Curriculum & Courses

All courses are offered at the main campus in Storrs. Courses are offered at the undergraduate level, and course enrollment during summer terms is discouraged. Applicants who elect to register for summer term courses must do as non-degree students ONLY after prior consultation with and approval of the program advisor. Applicants cannot take more than 1-2 summer courses and must do so with the understanding that there is no provisional acceptance into the program until the formal interview and selection process has taken place. Therefore, any summer courses taken prior to official program acceptance are beneficial for further education but may or may not end up being applied toward Post-Bacc Program credits.

Minimum Requirements for Medical and Dental School

Note: These are general recommendations—please view the references listed below for expectations/requirements of specific medical and dental schools.

  • Biology: BIOL 1107 + 1108
    • Pre-medical students can skip BIOL 1108 if they wish, as long as they take at least one additional, upper-level BIOL course with a laboratory component
    • Pre-dental students must take BIOL 1108 as a part of their preparation
  • Chemistry: CHEM 1124 + 1125 + 1126 or CHEM 1127 + 1128
  • Organic Chemistry: CHEM 2443 + 2444 + 2445
  • Biochemistry: MCB 2000 (requirement varies for dental schools)
  • Physics: PHYS 1201 + 1202 (w/ Algebra) or PHYS 1401 + 1402 (w/ Calculus) or PHYS 1501 + 1502 (for engineers)
  • English: One year (two semesters) of English classes
  • Math/Statistics: Math requirements vary by school. 
    • Most medical schools recommend 1-2 semesters of college-level mathematics, such as one semester of Statistics and/or one semester of Calculus (please see school-specific information below)
    • Some dental schools require Statistics or Calculus; the DAT includes basic Algebra
  • Strongly suggested science courses:
    • Anatomy & Physiology: PNB 2264 & 2265 or PNB 2774+2775+2776 (required by some dental schools)
    • Genetics: MCB 2400/2410
    • Cell Biology: MCB 2210
    • Microbiology: MCB 2610 (required by some dental schools)
  • Suggested Behavioral and Social Sciences:
    • Psychology: PSYC 1100 + 1101
    • Sociology/Anthropology
    • List of health-related courses in non-STEM disciplines

To explore the required and recommended pre-medical coursework for each school, including AP, community college and online course credits, please review the AMCAS MSAR Reports’ Premedical Coursework Chart, as well as the tab on the top of the current webpage detailing Advanced Placement (AP) Credit Policies.

NOTE: The specific courses recommended by the Pre-Professional Advising Office will meet the admission requirements of the ​majority​ of the medical and dental colleges in the United States. Visit the ADEA’s page on dental school prerequisites for more information about dental school expectations. If you are interested in a particular medical or dental school, consult its catalog and/or the ​Medical School Admission Requirements​ (MSAR), Choose DO Explorer, or ​ADEA Official Guide to Dental Schools to discover any course(s) specially required by that school.