Duquesne University Nasuti 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

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

Duquesne publishes no hours, but the physician letter is genuinely required (not preferred): 'One Physician Letter written by a licensed physician (DO or MD) who can speak to your exposure to the medical field, professionalism and suitability for a career in medicine.' It applies on the standard and Early Decision tracks alike, and it means you need enough physician contact that a doctor can write about your exposure firsthand.

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

"Applicant HAS a Pre-Health Committee": "submit 2 Letters: one Pre-Health Committee Letter which represents multiple faculty evaluations compiled into one comprehensive letter" plus the physician letter. Without a committee you submit three.

No published minimum

In the no-committee route: "one letter from a faculty member who taught you in a Natural Science course (e.g., Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Biochemistry, etc.)" A second natural science faculty letter is also one of the three ways to fill Duquesne's additional academic-or-professional slot.

No published minimum

"One Physician Letter written by a licensed physician (DO or MD) who can speak to your exposure to the medical field, professionalism and suitability for a career in medicine." Genuinely required rather than preferred, on the standard and Early Decision tracks alike, and required whether or not you have a pre-health committee.

No published minimum

"A faculty member who supervised your research" is one of three interchangeable options for Duquesne's "Additional Academic or Professional Letter", which applies only on the no-committee route.

No published minimum

"A supervisor in a healthcare or clinical setting" is one of three interchangeable options for Duquesne's "Additional Academic or Professional Letter" on the no-committee route, alongside a second science faculty letter and a research supervisor.