Premedical Program Requirements

The Premedical Program is comprised of specific course requirements, clinical requirements and elective activities students must complete as part of their overall undergraduate curriculum.

Premedical Program Course Requirements:

Medical Schools require the following courses be completed before one applies to medical schhol.  To receive a letter of recommendation from the UMW Premedical / Predental Committee, a premed student must have completed and have received a grade of C or better in each of the following courses by the time they submit their medical school application.

• Biology 121 & 122 (Biol Concepts I, II)  - or -  Biology 125 & 126  (Phage Hunters     I, II)
• Chemistry 111 & 112 (General Chemistry I, II)
• Chemistry 211 & 212 (Organic Chemistry I, II)
• Physics  101 & 102  (Gen. Physics I, II)  - or-  Physics 105 & 106 (University Physics I, II)

These courses may not be taken Pass/Fail, Credit/No Credit, or through a long-distance learning program.

Some medical schools also require other courses, such as English, math and biochemistry.  Please check medical school websites for details about additioanl requirements.

Additional biology courses are recommended, but not required.

Regarding AP credits:  Generally, medical schools will accept AP credits in fulfillment of premedical course requirements, provided UMW awarded you credits (not just exemptions) towards graduation and those credits appear on your transcript.

Regarding Community College credits:  Credits from a community college may be accepted (you should check with the specific school).  However, most medical schools expect students to complete all prerequisite courses at a four-year undergraduate institution.
 

Premedical Program Clinical Requirements:

To obtain a UMW Premedical / Predental Committee recommendation, a UMW premed student must have a minimum of 100 hours of clinical experience at a licensed medical practice, clinic, or hospital, served over a minimum of two semesters.  We highly recommend more than 100 hours served over at least three semesters.  While some students enter UMW with clinical experinences from high school, students can begin fullfilling their clinical requirements as early as the second semester of their freshman year.  This experience must be the type that provides students with opportunities to observe physicians at work. The University has informal affiliations with Fredericksburg-area hospitals & clinics to provide specific experiences to qualified UMW students.  We encourage students to find similar opportunities at home during the summer. UMW premed students can find out more by logging into this site or by seeing the UMW Premedical Advisor.

Elective Activities:

Premedical students are encouraged to engage in extracurricular activities.  While community service is always encouraged, a number of activities are very worthwhile:

• Community service
• Student government
• Undergraduate research
• Varsity sports
• Club activities
• Military service

For a printer-friendly description of the program, click here.