Prospective anesthesiologists must first attend medical school. To get into medical school, students must first fulfill a series of undergraduate course requirements. These vary from school to school, but generally include at least one year of biology and related labwork, two years of chemistry (general and inorganic) and related labwork, one year of physics and related labwork, and one year of English coursework, according to Kaplan Test Prep's article on medical school prerequisites.
To become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA), students must first obtain a Bachelor's of Science in Nursing or other appropriate undergraduate degree, according to the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists' (AANA) website. Regardless of the undergraduate degree earned, the student must be a registered nurse and have at least one year's worth of experience in acute care in order to enter a graduate school of nurse anesthesia, according to the AANA website. After completing the 24-36 month graduate program, students must pass a national certification exam.
Students seeking a career as an anesthesiology assistant must attend a graduate program in Anesthesiology Assisting, typically a 24-28 month program, according to education-portal.com's article on anesthesiologist assistant graduate programs. These graduate programs require students to hold a bachelor's degree in any discipline, but typically require specific undergraduate coursework. The University of Kansas City-Missouri Master's of Science in Anesthesia program, one of only five remaining anesthesiology assistant graduate programs in the country as of 2009, requires one year each of biology, inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, anatomy and mathematics, plus a semester each of English and biochemistry, according to the program's website. Each school's requirements vary, though, so check your school's undergraduate course prerequisites for more details.