Requirements and Courses

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There are many different paths to health professional schools so be sure to meet with Prof. Naila Mamoon, director of Premedicine and Allied Health Professions programs, or Prof. Valentina Botero, assistant director,  to discuss your timeline, goals, and course sequencing.

You may schedule a group meeting starting in September by emailing prehealth@davidson.edu; after a group meeting you will meet individually with Prof. Naila Mamoon, or Prof. Valentina Botero to discuss your academic path, health interests, and course sequencing.

In addition to your coursework, it is important for you to demonstrate that you value service to others and that you have an in-depth understanding of the profession to which you aspire, through gaining core competencies.  

A sustained track record of service to vulnerable and marginalized  populations and of exposure to patient care will be critical as you apply to medical/dental/health professions graduate programs. Also, hands-on opportunities provide holistic experience in health and health care, allow you to develop insights into your profession of interest, and enhance your problem-solving and communication skills, all of which will serve you well in your career.

The following courses are recommended for Davidson prehealth students to develop competencies in the sciences. Many of the courses are suitable for first-year students based on their academic background and preparation, so if registration is full for one course, you have many other options for any given semester. Other courses may be taken during your sophomore and junior year.

The listing of courses is a broad curricular outline for reference only, as individual medical and dental school requirements may vary.

Courses by Area

One year (two semesters) of introductory biology with laboratory

Some graduate healthcare professional schools require additional upper-level biology courses, such as anatomy, physiology, microbiology, and histology.

  • BIO 115: Molecules, Genes, and Cells + Lab
  • BIO 116: Evolution, Physiology, Ecology + Lab
  • Upper-level biology courses with laboratory include Human Anatomy, Human Physiology, and Microbiology.

Two years (four semesters) of chemistry with laboratory

  • CHE 115: Principles of Chemistry
  • CHE 220: Introduction to Analytical Chemistry or CHE 240 Introduction to Inorganic Chemistry
  • CHE 250: Introduction to Organic Chemistry (prerequisite for CHE 230)
  • CHE 350: Experimental Organic Chemistry (requirement for this course is under review at most medical schools; for many schools CHE 230 (Biochemistry) may be taken in lieu of CHE 350 as the fourth chemistry course.
  • Biochemistry: If you choose to take both semesters of organic chemistry, you have the option to take either BIO 303 (Biochemistry) or CHE 230 (Introduction to Biological Chemistry).
  • Regardless of the department, Biochemistry is a prerequisite course for graduate health professional school admission.
  • Some graduate health professional schools will allow the substitution of the second semester of organic chemistry with one semester of biochemistry.

One year (two semesters) of physics with laboratory

  • PHY 125: General Physics with/Calc I: Studio or PHY 120: General Physics I or PHY 130: General Physics with Calculus I or PHY 125
  • PHY 220: General Physics II or PHY 230: General Physics with Calculus II or PHY 225 or PHY235: General Physics II with Calculus Studio and Lab
  • Students can also mix and match, for example take PHY 130 and then PHY 225 to complete the sequence.

One year (two semesters) of English

  • Note that WRI 101 counts as an English course. Some graduate health professional schools accept a writing intensive course in lieu of a second semester of English. However, a conservative approach would be to take a course in the English department.

Other recommended subjects/courses include:

  • Mathematics: MAT 110, 111, 112, 113
  • Statistics: BIO 240, PSY 310, SOC 260, MAT 104/105, MAT 341, POL 201 or ECO 105
  • Psychology: PSY 101 (Introduction to Psychology)
  • Sociology/Public Health:
    • PBH 110 Introduction to Public Health
    • SOC/PBH 280 Introduction to Global Health
    • PBH 392 Introduction to Epidemiology
    • PBH 220 Health Psychology
    • SOC 360 Medical Sociology
    • SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology
  • Ethics
  • Upper-level biology courses with laboratory include Human Anatomy, Human Physiology, and Microbiology.
  • Some  graduate health professional schools will allow the substitution of the second semester of organic chemistry with one semester of biochemistry. Veterinary schools emphasize the knowledge of genetics, microbiology, and animal nutrition. Nursing schools and physician assistant programs require Human Anatomy and Physiology and microbiology.

The listing of courses is a broad curricular outline for reference only, as individual  graduate health professional schools requirements may vary. Some  graduate health professional schools will allow the substitution of the second semester of organic chemistry with one semester of biochemistry. 

  • Medical - Additional upper-level courses in Biology are required at specific medical schools.
  • Dental - Some dental schools require additional upper-level biology courses, such as Anatomy, Physiology, Microbiology, and Histology.
  • Physical Therapy - Human Anatomy, Physiology
  • Veterinary - Emphasize the knowledge of Genetics, Microbiology, and Animal Nutrition.
  • Nursing & Physician Assistant - Requires Human Anatomy, Physiology and Microbiology.
  • Optometry - Requires Human Anatomy, Physiology and Microbiology.

In addition to the courses listed above, some additional courses are recommended specifically in preparation for the MCAT, DAT or GRE. 

