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Required Courses for Medical, Dental, or Veterinary Schools

Note: these are the courses that are minimally required for application to medical/dental/vet school

  • Writing/English: 2 terms of Writing or English (WRIT 5 and the First-Year Seminar are satisfactory. Students exempted from WRIT 5 should schedule an additional term of English)
  • Math: 2 terms recommended (required by 20% of medical schools). Currently, 33 schools require or recommend calculus or either calculus and statistics.
  • Biology: BIOL 11 (“the Science of Life”) plus two terms with laboratory is the minimal requirement of most schools. There are five laboratory-based course (12-16). Many students will opt for BIOL 12 (Cell Biology) and BIOL 13 (Genetics). These do not have to be taken in sequence, and have BIOL 11 as a prerequisite. It is strongly recommended that a student should take at least one other Biology class. A class that emphasizes physiology (such a BIOL 14, “Physiology”) or anatomy (such as BIOL 2, “Human Biology”) will help in preparation for the MCATs. Other courses in Biology are strongly recommended and can be chosen from among BIOL 27, 34, 35, 37, 40, 42, 44, 46, 47, 66, 74, or 78.
    Students who feel they have weak backgrounds in Biology prior to matriculation at Dartmouth or who are hesitant about science courses in general should consider BIOL 2 (‘Human Biology’) as their entry course in the fall of their first year.

Students should consult with a pre-health advisor in Career Services before embarking on a specific sequence, given variable backgrounds in the sciences and individual D-plans. Demonstrated facility and aptitude in the Biological Sciences is assigned significant weight in admissions decisions.

  • General Chemistry: 2 terms of Inorganic Chemistry required: CHEM 3 or 5 and CHEM 6. (CHEM 10, which is the honors section and into which students have to be placed, will suffice for the two terms)
  • Organic Chemistry: CHEM 51 and 52 or CHEM 57 and 58. Note that if a student delays Organic Chemistry until the sophomore year they may be constrained into six consecutive terms of study, and it may limit their ability to enroll in other courses such as BIOL 40 or CHEM 41.
  • Physics: 2 terms. PHYS 3 and 4, or PHYS 13 and 14, or PHYS 15 and 16.
    • Note that PHYS 3/4 is the terminal physics track. PHYS 13/14 is general introductory physics. PHYS 15/16 is the honors version of 13/14.
  • Biochemistry: Currently 13 med schools require a course in Biochem and another 36 recommend it. Good options are BIOL 40 (formerly 77) or CHEM 41.

Inform advisees about:

  • The Nathan Smith Premedical Society: An enormously important resource, coordinated by Lee Witters. Give advisees who express an interest in medical school the express assignment of reading through the Nathan Smith Society Website: www.dartmouth.edu/~nss – in particular the guide “Looking Toward a Career in the Health Professions” and “What Courses Specific Med Schools Require”. All first-year students interested in pre-health should join NSS, which can be done through the web site, in order to be kept abreast of developments in the pre-health experience at Dartmouth.
  • Career Services: Advisees interested in health careers school should make an appointment with one of the Health Professions advisors at Career Services. They will help both with curricular planning, off-term and internship opportunities, applications, etc. It is not too early for a first-year student to make an appointment to meet with a health professions advisor at Career Services and should be encouraged.
  • Academic Skills Center: Students committed to pre-health but struggling with some of the courses should be directed to the Academic Skills Center. Struggling does not necessarily mean that a student should abandon the goal of going to medical school, but it may mean that they need to acquire the study habits and discipline required to excel in some of the large science classes.
  • RWiT: Students should be encouraged to use the Student Center for Research, Writing, and Information Technology (RWiT) to develop their writing and verbal skills. Both the MCAT exam and the centralized medical school application (AMCAS) evaluate these skills as part of the application process.

 

Last Updated: 9/14/07