Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at Texas Christian University 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

Most medical schools ask for 150+ hours and list it as recommended.

150 hours minimum, in the bucket Burnett calls Physician/Patient Interaction: "EMT, medical scribe, Child Life Specialist, Nurse/Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), shadowing, or medical assistant experience." Shadowing counts inside this 150 rather than against a separate target. Burnett also warns against treating the number as the point: "More than the number of hours spent shadowing physicians or the variety of community organizations served, we want to know these events have shaped your future aspirations."

50+ hours

Most medical schools ask for 50+ hours and list it as recommended.

Burnett sets no separate shadowing target. Shadowing is listed inside the 150-hour Physician/Patient Interaction category alongside EMT, scribe, CNA, and medical assistant work, so shadowing hours count toward that 150, and could in principle fill it, but the category is written around hands-on roles.

150+ hours

Most medical schools ask for 150+ hours and list it as recommended.

150 hours minimum in the Service category, which Burnett defines as non-clinical: "volunteering at toy drives, food pantries, Peace Corps, mentoring incarcerated youth, hospital volunteer, Habitat for Humanity, and/or a suicide hot line." This is separate from and additional to the 150 clinical hours.

100+ hours

Research is not required on its own. It is one of four ways to fill Burnett's 150-hour "Personal Excellence" bucket (the others being collegiate-level athletics, military history, and employment experience), so 150 hours of a job or a varsity sport satisfies the same requirement.

No published minimum

"Applicants must submit one letter of recommendation by December 15, 2026. Three letters are encouraged. Individual letters, letter packets and committee letters are accepted. The Burnett School of Medicine accepts letters of recommendation from any author(s) who can speak to your personal and professional readiness for medical school." One letter is the floor and no source is required, among the most permissive letter requirements published.