Advising

PRE-HEALTH ADVISING

Required Courses

If you are considering a career in a health profession, such as medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary school, and some others, there is a set of courses that you must take before applying. The most common ones are listed here.  However, keep in mind that it is possible for a given school to have additional requirements and IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO KNOW THE REQUIREMENTS SPECIFIC TO THE SCHOOLS TO WHICH YOU PLAN TO APPLY. 

There a several resources you can use to discover if a school has requirements beyond the common ones listed below.  The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) compiles the requirements for North American medical schools in a volume called the  Medical School Admissions Requirements (MSAR), which you may purchase online at the same site you will use to apply to medical school: http://www.aamc.org/students/amcas/start.htm. The American Dental Education Association (ADEA) does the same for dental schools in the ADEA Official Guide to Dental Schools http://www.adea.org/.  Students can find more information about specific school bulletins, the MSAR, the ADEA Guide, and other resources through the Newnan LSA Academic Advising Center (1255 Angell Hall) and at the UM Career Center (Student Activities Building). 

You may also look for this information via the websites of the schools themselves.  For example, links to medical schools may be found here http://www.aamc.org, dental schools may be found here http://www.adea.org/,  pharmacy schools here http://www.aacp.org/, veterinary schools here http://www.aavmc.org/, and schools for osteopathic medicine here http://www.aacom.org/people/colleges/Pages/default.aspx.

The basic "pre-health" curriculum consists of two years of chemistry, one year of biology, one year of physics, a course in biochemistry, a course in mathematics, and two English courses. This is the core curriculum for nearly all health professions.  If you plan to concentrate in the sciences, you should expect to take some upper-level science in addition to the basic pre-med sequence, in accordance with the concentration requirements described in the LSA Bulletin.

The following section lists subject areas and courses, taught at the University of Michigan, which are required and/or recommended by medical schools and many health profession programs. The number in parenthesis denotes semester credit hours. It is important to use this list in conjunction with periodic consultations with an academic advisor. The course level at which a student starts, especially in the natural sciences, depends on high school experience, AP credits, and placement exams administered during orientation. Other factors should also be taken into account when choosing your courses: transition to college in your first semester; hours of employment; extracurricular activities; number of credit hours; and "doubling-up" on science or quantitative type courses.

Advanced Placement (AP) credit

Students may enter college with advanced placement (AP) credit for basic science and pre-med courses. Some medical schools do not accept any AP credit. Most medical schools WILL accept a limited number of AP credits, if and only if the student has taken some upper-level course work in that subject area. It is very important for students to inquire about policies at the individual medical schools to which they plan to apply. In any case, it is in the best interest of the student to take upper level courses in the department of their advanced placement credits in order to show Medical School admissions committees a college course grade in that field of science. AP courses are not equivalent to college courses.

List of Required Courses

The LSA Course Guide contains more detailed information on the courses listed in the next section, and the LSA Bulletin can provide you with more information on the science departments. The Chemistry, Biology, and Physics departments have individual websites as well which provide course and departmental information.

Chemistry

Biology

Biological Chemistry

Physics

Mathematics

English

Non-Science Subjects

Many medical schools require a minimum number of courses in the humanities and social sciences. Medical schools value a broad educational background and encourage students to immerse themselves in the liberal arts experience. University of Michigan has over 70 academic departments and areas of study, and exploration in multiple disciplines will help a student develop critical problem-solving skills.

Psychology

Foreign Language