Pre-Medicine (M.D. or D.O. Degree)

What is "pre-med"?

"Pre-med" is a term used to describe students who plan to enter medical school after graduating from college. You should know that there is rarely if ever a "pre-med" major at any college. When a student is "pre-med", he or she is not only taking the classes required for admission to medical school, but also has a major in a specific subject matter area. A student can choose any major and still go to medical school so long as he or she has 1) successfully completed the courses required for admission to medical school, 2) has both a strong science and overall college GPA, and 3) has demonstrated a dedicated interest in health care delivery.

What courses are required for admission to medical school?

Admission requirements vary by school. Please check each school’s admission requirements carefully. Typically, medical school admissions committees require the following courses to be taken in college:

• Anatomy and physiology (full year)
• Algebra/Statistics/Calculus
• Biochemistry (one semester)
• English composition
• General biology (full year)
• General chemistry (full year)
• General psychology
• General sociology
• Genetics
• Microbiology
• Organic chemistry (full year)
• Physics (full year)