Make Your Mark in One of the Fastest-Growing Health Care Professions

Be at the forefront of the most popular way to practice medicine. As a student of the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) program at Nova Southeastern University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine, you’ll master the unique combination of scientific knowledge and humanism that is D.O.

This four-year program doesn't just prepare you for the real world, it helps you carve your ideal path to be a leader in competent and compassionate care through intensive coursework, clinical reviews, and customized rotation plans.

Professional Preparation That Makes a Difference

Much like traditional medical doctors, D.O.s remain on the cutting edge of research and technology, yet they are equally committed to being compassionate healers, especially to underserved populations.

Your learning experience will reinforce this distinct approach to medicine starting on day one. With access to extensive resources, interprofessional service learnings, and a three-month rotation in a rural or urban medically underserved setting, you’ll quickly develop a strong patient-focused mindset that will distinguish you as a professional with expert medical skills and a human touch.

As we explore the next chapter of medical education here at NSU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine, we are committed to pursuing a pathway that provides our students with the most comprehensive, equitable and inclusive, cutting-edge, and compassionate learning experience possible.

Elaine M. Wallace, D.O., M.S. | dean, college of osteopathic medicine

What’s the Difference Between a D.O. and an M.D.?

instructor with student

The Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) and Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) are both professional medical degrees that position you to pursue a career as a physician. 

While training in both degrees focuses on providing the most comprehensive, cutting edge practice of medicine, what sets the D.O. degree and training apart is its core focus on the holistic side of practicing medicine, with a strong historical commitment to supporting medically underserved populations. 

Quick Facts

Tuition

Visit the Tuition and Fees page for more information.

Credits & Requirements

The D.O. program is a professional degree that requires four years of study and a series of clinical rotations.

Application Deadlines

For Fall Entry:
January 15: AACOMAS App Due
March 1: NSU Supplemental App Due

Delivery Options

The D.O. program is offered on campus at the Fort Lauderdale/Davie Campus or the Tampa Bay Regional Campus. Clinical Rotations are offered at partner institutions throughout Florida, as well as in other states.

Choose Your Path to D.O.

NSU’s flexible approach to pursuing a career in osteopathic medicine starts with several options so you can feel good about your starting point, whether that’s getting more clinical experience and prep first or setting out for your doctoral degree right away.

Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.)

The D.O. track is a professional degree that requires four years of study.

Doctoral program

  • Preclinical training in foundational sciences, clinical skills, and clinical reasoning
  • Clinical rotations in all major specialties, including rural and urban under-served medicine, with the elective opportunities in sub-specialty training.
  • Opportunity to match into all medical, surgical, and obstetric specialties

Certificate in Health Professions Preparation (CHPP)

A full-time graduate program of study with 18 total credits over 2 semesters.

Graduate-level certificate

  • Direct entry into the D.O. program upon completion with a 3.6 GPA
  • Enhanced prep for the basic biomedical sciences you will encounter during your first two years at any medical school

D.O. and Master’s Degree

Two degrees in four years at a reduced cost

Concurrent Degree

Earn your D.O while earning any of the below degrees:

  • Master of Public Health (M.P.H.)
  • M.S. in Health Informatics
  • M.S. in Disaster and Emergency Management
  • M.S. in Medical Education
  • M.S. in Nutrition

D.O. and Bachelor’s Degree

Are you a high school student looking to plan ahead? Save a spot in NSU’s D.O. program while you earn your bachelor’s degree.

Dual Admission Program

This option takes seven to eight years to complete this distinctive program.

Why Earn Your Degree from NSU Osteopathic Medicine?

Internships, Residencies, and Fellowships

More than 1,000 postgraduate training positions are affiliated with KPCOM through the Office of Graduate Medical Education.

Funded for Advanced Learnings

Ranked #1 for external funding at NSU, the College of Osteopathic Medicine produces new knowledge through research and scholarly activity.

Stand Out for Residency Placements

Get a competitive edge as a candidate for residency with a concurrent degree. Email for information about guaranteed admission and scholarship options.

Life-Changing Outreach Experiences

Learn beyond the classroom in community-based partnerships in the United States and abroad.
AOA logo

Nova Southeastern University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine has been granted accreditation by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA). This body is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as the accrediting agency for colleges educating osteopathic physicians and surgeons.

The NSU D.O. program ranks as the 10th-largest in terms of total enrollment among the 35 accredited colleges of osteopathic medicine in the United States.

