Burrell College of Health Sciences School of Osteopathic Medicine - Melbourne 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

Burrell asks applicants to 'provide details on any extracurricular, medical, non-medical, and/or community volunteer experience hours'. Hours are reported but no minimum is set.

50+ hours

Burrell states that its DO admission requirements 'are applied consistently across the New Mexico and Florida campuses', so the Melbourne campus reads off the same page. No hours figure. A letter from 'a physician (DO or MD) who is not related to the applicant' is strongly recommended among your at-least-two letters.

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

Burrell requires "at least two letters of recommendation" and strongly recommends a "Pre-health Committee/Composite Letter (can be used to fulfill the requirement for two letters of recommendation)": one committee letter covers the whole minimum.

No published minimum

One of three strongly recommended sources: "a science professor who has taught or advised the applicant within the past three years." Note the three-year recency window on the teaching relationship.

No published minimum

One of three strongly recommended sources: "a physician (DO or MD) who is not related to the applicant." Strongly recommended rather than required (a committee letter or a science professor can stand in), and Burrell states no preference between DO and MD.

No published minimum

"A research advisor" appears among Burrell's second tier, "additional recommended sources for letters of recommendation", beyond the two-letter minimum. Applicants may submit up to ten letters in total.

No published minimum

Two of Burrell's additional recommended sources sit here: "an individual who has observed the applicant in a volunteer, service, or care setting" and "an employment supervisor." Letters must be on letterhead and include credentials; "letters from relatives will not satisfy the requirement."