top of page
Writer's pictureJoy Wong

Class Registration: Review and Plan Required Coursework


Registration time is here! As a pre-medical student, planning out classes is especially important

to ensure that all prerequisite courses required are taken. Many pre-medical related majors

have degree plans that incorporate many, if not all, of the needed prerequisite courses, such as

Biology and Biochemistry.


Each medical school may require or recommend different pre-requisite courses! Do research

early for the medical schools of your interest to ensure those classes fit into your degree plan.

Many medical schools may not accept AP/IB credits to count toward prerequisite courses, so it

is often better to take science courses at the university level.

The Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service (TMDSAS) is the application for all

Texas medical schools, except for Baylor College of Medicine and University of Incarnate Word

Osteopathic Medical School. According to TMDSAS, prerequisite courses for Texas

medical schools generally include:


● 6 semester hours of English

● 3 semester hours of Statistics

● 8 semester hours of Introductory Biology with lab

● 6 semester hours of Upper Level Biology

● 8 semester hours of General Chemistry with lab

● 8 semester hours of Organic Chemistry with lab

● 8 semester hours of Physics with lab

● 3 semester hours of Biochemistry


Here is a general 4-year plan for pre-requisites for a Texas pre-medical student:


Freshman Year:

● 8 semester hours of General Chemistry with lab

● 8 semester hours of Introductory Biology with lab

Sophomore Year:

● 8 semester hours of Organic Chemistry with lab

● 8 semester hours of Physics with lab

Junior/Senior Year:

● 3 semester hours of Biochemistry

● 6 semester hours of Upper Level Biology

Courses that can be taken during any year(s):

● 6 semester hours of English

● 3 semester hours of Statistics


Some prerequisite courses are straightforward, such as General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry,

Biology, and Physics. However, Upper Level Biology, English, and Statistics can be slightly

vague. To fulfill the English requirement, any English course that counts towards the general

education English requirement of a baccalaureate degree will be accepted. For the Statistics

requirement, inferential and descriptive statistics must be topics covered in the course. Upper

Level Biology courses to fulfill the requirement can include Anatomy & Physiology, Bacteriology, Biophysics, Cellular Biology, Cellular Physiology, Ecology, Genetics, Histology, Immunology, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Neurobiology, Neuroscience, Parasitology, Pathophysiology, Virology, and Zoology. For more details about class requirements for the TMDSAS application, visit https://www.tmdsas.com/PLAN/medical/start-your-app/coursework/coursework-definitions.html.


Many medical schools require and recommend taking additional coursework, such as Anatomy

& Physiology, Humanities, Social/Behavioral Sciences, and Foreign Languages. For example,

Baylor College of Medicine recommends taking Spanish. Some schools may require Calculus

courses in addition to Statistics or Biostatistics.


For DO schools, the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application

Service (AACOMAS) requires students to have a Bachelor’s Degree. For prerequisite

coursework, the AACOM lists the following:

● 1 year of Biology

● 1 year of Physics

● 1 year of English Composition

● 2 years of Chemistry


For a complete list of medical schools and required premedical coursework, visit


explore individual schools and specific requirements.



I hope this guide is helpful! Thank you all for reading!


Stay safe & take care,

Joy



SOURCES


1. “Education Eligibility Requirements.” Texas Medical and Dental Application Service, 29 July


2. “Prescribed Coursework Definitions.” Texas Medical and Dental Application Service, 29


3. “Osteopathic Medical School Admission Requirements - ChooseDO.” Choose DO,


4. “Required Premedical Coursework and Competencies.” AAMC Students, Applicants and


5. “Learn More About The US Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine - ChooseDO.” Choose


Image by Jess Bailey Designs www.jessbailey.com.au

271 views

Recent Posts

See All

コメント


bottom of page