Learn More about AOA

Explore Labs and Learning Spaces

Get the Edge You Need to Become a Health Care Leader

You won’t just become a doctor, you’ll become a patient-focused leader. That’s the NSU Edge. And you’ll experience it every step of the way, from labs with advanced patient simulation technology to interprofessional service-learning opportunities to accelerated tracks to graduation.

You’ll also have access to extensive professional resources and a tight-knit peer group; so no matter where life takes you after graduation, you’ll always have the NSU edge.

About the NSU Edge
Students standing in a hall
Medical instructors standing in hall

Discover Opportunities for Student Leadership

Find your fit outside the classroom through any of the 50+ student clubs and organizations, leadership opportunities, and exposure to established health professionals, as well as volunteer opportunities. You’ll grow beyond the classroom and graduate a well-rounded leader of medicine.

Learn How to Get Involved

Making the Match: Residency Outcomes

Graduates of the D.O. program continue to excel during the competitive NRMP and other Match Processes. In the past four years, graduating classes have obtained placement into graduate medical education programs at 98% and higher, with the Class of 2022 reaching the college's goal of 100%.

See Residency Match and COMLEX Board Scores

graduate students in cap and gowns

Innovative, Mission-Driven Curriculum

The unique curriculum of the D.O. program provides academic and clinical training, which prepares you for the "real world" of medicine. It will make you more competitive for postdoctoral training positions and more attractive to those interviewing candidates for those positions.

View Program Curriculum

D.O. Admission Requirements

Ready for the Next Step?

Great! The first step is complete your application and submit supporting documents through the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Services (AACOMAS).

A Note about Deadlines

The college receives more than 7,500 applications per year. It is in the best interest of the applicant to apply early.

Go to Application

Part One: Apply with AACOMAS

NSU Osteopathic Medicine participates in the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Service, which provides an interactive, web-based application that can be accessed through aacom.org for the receipt and processing of all applications. AACOMAS takes no part in the selection of students.

Go to the AACOMAS Application

Complete AACOMAS application

NSU Osteopathic Medicine uses the AACOMAS centralized online application. Start yours here.

Request your transcripts

Request transcripts be mailed to AACOMAS by the registrars of all colleges and universities attended.

Complete instructions can be found here.

Submit MCAT scores

MCAT scores must be no more than three years old prior to the date the AACOMAS application is submitted.

Preprofessional letters of recommendation

If a preprofessional committee does not exist, three letters of evaluation are necessary (two from science professors and one from a nonscience professor).

All letters should be signed on official letterhead and submitted directly through the AACOMAS portal.

If you have been out of school for at least two years, please contact a D.O. admissions counselor.

Letter of recommendation from a physician (D.O. or M.D.)

This letter should be signed on official letterhead and submitted directly through the AACOMAS portal.

Part Two: NSU Osteopathic Medicine Online Secondary Application

Upon receipt of the completed AACOMAS application, NSU will forward YOU an online secondary application. You should submit the following materials to Nova Southeastern University no later than March 1.

Complete secondary application

An invitation to apply will be sent by NSU Osteopathic Medicine after you’ve completed your AACOMAS application.

Nonrefundable application fee of $50

Submit additional supplemental updates and documents requested by NSU Osteopathic Medicine admissions

Submitting Your Materials

Supplemental information or application updates can be mailed to:

Mailing Address (Domestic)

Enrollment Processing Services
NSU College of Osteopathic Medicine
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
3300 S. University Drive
P.O. Box 299000
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33328-2004

If you’d like to transfer to the College of Osteopathic Medicine at NSU, you’ll want to start by submitting an application, plus:

  • Make sure you meet all admissions requirements, including submitting official transcripts of all college work (including osteopathic transcripts), MCAT scores, National Board scores if available, and letters of evaluation
  • Demonstrate good standing at the transferring institution, as documented by a letter from the dean of the transferring institution
  • Provide a letter of recommendation from a faculty member of the transferring institution
  • Provide a written statement outlining reasons for request for transfer

Please note that approved transfers may come only from medical school programs accredited by LCME or COCA.

Undergraduate coursework taken at a foreign institution must be evaluated for U.S. institution equivalence. Foreign coursework must be evaluated by any one of the services listed below.

