rev. 03-20-08

Required Courses for Medical School

Traditionally, the standard preparation required by almost all medical schools has included a year of biology, two years of chemistry (General and Organic), a year of Physics (either trig-based or calculus-based) and a semester (or two) of calculus. Very recently, both the UM-Twin Cities and UM-Duluth Schools of Medicine made some rather dramatic changes to their official requirements, effective for the fall 2009 entering class. Essentially, both schools now require only one semester of biology, one semester of chemistry, and four additional courses in the life sciences, two of which must be upper division courses (see the actual requirement lists at the UM-Twin Cities and UM-Duluth websites). Note that both UM medical schools specifically recommend Biochemistry, Statistics, and Psychology

While these new requirements may seem less rigorous on the face of it, all premedical students should keep the following in mind:

• The MCAT exam covers biology, general and organic chemistry, and physics, in addition to sections on verbal reasoning and writing. In order to do well on the MCAT, we strongly advise UMM students to take two years of chemistry (general and organic), two semesters of physics, and a number of biology courses (see the list below)
  
• The course list on the medical school websites are minimum requirements: admission to medical school is extremely competitive even for the best students, and most people who will be competing with you for spots will likely have much more than the minimum preparation in the sciences.
  
• Many other medical schools have kept more traditional, extensive lists of prerequisite courses. See the requirement pages for UW-Madison, U-Iowa, U-South Dakota, Creighton, and Medical College of Wisconsin for examples from other schools where UMM graduates have entered in the recent past.
  
• Many students who are initially premed end up becoming interested in other areas of health care, such as pharmacy or dentistry. Most of these professional schools still have prerequisites that are similar to the traditional premed requirements.

That being said, the new Minnesota requirements mean that you may not necessarily need to take a second semester of organic lab, unless you are i) a chemistry or biochemistry major, or ii) interested in going to a medical school where the second semester lab is required. In addition, if you are not a science/math major, you may not need to take calculus in order to enter medical school.

Click here to see a typical 4-year plan (includes premed courses only)

Recommended Courses for UMM Premed Students

Chemistry:

Chem 1101f, General Chemistry I
Chem 1102s, General Chemistry II (prereq Chem 1101)
Chem 2301f, Organic Chemistry I (prereq Chem 1102)
Chem 2311f, Organic Lab I (coreq Chem 2301)
Chem 2302s, Organic Chemistry II (prereq Chem 2301)

. . . in addition, many medical schools require a second semester of organic lab. For non-chemistry majors, Chem 2312 fulfills this requirement. Chemistry/Biochemistry majors should take Chem 2321, Introduction to Research.

Biology:

Biol 1111f,s Fundamentals of Genetics, Evolution, and Development
Biol 2111f Cell Biology (prereq Biol 1101, Chem 1102)
Biol 3121s Molecular Biology (prereq Biol 2111, Chem 2301)
Biol 2102f Human Anatomy
Biol 4211f Biochemistry (prereq Biol 3121, Chem 2302) (Biochem lab (Biol 4611) is not required except for Biochemistry majors)
Biol 4102s Human Physiology (prereq Biol 2111)
Biol 4312s Genetics (prereq Biol 2111)

Physics:

Chemistry and Physics majors must take Calculus-based Physics:
Phys 1101s, General Physics I (prereq Math 1101)
Phys 1102f, General Physics II (prereq Phys 1101, Math 1102)

Other majors can take Phys 1101/1102 or the trig-based sequence:
Phys 1091f, Principles of Physics I
Phys 1092s, Principles of Physics II (prereq Phys 1091)

Math:

One semester of Calculus (Math 1101f,s or 1021f) is required by some medical schools (but not by the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities or Duluth). Be sure to check the math requirements for your intended major.

Other Courses:

Psy 1051f, Introduction to Psychology
Stats 2601, Statistical Methods (prereq Math 1101 or Math 1021)

or Stats 1601, Introduction to Statistics

Most medical schools also require substantial coursework in non-science disciplines including courses with an intensive writing component.

Important note regarding the MCAT: Before you attempt the MCAT, it is highly recommended that you have completed General and Organic Chemistry, Physics, Cell Biology, Genetics, and Biochemistry. It is also recommended that you take Human Physiology and Molecular Biology before taking the exam.