-depth; Topics display an abundance of original ideas; APA style is used consistently and accurately without any errors.

Ability to utilize mathematical reasoning and quantitative skills in biology: Analyzes data via graphs, statistics and curve fitting as appropriate; Possess observational and technical skills; Carries out controlled experiments using the proper equipment and safety measurements; Identifies relevant constraints; Collects data carefully and with appropriate precision; Uses initial data to refine the experiment.

Possess major field knowledge: Identifies an appropriate question by using prior knowledge; Ability to successfully compete in biologically related fields; Obtains acceptance into graduate/professional schools or employment in the field.

Degree Plan

NOTE: All students are required to complete the General Education Requirements of their campus in fulfillment of their Bachelor degree requirements. [Florham Campus students are required to take SPCH 1107 Fundamentals of Speech and  PHIL1440 Bio-Medical Ethics as part of their general education requirements]

Semesters 1 and 2

Semester 3 and 4

Semesters 5 and 6

Semesters 7 and 8

  • Approved credits taken at professional school (29 credits)

Cognate Requirements

Semesters 1 and 2

Semesters 3 and 4

Semesters 5 and 6

Major Requirements:

  • The Program is designed for students who are accepted into professional school (e.g., School of Medicine, Dentistry, Chiropractic, and Optometry) after three years of undergraduate study.  Twenty-nine credits earned during the first year of professional school are used to supplement the 95 credits earned at FDU to complete the 124 credits required for the BS degree.

A minimum of 124 credits is required for graduation with BS Biology.