M.D. Program Admissions Requirements

Applicants to Einstein’s M.D. program must demonstrate an understanding of the clinical aspects of a career in medicine. This includes engagement in meaningful experiences, at home or abroad, that provide you with exposure to clinical settings that involve patient care as well as opportunities to interact with and learn from people who are living with illness or disabilities. 

Because communication skills are essential for physicians to work effectively with patients and meaningfully collaborate with colleagues, you must demonstrate the following: 

• excellent spoken and written language abilities
• the ability to read, evaluate, and use the information from scientific and public health literature
• outstanding interpersonal interaction and communication skills, including empathic listening, and the ability to interact with people from diverse socioeconomic, cultural, racial, and ethnic backgrounds
• demonstrated computer skills with commonly used software programs 

The profession of medicine involves maintaining a high standard of ethical and professional behavior characterized by patience, empathy, maturity, self-motivation, emotional stability, personal integrity, accountability to colleagues and patients, dedication to the practice of medicine, and the ability to give primacy to the needs of patients while maintaining appropriate interpersonal boundaries. 

You must demonstrate the following attributes to indicate a commitment to personal and professional development:

• the ability to work cooperatively as a member of a team
• cultural awareness, sensitivity, and advocacy for, as well as interest in, individuals who are served by the healthcare system and/or who participate in clinical research
• the ability to withstand the stressors inherent in the intensive medical school training process, and the ability to adapt to these stressors
• commitment to leadership, teaching, collegial interactions, advocacy, and life-long learning to enhance the practice of medicine

If you have a specific interest in and career goals related to academic medicine or public health, your candidacy benefits from demonstrating the following additional attributes:

• participation in hypothesis-driven basic science, translational, or clinical research
• an understanding of the public health issues of chronic disease, health disparities, and/or global health

Applicants to Einstein’s M.D. program are encouraged to major in any area of the humanities or sciences that is of interest to them. Regardless of your chosen major, a solid foundation in the biological, chemical, and physical sciences is needed to prepare you for studies in human physiology, pharmacology, and the biological basis of disease.

An understanding of inorganic and organic chemistry is essential to understanding the biochemistry of living organisms. You should have a working knowledge of the following:

• atomic and molecular structure, chemical reactions, catalysis, chemical equilibrium, thermodynamics, reaction rates, binding constants and reaction mechanisms with a focus on redox reactions, acid-base chemistry, enzyme catalysis and biological chemistry
• the structure and function of biologically important molecules including DNA, RNA, proteins, lipids and carbohydrates as well as the pathways for synthesis, modification, and degradation of these macromolecules.

You must have an understanding of the molecular and cellular organization of prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms and viruses, including:

• the structure and function of cells and subcellular organelles
• the major biological processes and the regulation of these processes including life cycle, metabolism, bioenergetics, and replication
• the cellular basis for organ function and how organs contribute to the viability of living organisms

Physics provides a fundamental foundation for understanding chemistry, biology, and physiology. You should have knowledge of the following: 

• Newtonian mechanics
• work and energy
• fluid dynamics
• electricity and magnetism
• circuit diagrams
• waves

College-level course exposure to quantitative reasoning and the mathematical analysis and interpretation of data is necessary to be successful in the M.D. program. You should be prepared to: 

• construct and interpret functions and graphs 
• understand the use of basic statistics and probability in testing hypotheses and validating experimental results, particularly as it relates to the critical reading of medical and scientific literature

Although not part of the required competencies, computer science and programming, and knowledge of the concepts of limits, integration and differentiation may be useful skills, depending on your interests and career goals, especially if you are interested in a career in research and/or academic medicine.

As an applicant you are not expected to achieve expertise in all disciplines, but it is important that you understand the factors that influence individual, community, and societal decisions regarding health and healthcare. This awareness can be gained through courses in the following disciplines: 

• psychology
• sociology
• anthropology
• public health
• literature
• economics
• history
• philosophy and ethics

All applicants should have a basic understanding of key issues in medical ethics.

In our experience, Einstein’s knowledge competencies are most successfully attained by applicants who have had a minimum of three years of study toward a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university in the United States or Canada, as well as 40 credit hours of science and mathematics, including advanced biology courses for which letter grades are available; 40 credit hours of humanities and social sciences; and substantial experience in clinical, community, and/or research activities. 

We do not accept pass/fail as a grade, unless this is policy of the college or university you attended or the college, university, or post-baccalaureate program suspended grades during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your premedical advisor or academic advisor must submit a statement confirming pass/fail courses or suspended grading via the AMCAS Letter Service. 

If you completed your science course work in a post-baccalaureate program, you must have completed at least 30 credit hours in a U.S.-chartered college or university whose grades can be reported and verified by AMCAS.

If you have completed your premedical coursework five years prior to the time of application, you must show evidence of participation in either academic or work experience in the biological sciences. Academic experience should include at least one course in a discipline such as cell biology, molecular biology, genetics, immunology or neuroscience. Work experience may include research in the biological or physical sciences or clinical investigation.

If you are an international student who has earned baccalaureate degrees outside the United States or Canada, you are required to complete at least one year of formal coursework in the sciences (about 30 credit hours for which letter grades are available) in a U.S.-chartered college or university whose grades can be reported and verified by AMCAS before you can apply to Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Formal advanced placement credit, granted by examination in an area of required undergraduate course work, is acceptable. However, it is strongly recommended that applicants who receive AP credit in biology, complete advanced level course work in biology, such as courses in biochemistry, cell biology, immunology, genetics, neuroscience, physiology, and microbiology.  Please review Einstein’s Policy on Advanced Placement Credits for the M.D. Program.