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Allopathic Medicine (MD)


Pre-med students start here! If you’re interested in attending a traditional medical school to be an MD, begin your planning early (first year!), starting with the information below.

Be sure to also check out requirements for Osteopathic Medicine (DO), as many students apply to both program types.

There is no specific major that a student needs in order to continue on in a medical training program after graduation. The biochemistry major most closely tracks with the admission requirements for MD training programs; however, we routinely work with students that are majoring in other areas or double majoring.

In addition to completing a major, students interested in MD training need:

  • Two semester-long courses in Biology with lab [BIOL 111, 121, 172, or 208; and BIOL 237, 256, 257, 260, or 289]
  • Two semester-long courses in Chemistry with lab [CHEM 117 and 220]
  • Two semester-long courses in Organic Chemistry with lab [CHEM 230 and 235]
  • Two semester-long courses in Physics with lab [PHYS 101 and 102]
  • Two semester-long courses in English with intensive writing
  • One semester-long course in Biochemistry [BIOL/CHEM 260 or 300]
  • One semester-long course in Math or Statistics

The following are suggestions to more fully prepare for the MCAT and a future career as a physician:

  • One semester-long course in Psychology [PSYC 100]
  • One semester-long course in Sociology [SOCI 100]
  • As many chemistry and biology courses that fit into a schedule.
  • Learn a language that helps you serve diverse people and communities.

Core Competencies for Medical School

Medical Schools are also looking for evidence of Core Competencies, and students should organize their extracurricular activities and college experiences to proficiency across multiple competencies. These competencies include: 

Pre-professional Competencies

  • Capacity for Improvement, Cultural Competence, Ethical Responsibility to Self and Others, Oral Communication, Reliability and Dependability, Resilience and Adaptability, Service Orientation, Social Skills, and Teamwork

Science Competencies

  • Human Behavior and Living Systems

Thinking and Reasoning Competencies

  • Critical Thinking, Quantitative Reasoning, Scientific Inquiry, and Written Communication

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