Most medical schools require two full years of chemistry. This includes a year of general chemistry with a lab and a year of organic chemistry. Some schools may accept one semester of organic chemistry and one semester of biochemistry in lieu of a full year of organic chemistry.
Medical school candidates must have taken at least one year of biology courses with laboratories. These courses should cover introductory topics including the structure of organisms and the function of their cellular makeup.
Required prerequisites for most medical schools include one year of physics courses with laboratories.
Most medical schools require entering students to have taken one year of mathematics. Some schools require that both semesters be calculus courses and others require that at least one semester be in statistics.
Most medical schools also require English or writing courses. Schools will typically require at least one semester, and usually a full year, of courses with a writing component. Some schools specify that these must be in the English department, while others allow them to be any non-science course that includes a substantial amount of writing.
Students who have taken advanced placement (AP) classes in high school and passed the AP exam may gain college credit from their undergraduate school for these courses. However, many medical schools do not accept AP credits as a substitute for prerequisite courses. Some schools will accept AP credits for one semester of a class if the student then goes on to take a higher-level class in the subject area.
In addition to the required courses in the sciences, mathematics and writing, medical schools like to see that students have taken courses in other disciplines. Some schools have specific requirements on how many credits a student must have in other disciplines such as humanities, social sciences, arts, literature and languages. Other schools do not require but do recommend study in these areas.