Premedical Curriculum

All medical and dental schools list four specific courses as entrance requirements: general chemistry, organic chemistry, biology, and physics. Some schools require calculus or some other math option, and a few require two years of biology. An increasing number of schools also require biochemistry. Many schools require English courses, and a few want one or two humanities courses, which are easily covered by the Core curriculum.

Generally, medical/dental schools show no preference for one particular undergraduate major over another. They like to see a range of interests among students in their entering classes, and would consider an art history major and a biochemistry major equally prepared for medical school, as long as both successfully fulfilled the aforementioned pre-requisites.

Medical Schools with Additional Math Requirements
Medical Schools with Additional Biology Requirements
Medical Schools with Additional Requirements

Columbia College

Columbia College (CC) students have three options for pursuing sustained and advanced work in a field of special interest: the major, the concentration, and the premedical concentration. The specific requirements of each are outlined in the Bulletin's departmental listings; not every department offers a special concentration. Students should choose the option that best suits their own interests. There is no evidence that full majors are more likely result in acceptance to medical school. Medical schools are interested in the variety and difficulty of student's courses, their course load, and their grades. Whether or not these courses add up to a major or concentration is immaterial. A student who chooses a major (usually another 42 credits) which doesn't overlap with either the Core or premedical requirements will have little room for electives, because the College Core requirements can range from 35 to 55 credits, and the premedical requirements from 36 to 43 credits.. To preserve some freedom of academic exploration, a special concentration can be a good option, but this is entirely a matter of personal preference.

The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science

The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) has one option for sustained and advance work: the major. SEAS students may declare a premedical concentration along with their major. However, they may also apply to medical school without declaring a premed concentration. Students from every major have been accepted to medical school; it is not necessary for students to be biomedical engineering majors in order to gain acceptance to medical school.

There is a meeting for all first-year Columbia College and SEAS premedical students during orientation; at this meeting, students have ample opportunity to ask questions, and curriculum and other pertinent matters are discussed in detail.