Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine prerequisites

2 semesters · 8 credits · lab

Two semesters with lab. The single most universal prerequisite: essentially every MD and DO program asks for it, and it is the foundation the MCAT assumes.

2 semesters · 8 credits · lab

Two semesters with lab. Take it early: organic chemistry, biochemistry, and most upper-division biology all sit behind it, so a late start pushes the whole sequence past your MCAT date.

2 semesters · 8 credits · lab

Two semesters with lab at most schools. A meaningful and growing minority accept one semester of organic plus one of biochemistry. Do not drop the second semester on that assumption until you have checked the schools you actually want.

1 semester · 3 credits

One semester, lab rarely required. Roughly two thirds of schools require it outright and the MCAT tests it heavily, so treat it as required even where it technically is not, and take it before you sit the exam.

2 semesters · 8 credits · lab

Two semesters with lab. Algebra-based is accepted almost everywhere; take the calculus-based sequence only if your major needs it or a target school names it.

2 semesters · 6 credits

Two semesters of English or writing-intensive coursework. Many schools accept writing-intensive courses from any department, but a few name English specifically. If your writing credits come from elsewhere, confirm before you count them.

1 semester · 3 credits

One semester. Most schools with a math requirement accept statistics or calculus; statistics is the more widely accepted of the two and the more useful for reading clinical research, so the baseline tracks it here. If a target school names calculus, its own requirements will say so.

1 semester · 3 credits

One semester. Required outright at a minority of schools (several of them highly selective) and accepted in place of statistics at most of the rest. Take it if calculus is already in your major's path.

1 semester · 3 credits

One semester. A minority of schools require it, but a quarter of the MCAT is psychological and social foundations: this is the cheapest points on the exam.

1 semester · 3 credits

One semester. Same reasoning as psychology: required by fewer schools, tested directly on the MCAT.

1 semester · 3 credits

One semester. Required by a small number of schools and a common way to fill the upper-division science coursework that strengthens a science GPA.

150+ hours

Almost no school publishes a number, but admitted applicants typically report a few hundred hours. 150 is the point where you can speak about patient care from experience rather than in the abstract; sustained hours over years read better than a summer sprint.

50+ hours

No hours figure. ACOM 'strongly recommend[s] that applicants spend time with an osteopathic physician to increase awareness of the osteopathic philosophy and practice'. A physician letter is required, and ACOM accepts it from either a DO or an MD, so DO time is recommended, not mandatory, but it is the obvious way to cover both at once.

150+ hours

Service with no medical angle. Committees are reading for a habit, not a total, so one commitment held for two years beats five one-off events.

100+ hours

Effectively expected at research-heavy MD programs and genuinely optional at many DO and community-focused schools. If research is not your path, put those hours into clinical work and say so clearly rather than padding a semester in a lab.

No published minimum

ACOM's default academic letter is from a premedical advisor or committee, but it is substitutable: "In place of a premedical advisor or committee letter, two signed letters written by college science professors can be accepted."

2 letters

Two science professor letters stand in for the premedical advisor or committee letter. ACOM is strict about who counts: letters "should be from faculty who instructed you in the required lecture science courses or recommended upper-level science courses (biology, chemistry, or physics). Labs or research-based courses will not suffice. Letters from social science (e.g., psychology, sociology, etc.) or math professors will not count toward this requirement."

No published minimum

ACOM answers the question head on: "A physician letter is required, but ACOM will accept a letter of recommendation from either a DO or MD." Either degree satisfies it, but you cannot skip it. ACOM publishes no shadowing hours, so this letter is the real clinical requirement.

No published minimum

Asked "Must an applicant submit a letter of recommendation from a DO?" ACOM answers "No." It adds that it "strongly recommend[s] that applicants spend time with an osteopathic physician" and that "submitting a letter from a DO is a way of demonstrating the applicant's understanding of and commitment to the osteopathic medical profession."