Pre-Medicine

UNC Charlotte offers pre-medical preparation for undergraduate, graduate, and post-baccalaureate students interested in pursuing a career in medicine. Opportunities and services available to students include:

Strong academic preparation in the required pre-medical “core” of classes
Broad selection of recommended science and non-science classes
Pre-Medical Advising for academic and nonacademic requirements for medical school admissions
Assistance with the application process, including essay preparation and interviews
UNCC Pre-Professional Faculty Evaluation Committee that prepares recommendation letters for students with competitive academic credentials
Opportunities to become involved in research
Student clubs that offer guest speakers, community service opportunities, and support

Recommended Core Courses

The following classes are recommended for completion of the basic pre-medical core at UNCC. The classes are recommended to cover the basic requirements at the majority of medical schools and/or prepare you for the MCAT.

General Biology (with labs)	BIOL 2120 + 2130
General Chemistry	CHEM 1251 + 1252	(with labs)
Organic Chemistry	CHEM 2131 + 2132	(with labs)
Physics	PHYS 1101/1102 or 2101/2102	(with labs)
Biochemistry	CHEM 4165	(lab not required)
Statistics	STAT 1220 or 1221 or 1222
Calculus	MATH 1241 (± 1242)	(most medical schools no longer require calculus)(if applying to a school that does require calc, 1241/1242 is the proper level of calculus)( there is no calculus on the MCAT)
Cell Biology	BIOL 3111	sometimes required, and strongly recommended for the MCAT
General Psychology	PSYC 1101	increasingly required; also helpful for the MCAT (lab not required)
Intro to Sociology	SOCY 1101	increasingly required; also helpful for the MCAT
English/English Comp	UWRT 1103 or 1104	hIghly variable requirements among medical schools; may need additional English or writing-intensive courses, depending on the individual medical school

Remember that each medical school establishes their specific prerequisites; always check the websites of the schools that you want to attend.

UNC School of Medicine: In addition to the above, add 1 semester of 3000/4000-level biology (such as Genetics, Animal Physiology, or Microbiology) (no plant/insect/ecology courses).

*Advanced Placement Credit: All medical schools have policies regarding acceptability of advanced placement (AP) credits for required courses. One of the problems with AP credit is that there is no grade available to evaluate the student’s performance in the class, and no grade available to compute into the GPA. For these reasons, many medical schools will not accept AP credit alone to fulfill the requirements for science and math. Some medical schools will accept AP to meet non-science course requirements. Usually, if a medical school requires a certain number of hours of subject X, they want you in a college classroom for that number of hours. Some medical schools have a more lenient policy on AP than others. If you have questions about AP credits, contact the admissions office of the medical schools to which you want to apply, or contact the Pre-Health Advising office.

More Resources