Course Requirements Overview
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The following is a guide to common pre-medical course requirements. Professional schools have a variety of prerequisites required for admission to their programs. On this page, we will review general requirements, timelines, and the courses recommendations to fulfill these requirements at the University of Texas at Austin.
A few things to note…
- These are general recommendations. Individual schools may require or recommend additional courses. If you have target schools, please check their websites for the most updated course requirements.
- All prerequisites must be completed for a letter grade with a C or higher.
- Some schools may require a higher minimum grade.
- Schools vary on their policies for accepting Credit-By-Exam (AP/IB/CLEP) for prerequisites. Please see our frequently asked questions page on “Should I Claim AP/IB Credit?”
- Many programs prefer in-person coursework, and some programs may not allow online coursework. Check individual schools' websites for their policies.
Application Tip
To be competitive for medical school, you need to aim for an average overall GPA from 3.60 to 3.80 or higher, as well as an overall BCPM GPA (otherwise known as science GPA) from 3.60 to 3.80 or higher. This means you need to make A’s and B’s with more A’s than B’s in your courses.
Be mindful of your grades and seek academic support early and often. Don’t wait until your first poor test score to ask for help. Attend supplemental instruction, tutoring, and office hours regularly.
Course Requirements
The following are general requirements based on Texas medical schools. School requirements can change. See individual school websites and admissions guides under “Research Medical Schools Before You Apply.” We always recommend checking for any updates before choosing your courses. Always check with your academic advisor to see how these requirements interact with your degree plan.
Most Texas medical schools require:
- Biological Sciences: 12 hours of lecture with 2 hours of lab
- General Chemistry: 6 hours of lecture with 2 hours of lab
- Organic Chemistry: 6 hours of lecture with 2 hours of lab
- Biochemistry: 3 hours of lecture
- General Physics: 6 hours of lecture with 2 hours of lab
- Mathematics: 3 hours of statistics
- English: 6 hours of Rhetoric, Composition, and/or Literature
Some medical schools also require additional humanities and/or social/behavioral science courses. The MCAT also has a Psychology/Sociology section. We strongly recommend taking courses in the following areas as well:
- Psychology and Sociology
- Anthropology, Linguistics, and other social/behavioral sciences
- Philosophy and/or Ethics
- Foreign Languages or Cultural Studies, relevant to your career goals
- Rhetoric, literature, and writing courses
- Interpersonal communication and presentation skills
- Analytical problem-solving skills
- Critical thinking skills
Course Timelines
Completing the pre-medical course requirements can generally require six semesters or longer, regardless of the student’s age or classification in college. Your personal timeline may differ, depending on your academic record, background, and other factors. Your timeline is your own. Our general recommendation is 14-16 hours a semester (including your major coursework) with at least 6-9 hours of science requirements.
The following templates are samples of how you can structure your requirements, but they don’t include all course options and requirements for specific schools. To be sure you’re fulfilling all requirements, visit your target schools’ admission websites. Work with your academic advisor to incorporate these courses into your degree plan.
Common UT Austin Courses
The following are commonly courses taken at UT Austin to complete the prerequisite requirements. This is not an exhaustive list of the courses that can be taken to complete these requirements. If you have questions about a specific course, please reach out to your academic advisor or schedule an appointment with the Health Professions Office.
| Requirement | Courses to Fulfill the Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Biological Sciences |
Lecture
OR
Lab
OR
|
|
| General Chemistry |
Lecture
OR
OR
Lab
OR
|
|
| Organic Chemistry |
Lecture
OR
Lab
OR
|
|
| Biochemistry |
Lecture
OR
|
|
| General Physics |
Lecture
OR
OR
OR
Lab
|
|
| Mathematics |
Choose 3 hours from an approved statistics course. For Texas medical school recommendations, please review the TMDSAS course listing.
Common options include, but are not limited to:
|
|
| English (Rhetoric, Composition & Literature) |
Choose 6 hours from the RHE and E departments.
|
|
| Psychology / Sociology |
Choose 3 hours from each area in the PSY and SOC departments.
Psychology
Sociology
|
|
TMDSAS Course Listing
Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service (TMDSAS) has two resources available for students to see if courses can apply to TMDSAS requirements.
- TMDSAS Course Listing – This is a course listing of courses (as of EY 2024) at UT Austin that will count toward biological science, chemistry, biochemistry, organic chemistry, physics, and statistics requirements.
- TMDSAS Course Definitions – These are more detailed descriptions of the course requirements, including the specific topics that are included in each core requirement for TMDSAS.
What about out-of-state schools?
For schools not participating in TMDSAS, we encourage students to review their target schools’ websites to see the acceptable topics and courses that are required for their specific admissions.
Other Course Recommendations
Specific Medical School Requirements
Some schools have additional or different prerequisite requirements. In Texas, these schools are Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Christian University, and UNT Health.
- Baylor College of Medicine: Some details are listed in this PDF document. However, we highly recommend reviewing the Baylor College of Medicine admission requirements website.
- TCU and UNT Health: Some details are listed in this PDF document. However, we highly recommend reviewing the TCU Burnett School of Medicine and Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine admission requirements website.
- Out-of-State Schools: We encourage students to review their target schools’ websites to see if there are addition required or recommended courses.
AP, IB, Dual Credit, and Transfer Courses
Students should take care when deciding whether to claim AP or IB credit for prerequisite courses. Please see our FAQ with our full recommendations. If you are thinking about taking courses away from UT Austin after your first year at UT Austin, please see our recommendations for where to take courses.
What if I'm a transfer student who took prerequisites at my previous institution?
Our recommendations are different for students who transferred to UT Austin with previous prerequisite courses completed, especially science and math courses. Please see our FAQ for our full recommendations on advising transfer students.
Non-Science Pre-Health Courses at UT Austin
If you are interested in taking additional pre-health related courses to strengthen or diversify your application, we recommend reviewing the approved courses for the Pre-Health Certificate for Science Majors in your catalog.
It is not required for students to pursue the certificate to take these courses. Visit the Pre-Health Certificate website for more information.