Choosing Your Courses
Professional schools require that you take specific courses during your college (preprofessional) career. These courses may vary greatly depending on the professional program or specific school to which you apply. However, there is one set of courses that are required by most allopathic (MD) medical schools, and that set of courses will be used here as an illustration of how important it is to plan your schedule early and to take courses beginning your first year that will allow you to finish the courses (and hopefully learn the material!) before you take the MCAT. Similar courses are required by other health sciences (including dentistry, osteopathy, veterinary medicine, optometry, and podiatry), but there may be additional courses as well.
Courses required by most medical schools: Introductory Chemistry (2 semesters), Introductory Biology (2 semesters), Introductory Physics (2 semesters), Organic Chemistry (2 semesters), and English (2 semesters). Some schools may also require Biochemistry (1 semester). All natural science courses must have a laboratory component. Most schools also require a semester of a behavioral science such as psychology and 1-2 semesters of college mathematics. Although calculus is not required by many medical schools, it is useful in understanding important topics in chemistry, physics, biochemistry, and biophysics. Calculus is required by a few schools, so taking at least one semester helps to keep your options open. A number of schools will also accept other math courses, especially advanced ones in statistics.
Recommended course schedules for your first year that might be appropriate for you, depending on your choice of major.Biology or Biochemistry/Molecular Biology majors:
Biology 101/102 Chemistry or Physics major:
Chemistry 101/102 Nonscience major:
Biology 101/102 or Chemistry 101/102 Math requirements: Math 124/125 (Honors Calculus I & II) may be substituted for Math 120/121. Students not eligible to enroll in Math 120 should enroll in whatever prerequisite course is recommended by the Mathematics Department based on their performance on the Mathematics Placement Test. |
Other science courses that are helpful in preparing for the MCAT are Genetics, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Cell Biology, Anatomy, and Physiology. Plan to complete both semesters of Intro Chemistry, Intro Biology, Intro Physics, and Organic Chemistry by your junior year. Also try to complete other courses helpful in preparing for the MCAT before the end of your junior year because your first shot at the MCAT will be in January of your junior year.
With all the science courses listed above, you should be wondering if it is possible to complete all these courses and still choose a nonscience major. The answer is yes, but the key is early planning, and you may have to prepare for the MCAT by studying some of the material on your own, instead of taking the "helpful" courses listed above.
Additional Links:
Premed Requirements
Premed Requirements: Undergraduate Courses and GPA
Course Requirements of the U.S. Allopathic Medical Schools:
U. of Alabama School of Medicine
U. of South Alabama College of Medicine
U. of Arizona College of Medicine
U. of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine (pdf, page 3)
Charles R. Drew U. of Medicine and Science College of Medicine
Keck School of Medicine of the U. of Southern California
Loma Linda U. School of Medicine
Stanford U. School of Medicine
U. of California, Davis School of Medicine
U. of California, Irvine College of Medicine
U. of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
U. of California, San Diego School of Medicine
U. of California, San Francisco School of Medicine
U. of Colorado School of Medicine
U. of Connecticut School of Medicine
Yale U. School of Medicine
The George Washington U. School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Georgetown U. School of Medicine (pdf, page 2)
Howard U. College of Medicine
Florida International U. College of Medicine
Florida State U. College of Medicine
U. of Central Florida College of Medicine
U. of Florida College of Medicine
U. of Miami Miller School of Medicine
U. of South Florida College of Medicine
Emory U. School of Medicine
Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine
Mercer U. School of Medicine
Morehouse School of Medicine
U. of Hawaii at Manoa John A. Burns School of Medicine
Rosalind Franklin U. of Medicine and Science Chicago Medical School
Loyola U. Chicago Stritch School of Medicine
Northwestern U. Feinberg School of Medicine
Rush Medical College of Rush U.
Southern Illinois U. School of Medicine
U. of Chicago Division of the Biological Sciences, The Pritzker School of Medicine
U. of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine
Indiana U. School of Medicine
U. of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine
U. of Kansas School of Medicine
U. of Kentucky College of Medicine
U. of Louisville School of Medicine
Louisiana State U. School of Medicine in New Orleans
Louisiana State U. Health Sciences Center School of Medicine in Shreveport
Tulane U. School of Medicine
Johns Hopkins U. School of Medicine
Uniformed Services U. of the Health Sciences F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine
U. of Maryland School of Medicine
Boston U. School of Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Tufts U. School of Medicine
U. of Massachusetts Medical School
Michigan State U. College of Human Medicine
U. of Michigan Medical School
Wayne State U. School of Medicine
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine Mayo Medical School
U. of Minnesota Medical School-Duluth
U. of Minnesota Medical School-Twin Cities
U. of Mississippi School of Medicine
Saint Louis U. School of Medicine
U. of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine
U. of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine
Washington U. School of Medicine
Creighton U. School of Medicine
U. of Nebraska College of Medicine
U. of Nevada School of Medicine
Dartmouth Medical School
UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School
UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
U. of New Mexico School of Medicine
Albany Medical College
Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva U.
