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SUNY New Paltz partners with TouroCOM Middletown to launch accelerated, dual-degree pre-health program

Andrew Bruso
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An agreement between SUNY New Paltz and the Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine (TouroCOM), Middletown, N.Y., campus will create new opportunities for students to complete a dual undergraduate/medical school program in just seven years.

Through the Accelerated Dual-Degree Medical Program, New Paltz students can apply to a highly competitive program combining undergraduate offerings at New Paltz and medical curriculum at TouroCOM, putting them on a pathway to earning both a Bachelor’s degree and a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree.

The TouroCOM partnership expands pre-health offerings at SUNY New Paltz, which include an osteopathic medicine program with New York Institute of Technology – College of Osteopathic Medicine, and a cooperative B.S./O.D. Program with SUNY College of Optometry.

This cooperative model has proven effective at helping students earn medical degrees in a timely manner, and begin working in Hudson Valley communities where the need for skilled practitioners is high.

“The Hudson Valley, and Orange and Sullivan County in particular, has a well-documented shortage of primary care physicians,” said Kenneth J. Steier, D.O, executive dean of TouroCOM. “Osteopathic Medicine, with its emphasis on primary care medicine, is well-positioned to meet this need.”

Here’s how the Accelerated Dual-Degree Medical Program works:

  • First-year students who meet special, pre-matriculation academic and admission requirements will be able to begin studying at New Paltz, in pre-medical disciplines including biology and chemistry.
  • Students who meet the academic requirements and a prescribed score on the MCAT exam after three years at New Paltz will be eligible for seamless admission to TouroCOM’s Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine program.
  • Students enter TouroCOM at the Middletown campus as a first-year medical school student, and complete their bachelor’s degree while beginning graduate study.
  • They will qualify to earn their bachelor’s degree (conferred by SUNY New Paltz) after successfully completing their first year of medical school (year four in the program).
  • Lastly, students will continue their education at TouroCOM for three more years, and complete their Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree in a total of seven years, all without leaving the Hudson Valley.

Learn more online about pre-health programs at SUNY New Paltz online, and visit Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine at https://tourocom.touro.edu/.