III. Planning the Program of Study

When planning a program of study, students should keep in mind that they must usually meet three different sets of “requirements.” First are the requirements for admission to medical school which must be completed before an applicant matriculates but not necessarily before an application is submitted. Second are the general degree requirements which are set for each degree by the faculty of the university. The third list of requirements is those set by the departmental faculty for the specific major. Planning must also include completion of the subject matter which will be tested on the MCAT before taking the test. It is quite unusual for a student to attend a U.S. medical school without a baccalaureate degree.

Premedical Requirements

There are some variations between schools (note – http://www.aamc.org), but almost all of the U.S. medical schools will accept as minimum preparation in science one year (usually eight semester hours) each of general chemistry, general physics, general biology or zoology, and organic chemistry, all with the appropriate laboratory. Biochemistry is often required or highly recommended.  (See Courses Typically Taken by Premedical, Predental, & Preoptometry Students in the UGA Premedical Studies Program (scroll down to the second page on this site to see the exact course # and prefix of the courses typically taken).  Requirements for specific medical schools are found in the AAMC publication, Medical School Admission Requirements. This booklet (henceforth referred to as MSAR) is an invaluable source of information and every premedical student should be very familiar with this book.  (A description of this and other valuable references for premedical students, including cost and availability, are found in Appendix E.)  The latest edition of the MSAR should be consulted before completion of the application so that you are assured of having all requirements for each school to which application is made. Copies are available for study in room 207 Memorial Hall. Also useful the web site of Association of American Medical Colleges. Most medical schools also have requirements in English/Literature.  Some have requirements in humanities, social sciences, and mathematics.

General Degree Requirements

An early decision that must be made by an entering premedical student is which Bachelor’s degree to pursue. Medical admissions committees generally have no preference for one degree over the other so long as the applicant has completed all requirements for admission and has shown good aptitude for science by making excellent grades in the science courses and high scores on the MCAT (or DAT or OAT). Most students at UGA find it more “straight-forward” to complete requirements for the BS degree, since they must take so many sciences to complete medical school admissions requirements. Requirements for various degrees are listed in the UGA Bulletin. 

Requirements for the Major

The choice of a major should not be hastily made. In addition to a consideration of the course requirements in a particular department, the prudent person must consider what he/she will do if the application to enter medical school is not successful. 

Some medical schools may value humanities and social science courses for its matriculants. Students usually do much better work in a major in which they have a real interest and aptitude. It is a mistake to major in some discipline that you do not like in the erroneous belief that it will improve the chances for acceptance. The opposite effect can be the result.

Courses to Consider (but not required)

Certain upper-level courses should be taken by all premedical students, unless special circumstances prevent their being scheduled. In this latter category are Introductory Biochemistry (BCMB/BIOL/CHEM 3100 or BCMB 4010/4020), Genetics (GENE/BIOL 3200), Human Physiology (VPHY 3100 or CBIO 2210), which many feel ‘help’ for the MCAT, and  Microbiology (MIBO 3500), and CBIO 3400.   A second category of courses which will be helpful and desirable, if time permits that some be taken, include CBIO 4730, BCMB 4120, CBIO 3800, MIBO 4220, MIBO 4700, CBIO 3300, CBIO 4340, CBIO 4500, MIBO 4650, ENTO 3650, EHSC 3060, MIBO 4500, CBIO 3000, and MIBO/CBIO 4100.  Obviously no student will be able to take all these courses.  The classics department offers a course in medical terminology (CLAS 1030). This course does not satisfy any specific core requirement and must be counted as a general elective, but many students have found it useful preparation for medical school and it is highly recommended if it can be scheduled, especially since it covers the derivation of medical terms from Latin and Greek.  Some students take GRNT 6000 (Gerontology) and health related upper level courses in social science, public health, nutrition, etc. An introductory statistics course is beneficial for future physicians.

Students should not attempt to take only courses that comprise most of the first and second year of medical school during the last two college years. Experience has shown, however, that if a student has a strong background in some of these courses, the first year of medical school will be less stressful and the student will get off to a much better start. Some courses mentioned may well help for the second year of medical school and increase the available study time for the USMLE Step I – second year ‘Boards,’ a notable criteria for competitive residency training positions. The desire to obtain a better background for medical school must be tempered by the realization that the senior year of college will probably represent the last opportunity to pursue academic interests in areas other than medicine. Many well-qualified students take some courses completely unrelated to medicine or degree requirements during their senior year in order to indulge an interest in some area.

Experience in scientific research is highly recommended by many admissions committees for the academically strong student. This type of experience is essential for a person who aspires to a career in academic medicine/research, but it is very useful for any premedical student. The problem need not be in an area considered to be "biomedical research" to be a valuable learning experience. There are many scientists at UGA who are doing "biomedical" research, but there are many more who are working on problems in basic science, often on the "cutting edge" that will give students an opportunity to learn how "good science" is done. One of the advantages in attending a major research university, such as UGA, is to have the opportunity to participate in research as an undergraduate and to see if you have the discipline and interest to develop into a research scientist. Many undergraduates develop an interest in pursuing research as a career while participating in projects in the laboratory of a faculty member. A number of these students will enter a M.D./Ph.D. joint degree program where their educational costs are completely covered by the sponsoring medical school and they also may receive a living allowance that will allow them to complete the program with no debts.  Note: The UGA Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities (CURO). 

(Please send all questions and comments to resa@uga.edu, Memorial Hall, Athens, GA 30602)