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: Two terms are required by most schools. Writing 5 and a first-year seminar are satisfactory. If you are exempted from Writing 5, you must complete another course in literature in the English language; speak to an HPP advisor as to which courses are acceptable.
• Math: Two terms recommended by most schools; required by 20% of the schools. Several possibilities: Math 3 (or Math 1-2) and 8 or 3 plus a non-calculus math course, such as Math 10 (Statistics); Advance Placement + Math 10; or two terms Advance Placement (if the AP courses are accepted by the medical school in question). Note: Math 10 is equivalent to Sociology 10, Economics 10, and Psychology 10 in terms of this requirement.  Biology 29 (Biostats) is also a good option for biologically relevant applications. Many schools require one term of calculus and some require statistics. Because the 2015 MCAT test will begin to include questions that use statistical information, HPP strongly recommends one calculus plus one statistics course to fulfill requirements.
  
  • Note: You must complete Math 3 prior to enrolling in Chemistry 5.
• Biology: Two terms with laboratory is the minimum requirement at most schools. All students wishing to satisfy this requirement at Dartmouth must first take Biology 11 (or the new Biology 8-9 sequence, see below for more information). Offered 4 times per year without a lab, Biology 11 focuses on problem-solving in Biology and prepares students to take the required laboratory-based courses. One can then choose among 5 laboratory-based courses (Biology 12-16) to satisfy this minimum requirement with many students choosing two courses between Biology 12 (Cell Biology), Biology 13 (Genetics) and Biology 14 (Physiology), because of the information they will find on the MCAT test.
• It is recommended that all students should take Biology 13 (Genetics) and that, if they plan to take only the minimum number of lab-based courses, that either Biology 12 (Cell Biology) or Biology 14 (Physiology) is an acceptable 2nd course. However, strong consideration should be given to taking all three of these courses, and certainly more than the minimum, both for MCAT success and for success in the graduate curriculum. Other courses in biology are strongly recommended and can be chosen from among Biology 2, 4, 8, 24, 27, 34, 35, 36, 37, 40, 42, 43, 45, 46, 47, 66, 67, 69, 74, or 78, among others. Students should consider including a course that emphasizes physiology and anatomy, such as Biology 2, 14 and 35, since these subjects are frequently represented on the MCAT exam. Students who are uncertain about their interest in a health career or feel they have weak backgrounds in biology prior to matriculation or who are hesitant about college science courses in general should consider Biology 2 (Human Biology) as their entry course in the fall of their first year.
  
  • Note: The laboratory-based courses, Biology 12 to 16 can be taken in any order after completing Biology 11.
  • Note: Most veterinary schools also require Biology 46, Biology 40 and another course with biochemistry emphasis (e.g. Biology 66, 69 or Biology 78).
• General Chemistry:Two terms of general chemistry: Chemistry 5-6; or Chemistry 10 (which carries two terms of general chemistry credit). (See below for an alternative option for completing Chemisty 5 [Biology/Chemistry 8-19].)
  
  • Note: If a student has been invited into Chemistry 2, s/he must complete Chemistry 2 prior to enrolling in Chemistry 5. Chemistry 2 emphasizes the quantitative and analytical aspects of general chemistry.  Invitation to enroll is based on your pre-matriculation mathematics and science record.
  • NEW COURSE OPTION for Fall 2011 and later: Biology-Chemistry 8-9 is a new interdisciplinary class combining the principles of both disciplines.  Taken together over two consecutive terms, this option gives students credit for BOTH Biology 11 and Chemistry 5.  It will also serve as a pre-requisite for starting biology lab classes. If a student takes only the one term (8) it will count as a distributive, but not towards any pre-requisites.  Along with its interdisciplinary goal, it is also aimed at giving students more time to learn the Chemistry 5 material.
    
• Organic Chemistry:Two terms of organic chemistry: Chemistry 51-52 or Chemistry 57-58
  • Note: If you choose to delay general chemistry until sophomore year and you plan to enter med school in the fall after you graduate, you could lock yourself into scheduling six consecutive enrolled terms without an off-term.
• Physics:Two terms of Physics: Physics 3-4; Physics 13-14; or Physics 15-16.
  • Note: Physics 3-4 is the terminal physics track. Physics 13-14 is general introductory physics. Physics 15-16 is the honors version of 13-14.
• Biochemistry: Currently, 14 medical schools REQUIRE a course in biochemistry, and an additional 90 schools recommend it. Biology 40 or Chemistry 41 would meet this requirement. It is a course to seriously consider, as having this background is really of great value in the first year of medical school, though not necessary for the MCAT exam exam at this time, although it may actually be covered in the 2015 MCATS.
• Psychology and Sociology: Beginning in 2015, the MCAT will tentatively include a section on Social and Behavioral Sciences.  According to the AAMC, the material in this section will be usually addressed in introductory psychology (Psychology 1) and sociology (Sociology 1) courses.  Students need to be made aware of this impending change in terms of planning their 4-year curriculum. As we learn more about the content of this new MCAT section, they may benefit from these two additional courses.

Inform advisees about:

• The Health Professions Program Offices & Resource Center: Located in 10/11 Parkhurst, this is where HPP advisors offer walk-in hours 4 days a week and schedule appointments at other times.  The Resource Center contains a collection of print material relevant to many health careers and the application processes. Annette Hamilton, HPP administrative coordinator, manages the creditals aspect of applying to health professions schools.
• The Nathan Smith Premedical Society: An enormously important resource, coordinated by Professor  Witters.  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. Give advisees who express an interest in medical school the assignment of reading through the Nathan Smith Society web site: 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: Along with HPP, Career Services can help with off-term internship & job opportunities and is the source for general support in contemplating careers, looking at strengths and interests, resume writing etc.
• Academic Skills Center: Given the rigorous nature of the science classes at Dartmouth, consider helping students form an early alliance with the Academic Skills center, especially if they are struggling at all. Any student committed to pre-health who want to improve their study skills whether or not they are struggling with some of the courses should be directed to the Academic Skills Center (http://www.dartmouth.edu/~acskills/).  Struggling does not necessarily mean that a student should abandon the goal of going into a health profession, but it may mean that they need to acquire new study strategies 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.