You can choose any major for your four-year undergraduate degree. Most students working towards medical school pick a pre-med major that centers around medical studies. Ultimately, your goal is to past the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT.) You need to take certain pre-med courses that provide you with the foundation you need to gain entrance into medical school.
Pre-med classes include biology, microbiology, chemistry, physics and math that prepare you for the MCAT. One to two courses of general biology, one course in genetics and one course in microbiology give you a background in biology. You should take one to two classes of organic and regular chemistry and two calculus math courses. One course in basic physics finishes the pre-med curriculum.
General biology courses teach you about cells, reproduction, genetic code, growth and development, uses and obtainment of energy, response to the environment, internal balance and evolution of living things. With a genetics course you learn about genes and hereditary issues and how they relate to today's world. Microbiology teaches you about bacteria and other tiny organisms. Molecular biology describes molecules and how chemicals react inside organisms.
Basic chemistry involves the interaction of different chemical compounds. You will study ionic bonds, molecular bonds, solubility and the periodic table of elements. Organic chemistry falls under the category of a specialized form of the science where the focus lies in figuring out organic compounds. Organic compounds are chemicals that contain carbon.
Basic physics (study of how physical objects move and interact with each other) classes give you an overview of Newtonian motion, collisions and gravity. Math programs for students studying pediatrics include calculus courses. Calculus is a math used to figure out information about how functions change with respect to independent variables. Calculus and physics are courses required mostly as prerequisites for entry into medical school, but they are not usually used in practice except by doctors doing medical research.