Columbia U. College of Physicians and Surgeons
Joan & Sanford I. Weill Medical College of Cornell U.
Mount Sinai School of Medicine of New York U.
New York Medical College
New York U. School of Medicine
SUNY at Buffalo School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
SUNY Downstate Medical Center College of Medicine
SUNY Upstate Medical U. College of Medicine
Stony Brook U. School of Medicine
U. of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina U.
Duke U. School of Medicine
U. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine
Wake Forest U. School of Medicine
U. of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Case Western Reserve U. School of Medicine
Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine
The Ohio State U. College of Medicine
U. of Cincinnati College of Medicine
U. of Toledo College of Medicine
Wright State U. Boonshoft School of Medicine
U. of Oklahoma College of Medicine
Oregon Health & Science U. School of Medicine
Drexel U. College of Medicine
Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson U.
Pennsylvania State U. College of Medicine
Temple U. School of Medicine
U. of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
U. of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Ponce School of Medicine
Universidad Central del Caribe School of Medicine
U. of Puerto Rico School of Medicine
The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Medical U. of South Carolina College of Medicine
U. of South Carolina School of Medicine
U. of South Dakota School of Medicine
East Tennessee State U. James H. Quillen College of Medicine
Meharry Medical College School of Medicine
U. of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine (pdf, page 1)
Vanderbilt U. School of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine
Texas A&M U. System Health Science Center College of Medicine
Texas Tech U. Health Sciences Center School of Medicine
Paul L. Foster School of Medicine at Texas Tech U. Health Sciences Center at El Paso
U. of Texas Medical School at Galveston
U. of Texas Medical School at Houston
U. of Texas Medical School at San Antonio (pdf, page 4)
U. of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas Southwestern Medical School
U. of Utah School of Medicine
U. of Vermont College of Medicine
Eastern Virginia Medical School
U. of Virginia School of Medicine
Virginia Commonwealth U. School of Medicine
U. of Washington School of Medicine
Marshall U. Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine
West Virginia U. School of Medicine
Medical College of Wisconsin
U. of Wisconsin Medical School
Course Requirements of the U.S. Dental Schools:
U. of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry
Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health
Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine
U. of California, Los Angeles School of Dentistry
U. of California, San Francisco School of Dentistry
Loma Linda U. School of Dentistry
U. of the Pacific School of Dentistry
U. of Southern California School of Dentistry
Western U. of Health Sciences College of Dental Medicine
U. of Colorado School of Dentistry
U. of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine
Howard U. College of Dentistry
Nova Southeastern U. College of Dental Medicine
U. of Florida College of Dentistry
Medical College of Georgia School of Dentistry
U. of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry
Southern Illinois U. School of Dental Medicine
Indiana U. School of Dentistry
U. of Iowa College of Dentistry
U. of Kentucky College of Dentistry
U. of Louisville School of Dentistry
Louisiana State U. Health Science Center School of Dentistry
U. of Maryland Dental School, Baltimore College of Dental Surgery
Boston U., Goldman School of Dental Medicine
Harvard School of Dental Medicine
Tufts U. School of Dental Medicine
U. of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry
U. of Michigan School of Dentistry
U. of Minnesota School of Dentistry
U. of Mississippi School of Dentistry
U. of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry
Creighton U. School of Dentistry (page 1)
U. of Nebraska Medical Center College of Dentistry
U. of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Dentistry
UMDNJ-The New Jersey Dental School
Columbia U. College of Dental Medicine
New York U. College of Dentistry
SUNY at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine
SUNY at Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine
U. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Dentistry
Case Western Reserve U. School of Dentistry
Ohio State U. College of Dentistry
U. of Oklahoma College of Dentistry (pdf)
Oregon Health & Science U. School of Dentistry
U. of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine
U. of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine
Temple U. School of Dentistry
U. of Puerto Rico School of Dentistry
Medical U. of South Carolina College of Dental Medicine
Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry
U. of Tennessee College of Dentistry
Baylor College of Dentistry, The Texas A&M U. System Health Science Center
U. of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Dental Branch
U. of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Dental School
Virginia Commonwealth U. School of Dentistry
U. of Washington School of Dentistry
West Virginia U. School of Dentistry
Marquette U. School of Dentistry
Optometry School Prerequisites (pdf)
Osteopathic School Prerequisites (pp. 13-15 of pdf)
Veterinary School Prerequisites (pdf); College Specific Requirements