Academic Preparation for Medical School

Minimum Required Coursework for Medical School Admission. Most medical schools in the U.S. require a minimum

of one year of English composition, one year of general chemistry, one year of organic chemistry, one year of

general biology, and one year of physics - all with lab components. Some schools also require up to a year of

college level mathematics; others require additional upper division biology courses and/or coursework in the

social sciences. Because the admission requirements for different schools vary, and because the admission

requirements may change, students must investigate the different schools available and make themselves aware

of the particular requirements for the programs in which they are interested.

Admission Prerequisites. For specific information about admission prerequisites for the various medical schools in

the United States, Mercer advisors recommend that pre-medical students access the AAMC’s Medical School

Admission Requirements (allopathic medical schools), the DO Explorer (osteopathic medical schools), and/or the

directory of TMDSAS (Texas professional schools) in the year they plan to apply. See the document, Applying to

Medical Schools, on the Pre-medical Track Page.

AP, IB, and CLEP Credit to Fulfill Science Prerequisites. An increasing number of medical schools (including Mercer

University School of Medicine) do not accept AP, IB, or CLEP credit to fulfill the core science prerequisites.

Students who use such credit to fulfill a degree requirement for a core science will still need to complete two

semesters of that science in college to fulfill the admission requirement for medical school (e.g., a student who

uses AP credit to fulfill CHM 111 must then take CHM 112 and CHM 311 or 241). In most cases, it is in the student’s

best interest to decline AP, IB, or CLEP credit for general chemistry, general biology, and physics, and take the

actual college courses instead.

Online Science Coursework. Most medical schools do not accept online coursework for the core science

requirements. Many medical schools relaxed the requirement for “in-person” science courses for students at

institutions that did not offer students a choice due to the pandemic, but most medical schools have returned to

requiring “in person” lab coursework.

Pass/ Fail Grading Options. Although many medical schools relaxed the requirement for graded prerequisite

coursework for students due to the pandemic, medical schools have returned to the policy of accepting only

prerequisite courses taken for a letter grade.

Medical School Matriculation Without a Bachelor’s Degree. Some medical schools do not require a bachelor’s

degree for admission, but instead require completion of a minimum of 90 credit hours of pre-medical

coursework. However, students should realize that such early admission to medical schools is fairly rare, because

it requires that an applicant take the MCAT and apply to medical school at the end of their second year of

undergraduate study rather than at the end of their third year. Building a strong application in this short time

frame is more difficult, so students interested in this option are encouraged to have a back-up plan in place for

completing a bachelor’s degree in case early acceptance is not achieved.

Mercer Coursework Fulfilling Common Medical School Admission Requirements

Prerequisite

Mercer Courses That Fulfill This

English Composition

CLAS, CHP, TSM, SHSB students: INT 101/ GBK 101 and INT 201/ GBK 202

EGR students: Usually TCO 141 and EGR 107 meet this requirement; confirm with

target schools.

General Chemistry

CHM 111 and CHM 112

Note: CHM 111 is only offered in the fall; CHM 112 is only offered in the spring;

CHM 111 and 112 are also often offered in summer semesters.

Introductory Physics

PHY 141 and PHY 142 or PHY 161 and PHY 162

Note: Most medical schools do not prefer one of these series over

the other. PHY is occasionally offered in summer semesters, but students

are advised to not take lab courses like physics online.

Introductory Biology

BIO 171 and BIO 172

Note: BIO 171 is normally offered in the fall, and 172 in the spring;

BIO 171 and 172 are often offered in summer semester.

Organic Chemistry

CHM 221 and CHM 222

Note: CHM 221 is only offered in the fall; CHM 222 is only offered

in the spring. CHM 221 and 222 are often offered in summer semesters.

Biochemistry

BMB 465 (lab is not usually required)

Note: The prereqs for BMB 465 are successful completion of CHM 222 and BIO 172. BMB

465 is sometimes offered in summer as an online option, but students

should be aware that some medical schools do not accept online science courses.

Mathematics

STA 126 and/or MAT 191?

Note: Many medical schools do not have a specific math requirement.

Those that do often require “one year of college math”, so we recommend

taking the math required for your degree, then checking your

target medical schools’ requirements to see if you need more.

Social Sciences

PSY 101 and SOC 101 or an upper division PSY that focuses on group psychology

Note: Most medical schools do not require these classes

as prerequisites, but these topics are on the MCAT.

Additional Biology

Coursework Often

Recommended

Genetics (BIO 280), Eukaryotic Cell Biology (BIO 460/L), Development (BIO 450/L);

Biochemistry II (BMB 466)

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