The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) publishes Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) every year. The following is a direct quote from the 2012 edition:
Choice of Major
“Unbeknownst to many college students, there is no such thing as the "best" major for those bound for medical school. In fact, no medical school requires a specific major of its applicants. That's because admissions committee members know that students develop the essential skills of acquiring and synthesizing information through a wide variety of academic disciplines and therefore should be free to select whichever majors they find interesting and challenging.
Even so, many premedical students choose to major in a scientific discipline. If that's the direction you're heading, and you're doing so because you are fascinated by science and believe that such a major will be the foundation for a variety of career options, great. If you're doing so because you believe it will enhance your chances for admission, think again. Admissions committee welcome students whose intellectual curiosity leads them to a wide variety of disciplines.”
As Pre-Med students, you must start planning early by setting out the right course of action geared toward your career goals. As stated above, medical schools do not require that you choose a specific undergraduate major. Therefore, no matter which major you choose, you need to take the following courses (by the end of the junior year or earlier) to prepare yourself for admission to Medical School.
- English: composition- ENGL 102 and any literature (For THC students-Honors College curriculum satisfies this requirement)
- Chemistry (including laboratory): General Chemistry -CHEM 121,123 & CHEM 122,124 (take Gen Chem in freshman year!); Organic Chemistry-CHEM 211,213 & CHEM 212,214; and Biochemistry I- CHEM 320 (Biochemistry II- CHEM 321recommended)
- Physics (including laboratory): PHYS 151 & PHYS 152 –Note: Calculus I (MATH 160) is a prerequisite
- General Biology (including laboratory): BIOL 151 (for majors other than biology, BIOL 311 is recommended instead of BIOL 151) & BIOL 152
- Statistics- MATH 220 or MATH 221 (Stats for Data Analysis)
- Introductory Psychology- PSYC 100
- Introductory Sociology- SOCI 100
- Cell Biology -BIOL 311 and Molecular Biology-BIOL 334,345– are also recommended
Please note: Pre-optometry has similar requirements with the addition of a few courses in math and science.