Southeast Missouri State University and St. George's University (SGU), located in Grenada in the West Indies, entered an agreement this month to create a pipeline to medical and veterinarian studies for students.

After completing four years of pre-medical or pre-veterinarian studies at SEMO, students who meet the requirements will be granted admission to SGU's School of Medicine or School of Veterinary Medicine to continue studies.

It also establishes a program in which students pursuing a Bachelor of Science in biology-biomedical sciences will complete three years at SEMO and then be granted entry into the SGU School of Medicine if meeting requirements.

Richard Liebowitz, vice chancellor of St. George's University, said in a news release St. George's is "thrilled to form this partnership" with SEMO and to offer their most qualified students multiple pathways to a degree in medicine or veterinary medicine.

"We look forward to empowering SEMO students to pursue their dreams of becoming a doctor or veterinarian," Liebowitz said.

Kevin Timlin, executive director of International Education for SEMO, said in a news release the university recruits a lot of high-achieving international students who aspire to become physicians.

"However, admission to U.S. medical school is very challenging, even more so for international applicants," Timlin said. "Our agreement with SGU guarantees all SEMO graduates from the pre-medical program who meet the requirements will gain admission into their program. This is a great opportunity for qualified pre-med students to know that a seat at an accredited medical school is guaranteed."

Both programs have options to complete part of the program at SGU, with remaining clinical rotations and education at various SGU affiliates, including those in the United States.

"For the last few years, there are more SGU graduates practicing medicine in the U.S. than any other medical school," Timlin said. "While SGU is in the beautiful Caribbean nation of Grenada, their students do their residencies and internships in the U.S., and the programs seamlessly lead to practicing medicine in the U.S."

Students who are accepted into the programs for medical sciences will receive a $10,000 scholarship to be evenly dispersed throughout the SGU program.