Xavier University of Louisiana

For Those Interested in Medicine, Dentistry, etc. Who Already Have a Degree (Info #13-updated 8/7/12)

This document is one in a series designed to provide basic information about mainline health professions and the Premedical Office at Xavier University of Louisiana.

Can a person who has a degree in a non-science field apply to medical, dental, etc. school? Yes. Health professions schools do not require that matriculants have a degree in science. However, it is very important that students interested in medical, dental, etc. school are aware of the REQUIRED and RECOMMENDED courses for health professions programs to ensure that they enroll in the correct undergraduate courses. Also, it is highly recommended that students gain valuable experience in medical/clinical settings by participating in summer research or enrichment programs, volunteering, shadowing physicians or dentists, etc. BEFORE applying to medical, dental, etc. school.

Do medical, dental, etc. schools require certain science courses? YES!! ALL require that applicants complete a basic set of science courses. Those minimum basic required math and science courses for most medical, dental, etc. school and their equivalents at Xavier are listed below.

Courses Required

XU Course
Credits

1 year Biology

BIOL 1230, 1230 Lab
4

BIOL 1240, 1240 Lab
4

1 yr Inorganic Chem.

CHEM 1010, 1010 Drill*, 1011 Lab
4

CHEM 1020, 1020 Drill*, 1021 Lab
4

1 yr Organic Chem.

CHEM 2210, 2210 Drill*, 2230 Lab
4

CHEM 2220, 2220 Drill*, 2240 Lab
4

1 year Physics

PHYS 2010, 2010 Lab
4

PHYS 2020, 2020 Lab
4

1 yr Math (2 of 3 needed)

Math 1020, 1030, 1070
7 or 8

*Must be taken concurrently with corresponding lecture course.

Are there additional courses which may be REQUIRED? YES!! The above listed courses are the basic set of science courses that are required by most medical, dental, etc. schools. Students interested in applying to health professions programs should carefully review ALL course requirements of the schools in which they are interested in applying to by visiting official school websites and reviewing admissions requirements publications such as Medical School Admissions Requirements (Association of American Medical Colleges) and other books published by similar organizations.

Are there additional courses which are RECOMMENDED? YES!! Some medical, dental, etc. schools require or recommend additional upper-level courses. At Xavier we strongly recommend that students interested in medical, dental, etc. school take at least three (3) of the following courses in order to prepare for the VERY tough first-year courses in health professions school. Note: All of these courses are not offered every semester. Therefore, you need to plan what you will take when carefully so you can get those you wish to take.

Prepares you for

XU Course
Credits
XU Name

Histology

BIOL 4111, 4111 LB
4
Histology

Gross Anatomy

BIOL 4091, 4091 LB
4
Comparative Anatomy

Physiology

BIOL 3350,3350 LB
4
Anat. & Physiology

Developmental Bio.

BIOL 3121, 3162 LB
4
Embryology

Biochemistry

CHEM 4130, 4130 LB
4
Biochemistry I

You should also check in the Medical School Admissions Requirements book (an AAMC publication), Dental School Admissions Requirements book (an ADEA publication), and separate schools catalogs for additional information about specific courses required or recommended by individual schools.

Do special programs exist for students who already have degrees and would like to enhance their medical school applications? Yes. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) compiles a list of schools that offer Postbaccalaureate Premedical Programs for students who are interested in applying to medical school and already have Bachelor's degrees. These programs are often very structured and vary in focus. Go to http://services.aamc.org/postbac/ to review the list of available programs and to determine which programs BEST suit your needs.

If a person has a college degree but has taken none of the required science courses, how long will it take he/she to do so if he/she decides to just take the courses as opposed to enrolling in a postbaccalaureate program? At least two and probably three years. A person who has taken none of the science courses but does have credit for a year of college mathematics could make it in two years by taking the following courses as indicated, for example:

Year 1: Fall

Course #
Hours

Year 1: Spring

Course #
Hours

Gen. Biology I

BIOL 1230, 1230 LB
4

Gen. Bio. II

BIOL 1240, 1240 LB
4

Gen. Chem. I

CHEM 1010, 1010 DR, 1011 LB
4

Gen. Chem. II

CHEM 1020, 1020 DR, 1021 DR
4

Gen. Phys. I

PHYS 2010, 2010 LB
4

Gen. Phys. II

PHYS 2020, 2020 LB
4

Plus study for and take the MCAT in April

Total =
12 hrs

Total =

12 hrs

Summer

Take any required courses offered during summer school/Gain medical experience.

Year 2: Fall

Course #
Hours

Year 2: Spring

Course #
Hours

Physiology

BIOL 3350, 3350 LB
4

Histology

BIOL 4110, 4110 LB
4

Comp. Anat.

BIOL 4090, 4090 LB
4

Biochem. I

CHEM 4130, 4130 LB
4

Org. Chem. I

CHEM 2210, 2210 DR, 2230 LB
4

Org. Chem. II

CHEM 2220, 2220 DR, 2240 LB
4

Plus study for and take the MCAT in April or May

*Would require special permission from instructor

Total =
12 hrs

Total =

12 hrs

Summer

Complete application, study to retake the MCAT if necessary/Gain medical experience