Pre-Medicine

Overview

Pre-medicine programs prepare people to attend medical school.

Pre-medicine programs include topics such as:

Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Anatomy
Physiology
Organic chemistry

Schools

Community colleges and other two-year schools offer associate degree programs in pre-medicine. An associate degree usually takes two years to complete. After earning an associate degree students can transfer to a college or university for further study.

Many colleges and universities offer bachelor's degrees in pre-medicine. A bachelor's degree usually takes about four years of full-time study.

See schools that offer this program.

Related Educational Programs

Related Careers

Careers Directly Related to this Program of Study

Other Careers Related to this Program of Study

Program Admission

You can prepare for this program by taking courses in high school that prepare you for college. This typically includes four years of English, three years of math, three years of social studies, and two years of science. Some colleges also require two years of a second language.

You also usually need to take either the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or the American College Testing (ACT) exam.

Below is a list of high school courses that will help prepare you for this program of study:

Anatomy and Physiology
Community Health
Community Service
General Computer Applications
Health Education
Healthcare Occupations
Healthcare Sciences Work Experience
Leadership
Medical and Clerical Assisting
Psychology
Safety and First Aid

Typical Course Work

Program Courses

This program typically includes courses in the following subjects:

Calculus
English
General Biology with lab
General Chemistry with lab
General Physics – Classical Mechanics with lab
General Physics – Electromagnetism with lab
Organic Chemistry with lab

Things to Know

Majoring in pre-medicine does not guarantee admission to medical school. This program does prepare you for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). It also provides a good background for graduate study in the natural sciences.

Medical school involves a lot of laboratory work, critical research skills, and patient care. But you may also want to seek research assistant positions in laboratories during the summers. Or you might consider volunteering in a hospital or clinic.

A few schools offer programs where you can combine undergraduate pre-medicine studies with medical school. These programs fit into two categories. One is a "3+1" program, where you complete the pre-medicine curriculum during the first three years of college, and then start medical school during the fourth year. When you complete the first year of medical school, you also get a bachelor's degree in pre-medicine.

You can also enter a combined pre-medicine and medical school program. When you apply and are accepted, you are accepted to both a college where you can earn a bachelor's degree in pre-medicine and a medical school where you can get a MD degree.

If you are considering medical school after you have already finished college in another program of study, look for a postbachelor's, pre-medicine program where you can complete the course work required to apply to medical school.