Online and Transfer Courses:

  • Most schools do not recommend online courses especially for courses with companion labs.
  • Community college courses may be accepted but varies from institution to institution.
  • Courses must be taken at an accredited college/university and must be pre-approved by the Registrar's Office
  • The grade earned in the transferred course must be at least a “C-” or its equivalent.

Core Competencies

Entry-level core competencies are described by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).  These competencies apply for all students planning to enter into health professions.

Thinking & Reasoning Competencies

  • Critical Thinking: Uses logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems
  • Quantitative Reasoning: Applies quantitative reasoning and appropriate mathematics to describe or explain phenomena in the natural world
  • Scientific Inquiry: Applies knowledge of the scientific process to integrate and synthesize information, solve problems, and formulate research questions and hypotheses; is facile in the language of the sciences and uses it to participate in the discourse of science and explain how scientific knowledge is discovered and validated
  • Written Communication: Effectively conveying information to others using written words and sentences

Science Competencies

  • Living Systems: Applies knowledge and skill in the natural sciences to solve problems related to molecular and macro systems
  • Human Behavior: Applies knowledge of the self, others, and social systems to solve problems related to the psychological, social, and biological factors that influence health and well-being

Interpersonal Competencies

  • Service Orientation: Demonstrates a desire to help others and sensitivity to others’ needs and feelings; demonstrates a desire to alleviate others’ distress; recognizes and acts on his/her responsibilities to society, locally, nationally, and globally
  • Social Skills: Demonstrates awareness of others’ needs, goals, feelings, and the ways social and behavioral cues affect peoples’ interactions and behaviors; adjusts behaviors appropriately in response to these cues; and treats others with respect
  • Social Justice and Advocacy Work/Cultural Competence: Demonstrates knowledge of social and cultural factors that affect interactions and behaviors; shows an appreciation and respect for multiple dimensions of diversity; recognizes and acts on the obligation to inform one’s own judgment; engages diverse and competing perspectives as a resource for learning, citizenship, and work; recognizes and appropriately addresses bias in themselves and others; interacts effectively with people from diverse backgrounds
  • Teamwork: Works collaboratively with others to achieve shared goals; shares information & knowledge with others and provides feedback; puts team goals ahead of individual goals
  • Oral Communication: Effectively conveys information to others using spoken words and sentences; listens effectively; recognizes potential communication barriers and adjusts approach or clarifies information as needed

Intrapersonal Competencies

  • Ethical Responsibility to Self and Others: Behaves in an honest and ethical manner; cultivates personal and academic integrity; adheres to ethical principles and follows rules and procedures; resists peer pressure to engage in unethical behavior and encourages others to behave in honest and ethical ways; and develops and demonstrates ethical and moral reasoning
  • Reliability and Dependability: Consistently fulfills obligations in a timely and satisfactory manner; takes responsibility for personal actions and performance
  • Resilience and Adaptability: Demonstrates tolerance of stressful or changing environments or situations and adapts effectively to them; is persistent, even under difficult situations; recovers from setbacks
  • Capacity for Improvement: Sets goals for continuous improvement and for learning new concepts and skills; engages in reflective practice for improvement; solicits and responds appropriately to feedback

Additional Study & Research

Some other areas of study you should consider include:

  • Public Health: Include interdisciplinary courses in the theory and practice of medicine, including the organization, delivery, and financing of health care, innovations in reproductive and genetic technologies, bioethics, public health, and more. Through these courses, you gain understanding of controversial issues facing American medicine and develop skills in articulating your opinions on those issues.
  • Selected courses in biology and neuroscience: Selected advanced biology and neuroscience courses help you develop vocabulary and understand concepts that are important in medical/dental schools, particularly during basic science training.
  • Research: The advancement of healthcare hinges on an understanding of basic research. Many research opportunities are available to you in the biology, chemistry, physics, and psychology departments.
  • Education Abroad: Foreign travel adds immeasurably to your education. However, early planning—particularly for laboratory science courses—is necessary to avoid delaying your application to graduate healthcare professional schools.

Course Credits

Most prehealth students graduate with 32 credits, similar to other students. While you will not necessarily have additional course requirements, you do need to be mindful of what courses you take and when you take them. Students may have to take more than 32 credits to finish up all of the various prehealth requirements unless they have pre-College credit (such as AP/IB/Dual Enrollment Courses), take summer classes, and/or major in Biology or Chemistry. 

AP/IB Credits

If you use an AP/IB credit for a course, consider taking an upper level course in the discipline. Among the prehealth prerequisite/recommended courses, AP/IB credits for calculus, chemistry, psychology, and statistics are accepted. We recommend that you take an upper-level course in that discipline.

Pass/Fail

You may designate a prerequisite course pass/fail only if you retake the course, and you may only earn credit for a course once. Know that medical or dental school admissions use grades from your prerequisite courses to compute your science GPA, so it is often better for you to keep the grade and do well on a subsequent upper level course in the same discipline as it demonstrates resilience and your ability to learn from mistakes, two qualities highly valued by medical and professional school admissions.