Prerequisites

The University of Minnesota Medical School encourages students from a variety of academic fields and backgrounds to consider applying to medical school.

But, in addition to the MCAT and a bachelor's degree from an accredited U.S. or Canadian college or university, certain prerequisite courses are required. Others are highly recommended.

Completion of required coursework is only part of what’s considered when you apply for medical school. Once you’ve reviewed the required coursework below, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with all of the medical student selection criteria.

Required courses

Biology with lab

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

Chemistry with lab

• General or Organic Chemistry
• 1 semester or 1 quarter 

Life sciences (additional courses)

• Biology, genetics, zoology, botany, parasitology, biochemistry, chemistry (general or organic, but must be in addition to the general or organic chemistry listed above), physics, etc. At least 2 must be upper-level courses.
• 4 semesters or 4 quarters 

Humanities or social sciences

• Humanities or social sciences upper-level course, with an intensive writing requirement.
• 1 semester or 1 quarter 

Recommended courses

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

Other guidelines

• A bachelor's degree and all prerequisite courses must be earned by July 1 of the year of admission.
• Requirements cannot be fulfilled with College Level Examination Program (CLEP) credits.
• Requirements cannot be fulfilled by AP credits. If you received AP credit for courses such as general chemistry or biology, you’ll 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 re-take coursework for which you already received AP credit.
• International medical school applicants should refer to specific degree and course requirements.
• Upper-level courses are typically those with a course number that begins with a 3 (300 or 3000) or higher.
• Writing intensive courses are ones in which writing is an integral part of the course. Typically, you're required to complete at least one, 10 page paper.