MD · Camden, New Jersey · public
Cooper Medical School of Rowan University prerequisites
What Cooper asks for in the 2026-27 cycle, as read from the school's own admissions page. 6 lines differ from the standard medical school set, marked below.
Coursework
- Biology with labrequired
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.
- General chemistry with labrequired
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.
- Organic chemistry with labrecommendeddiffers
2 semesters · 8 credits · lab
Most medical schools ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab and list it as required.
Two semesters with lab, but recommended rather than required at Cooper. Nearly every other school requires it, so take it.
- Biochemistryrecommendeddiffers
1 semester · 3 credits
Most medical schools ask for 1 semester · 3 credits and list it as required.
One semester, recommended rather than required at Cooper.
- Physics with labrecommendeddiffers
2 semesters · 8 credits · lab
Most medical schools ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab and list it as required.
Two semesters with lab, recommended rather than required here. The MCAT still tests physics and most schools still require it.
- English or writing-intensiverequireddiffers
1 semester · 3 credits
Most medical schools ask for 2 semesters · 6 credits.
One semester, three credits: half what most schools ask for, and one of only three things Cooper requires.
- Statisticsrecommendeddiffers
1 semester · 3 credits
Most medical schools ask for 1 semester · 3 credits and list it as required.
Cooper recommends a semester of biostatistics specifically rather than requiring general statistics.
- Calculusrecommended
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.
- Psychologyrecommended
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.
- Sociologyrecommended
1 semester · 3 credits
One semester. Same reasoning as psychology: required by fewer schools, tested directly on the MCAT.
- Geneticsrecommended
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.
- Social sciences and humanitiesrecommendedextra here
2 semesters · 6 credits
Cooper recommends a semester of behavioural science, a semester of ethics, two semesters of humanities, and two semesters of Spanish. That is an unusually specific set, and a signal about the kind of practice the school trains for.
Experience hours
- Clinical experiencerecommended
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.
- Physician shadowingrecommended
50+ hours
Aim for 40-50 across more than one specialty, including primary care. DO programs weigh shadowing more heavily and several ask for hours with a DO specifically. If DO schools are on your list, get those hours and the letter early.
- Non-clinical volunteeringrecommended
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.
- Researchrecommended
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.
Also on the school’s page
Cooper deliberately keeps its required list short so that it can consider a broad applicant pool, and it is genuinely short: two biology courses with lab (eight credits), two chemistry courses with lab (eight credits), and one semester of English (three credits). Organic chemistry, physics, and biochemistry are all recommended rather than required here, a combination you will find almost nowhere else. Its recommended list is long and specific: biochemistry, organic chemistry with lab, physics with lab, ethics, behavioural science, biostatistics, two semesters of humanities, and two semesters of Spanish. Do not use Cooper's list to plan your degree; the schools around it will want organic chemistry and physics. One hard eligibility rule: applicants must be US citizens or permanent residents, and a bachelor's degree from an accredited US or Canadian four-year institution is required before matriculation.
School
cmsru.rowan.eduCheck your transcript against this list
Cyclios keeps this list beside your coursework and tells you what Cooper still needs from you.
See it for medical school