World Education Services, Inc.
P.O. Box 5087, Bowling Green Station
New York, NY 10274
www.wes.org

Josef Silney & Associates, Inc.
International Education Consultants
7101 SW 102 Avenue
Miami, FL 33173
(305) 273-1616
www.jsilny.org

Educational Credential
Evaluators, Inc.
P.O. Box 514070
Milwaukee, WI 53203-3470
(414) 289-3400
www.ece.org

It is the applicant's responsibility to have this coursework evaluated, and an official evaluation must be sent to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

The Nova Southeastern University Health Professions Division is pledged to the admission and matriculation of qualified students and wishes to acknowledge awareness of laws that prohibit discrimination against anyone on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national origin, age or disabilities, and religion. Regarding those students with verifiable disabilities, the university will not discriminate against such individuals who are otherwise qualified but will expect applicants and students to meet certain minimal technical standards (core performance standards) as set forth herein, with or without reasonable accommodation. In adopting these standards, the university believes it must keep in mind the ultimate safety of the patients whom its graduates will eventually serve. The standards reflect what the university believes are reasonable expectations required of health professions students and personnel in performing common functions.

The holders of health care degrees must have the knowledge and skills to function in a broad variety of clinical situations and to render a wide spectrum of patient care. In order to carry out the activities described below, candidates for Health Professions Division degrees must be able to integrate consistently, quickly, and accurately all information received, and they must have the ability to learn, integrate, analyze, and synthesize data.

Candidates for degrees offered by the Health Professions Division must have, with or without reasonable accommodation, multiple abilities and skills, including intellectual, conceptual, integrative, and quantitative abilities; interpersonal communication; mobility and strength; motor skills; and hearing, visual, tactile, behavioral, and social attributes. Candidates for admission and progression must be able to perform these abilities and skills in a reasonably independent manner.

The Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine (KPCOM) is pledged to the admission and matriculation of qualified students and wishes to acknowledge awareness of laws that prohibit discrimination against anyone on the basis of race, color, religion or creed, sex, pregnancy status, national or ethnic origin, non-disqualifying disability, age, ancestry, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, military service, veteran status, or political beliefs or affiliations. Regarding those students with verifiable disabilities, the university and KPCOM will not discriminate against such individuals who are otherwise qualified but will expect applicants and students to meet certain minimal technical standards (core performance standards) as set forth herein, with or without reasonable accommodation.

In adopting these standards, the university and KPCOM believe it must keep in mind the efficacy and safety in the learning environment, as well as the ultimate safety of the patients who some of its graduates will eventually serve. Specifically, the standards reflect what the university and KPCOM believe are reasonable expectations required of future osteopathic physicians in performing common functions. Any exceptions to such standards must be approved by the dean of KPCOM based upon appropriate circumstances.

Honor and integrity are essential and depend on the exemplary behavior of the individuals in their relations with classmates, patients, faculty members, and colleagues. This includes accountability to oneself and to relationships with fellow students, future colleagues, faculty members, and patients who come under the student’s care or contribute to the student’s training and growth, as well as members of the general public. This applies to personal conduct that reflects on the student’s honesty and integrity in both academic and nonacademic settings, whether or not involving an NSU-sponsored activity. All students must have the capacity to manage their lives and anticipate their own needs. Upon accepting admission to NSUKPCOM, each student subscribes to, and pledges complete observance to, NSU’s Student Code of Conduct Policies. A violation of these standards is an abuse of the trust placed in every student and could lead to suspension or dismissal.

Students in the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree program must have, with or without reasonable accommodation, multiple abilities and skills including intellectual, conceptual, integrative, and quantitative abilities; interpersonal communication; mobility and strength; motor skills; and hearing, visual, tactile, behavioral, and social attributes. Students must be able to perform these abilities and skills in a reasonably independent manner. Osteopathic physicians must have the knowledge and skills to function in a broad variety of clinical situations and to render a wide spectrum of patient care. In order to carry out the activities described below, students in the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Program at KPCOM must be able to integrate consistently, quickly, and accurately all information received. They must also have the ability to learn, integrate, analyze, and synthesize data.

Intellectual, Conceptual, Integrative, and Qualitative Abilities

Students must have critical thinking ability sufficient for problem solving and good clinical judgment. This is necessary to identify cause/effect relationships and to develop plans of action or plans of care. In addition, students should be able to comprehend three-dimensional relationships and to understand the spatial relationships of structures. Students are expected to be able to perform multiple tasks in a diverse, dynamic, highly competitive, and challenging learning environment. They must be able to think quickly and accurately in an organized manner, despite environmental distractions. Examples include, but are not limited to, identification of cause/effect relationships in clinical situations, development of treatment plans, transferring knowledge from one situation to another, evaluating outcomes, problem solving, prioritizing, and using short- and long-term memory.

