Prerequisite Courses

Prerequisites

UMN Medical School requires medical school applicants to complete seven prerequisite courses at an accredited U.S.-based or Canadian college or university by July 1 of the year they matriculate.

The Office of Admissions cannot provide individual transcript evaluations. Your academic advisor or pre-health advisor can work with you to determine if your coursework satisfies the requirements.

Once you’ve reviewed the required courses below, be sure to familiarize yourself with the medical student selection criteria.

Required Courses

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1. Biology with lab

  • 1 semester or quarter
  • Any level
  • Biological sciences coursework with an emphasis on general principles, cell biology, and/or physiology

2. Chemistry with lab

  • 1 semester or quarter
  • Any level
  • General or organic chemistry

3. Any Level Science

  • 1 semester or quarter
  • Any level
  • Examples of acceptable additional science subject areas include (but are not limited to): biology, genetics, zoology, botany, parasitology, biochemistry, chemistry (general or organic, but must be in addition to the general or organic chemistry listed above), pharmacology, and physics.

4. Any Level Science

  • 1 semester or quarter
  • Any level
  • Examples of acceptable additional science subject areas include (but are not limited to): biology, genetics, zoology, botany, parasitology, biochemistry, chemistry (general or organic, but must be in addition to the general or organic chemistry listed above), pharmacology, and physics.

5. Upper Level Science

  • 1 semester or quarter
  • Upper level
  • Completed at an accredited four year college or university in the U.S. or Canada.
  • Examples of acceptable additional science subject areas include (but are not limited to): biology, genetics, zoology, botany, parasitology, biochemistry, chemistry (general or organic, but must be in addition to the general or organic chemistry listed above), pharmacology, and physics.

6. Upper Level Science

  • 1 semester or quarter
  • Upper level
  • Completed at an accredited four year college or university in the U.S. or Canada.
  • Examples of acceptable additional science subject areas include (but are not limited to): biology, genetics, zoology, botany, parasitology, biochemistry, chemistry (general or organic, but must be in addition to the general or organic chemistry listed above), pharmacology, and physics.

7. Humanities or social sciences (upper level)

  • 1 semester or quarter
  • Upper level
  • Completed at an accredited four year college or university in the U.S. or Canada.
  • Non-STEM focus
  • Examples of acceptable subject areas include (but are not limited to): english, history, philosophy, political science, psychology, sociology, gender studies, cultural appreciation and theatre. If you have any questions about whether a course is considered a humanities and/or social science, please contact your university's Registrar.

Recommended Courses

  • Biochemistry
  • Ethics
  • Genetics
  • Psychology
  • Pharmacology
  • Statistics
  • Foreign language
  • Independent learning courses
  • Seminar-type courses involving small group discussions
  • Social and behavioral sciences and humanities

Guidelines

  • Prerequisite courses require a letter grade, although there is not a minimum grade requirement.
    • S/NS (Pass/Fail) grades will be accepted for courses taken in the Spring and Summer of 2020, including prerequisites.
    • Please keep in mind the AMCAS calculated CUM and BCPM GPAs do not account for S/NS grades. We conduct a holistic review of all applications and the academic profile is reviewed in terms of courses taken, grade trends, and final outcomes.
  • Some prerequisites from an accredited community college will be accepted. Please note the following:
    • All upper-level courses must be completed at an accredited four year college or university in the U.S. or Canada.
    • No particular degree program or institution is given preference over another. Rigor of coursework and competitiveness of the undergraduate institution, however, are taken into consideration.
  • Online courses are accepted for most prerequisites with the exception of any lab courses. Lab courses must be taken in-person.
  • Upper-level courses are typically those with a course number that begins with a 3 (300 or 3000) or higher.
    • Some undergraduate institutions consider 200-level courses as upper division or have unique numbering systems and we will accept equivalent courses in such cases.
  • Prerequisites cannot be fulfilled with Advanced Placement (AP), College Level Examination Program (CLEP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) credits.
    • If you received AP, CLEP or IB credit for courses such as general chemistry or biology, you will still need 1 semester of chemistry and biology with labs. This can be an advanced chemistry, organic chemistry, or any advanced biology course. Do not retake coursework for which you already received AP/CLEP/IB credit.

If you have any questions about these policies, please contact the Office of Admissions at medadmis@umn.edu.