Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac 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.

1 semester · 4 credits · lab

Most medical schools ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.

One semester with lab, not the usual year.

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

Most medical schools ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.

Two semesters of general physics. Netter attaches "with labs" to biology, chemistry, and organic chemistry but not to physics.

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.

2 semesters · 6 credits

Most medical schools ask for 1 semester · 3 credits.

Two semesters of college mathematics or statistics at college algebra or above: twice the usual, and one of the heavier maths requirements you will meet.

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.

1 semester · 3 credits

Human physiology, genetics, and cell biology are on Netter's recommended list alongside the natural sciences generally.

1 semester · 3 credits

Netter recommends psychology, sociology, ethics, health policy, foreign language, humanities, communications, and computer literacy.

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

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.

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

"Applicants may provide a committee letter/packet from the prehealth, premedical or career services office at their undergraduate or post-baccalaureate institution. There is no minimum governing how many letters can be included in a committee letter/packet." The alternative is "three individual letters of their choosing": Netter names no required source. Letters are accepted only through AMCAS.