Interpersonal Communication

Students must be able to interact and communicate effectively with respect to policies, protocols, and process—with faculty and staff members, students, patients, patient surrogates, and administration—during the student’s educational program. They must be able to communicate effectively and sensitively with patients. Communication includes not only speech, but also reading and writing. Students must also be able to communicate effectively and efficiently in all written forms with all members of the health care team. They must have interpersonal abilities sufficient to interact with individuals, families, and groups from a variety of social, emotional, cultural, and intellectual backgrounds.

Students must have sufficient proficiency with English to retrieve information from texts and lectures and communicate concepts on written exams and patient charts; elicit patient backgrounds; describe patient changes in moods, activity, and posture; and coordinate patient care with all members of the health care team. Students must be able to communicate or provide communication in lay language so that patients and their families can understand the patient’s conditions, treatment options, and instructions. Students must be able to accurately enter information in the patient’s electronic health record, according to each program’s requirements.

Motor Skills

Osteopathic medicine students must have sufficient motor function to execute movements reasonably required to provide general care and emergency treatment to patients. Examples of emergency treatment reasonably required of some health care professionals are cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), administration of intravenous medication, the application of pressure to stop bleeding, the opening of obstructed airways, and the ability to calibrate and use various pieces of equipment. Such actions require coordination of both gross and fine muscular movements, equilibrium, and functional use of the senses of touch and vision.

Strength and Mobility

Students must have sufficient mobility to attend emergency codes and to perform such maneuvers as CPR when required. They must have the physical ability to move sufficiently from room to room and to maneuver in small places. Osteopathic medicine students must have the ability to position patients for the administration and delivery of osteopathic manipulative treatment in a variety of settings and to position and move patients when required.

Hearing

Students must have sufficient auditory ability to monitor and assess auditory communication, when necessary. Osteopathic medicine students must be able to hear information given by the patient in answer to inquires; to hear cries for help; to hear features in an examination, such as the auscultatory sounds; and to monitor equipment.

Visual

Osteopathic medicine students must have visual ability sufficient for observation, assessment, and rendering of treatment necessary in patient care. It must be consistent in many cases with being able to assess asymmetry, range of motion, and tissue texture changes. Osteopathic medicine students must have sufficient visual ability to use ophthalmologic instruments. It is necessary to have adequate visual capabilities for proper evaluation and treatment integration. Students must be able to observe the patient and the patient’s responses, including body language and features of the examination and treatment.

Tactile

Osteopathic medicine students must have sufficient tactile ability for physical assessment. They must be able to perform palpation and functions of physical examination and/or those related to therapeutic intervention. Osteopathic medicine students must be able to use tactile senses to diagnose directly by palpation and indirectly by sensations transmitted through instruments.

Sensory

Osteopathic medicine students are required to have an enhanced ability to use their sensory skills. These enhanced tactile and proprioceptive sensory skills are essential for appropriate osteopathic evaluation and treatment of patients.

If you are selected for an interview, you will receive an email invitation from the Health Professions Division Admissions Office. A confirmation email will provide an agenda and other important information. Local travel, overnight accommodations information, parking, and other details can be found on the interview website. Please be sure to inform the office about any special dietary needs for the day. Applicants may view their status at any time on the NSU Self-Service Banner (WebSTAR).

Interview Day

  • The candidate experience is a full day and includes:
  • Meeting the NSU College of Osteopathic admissions counselor
  • Information regarding the admissions committee decision process
  • Overview presentation of the curriculum, facilities, and student support
  • Private interview with a small team of faculty members
  • Tour of the medical college facility by students ambassadors
  • Experience NSU as a student (activities vary)
  • Interactive lunch session
  • Q&A with the dean of NSU College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • Campus bus tour (optional)

Need to check on your application file? Call Enrollment Processing Services at 1-877-640-0218 or email us.
Nova Southeastern University, Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine, Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Program is an AOA-accredited program of study. Graduation from an AOA-COCA accredited college of osteopathic medicine is required in order to begin training in an AOA- or ACGME-accredited residency program to which he or she has been accepted, and to take the COMLEX-USA Level 3 examination. At this time, we have determined that the KPCOM program meets the educational degree completion requirements for licensure in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the US protectorates, as defined in 34 CFR §600.2.

Checking Your Application Status

You can check your application anytime on the NSU Self-Service Banner (WebSTAR).

Log into WebSTAR

After Applying, What Happens Next?

If selected, you’ll receive an invitation from the Office of Admissions to schedule an interview. This personal interview is the next step and does not guarantee admission. Acceptance is on a “rolling” or periodic schedule, and you will receive decision notices via email and mail.

Learn about the Acceptance Process

Take The Next Step