Arkansas 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

ARCOM says outright that 'there is no minimum number of volunteer or shadowing hours required', but that both are highly encouraged. The real requirement sits in the letters: you must submit a letter from a physician you have worked with in a healthcare field, and 'a letter from a DO is preferred, but one from an MD will also be accepted'. Shadow long enough to earn that letter.

150+ hours

No minimum hours. ARCOM highly encourages volunteering 'in order to show a well-rounded application and commitment to service'.

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

"Letter of Recommendation(s) from either a Pre-Medical/Professional Advisory Committee or two letters from natural science professors." ARCOM adds that if you are waiting on a committee letter "and it will prolong your application, it is highly encouraged to use letters from 2 science faculty instead."

2 letters

"Two letters from natural science professors who are familiar with the academic work of the applicant" is the substitute for a committee letter, and the route ARCOM prefers outright if a committee letter would delay you.

No published minimum

"Letter of recommendation from a physician whom you have worked with in a healthcare field." Note "worked with": ARCOM states outright that it sets no shadowing or volunteering hours minimum, so this letter is where the experience requirement actually lives. "This letter should not be written by a friend or family member."

No published minimum

"A letter from a DO is preferred, but one from an MD will also be accepted." A preference inside the required physician letter, not a separate gate.