MD · Washington, District of Columbia · private
Howard University College of Medicine prerequisites
What Howard asks for in the 2026-27 cycle, as read from the school's own admissions page. 5 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 labrequired
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.
- Biochemistryrequired
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.
- Physics with labrequired
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.
- English or writing-intensiverequired
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.
- Statisticsrequireddiffers
2 semesters · 6 credits
Most medical schools ask for 1 semester · 3 credits.
Six semester hours of mathematics or statistics (twice what most schools ask), and Howard accepts any college-level maths course toward it.
- 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.
- Advanced biologyrecommendedextra here
1 semester · 3 credits
Howard recommends supplementary coursework in anatomy, physiology, cell biology, developmental biology, genetics, neuroscience, and microbiology.
- Social sciences and humanitiesrequiredextra here
2 semesters · 6 credits
Six semester hours of humanities courses, required alongside the six hours of English.
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
Howard ties service to its mission rather than to a number: "Applicants must demonstrate an interest in solving the problems associated with health disparities and should have experience working or volunteering with underserved communities." Generic volunteering is not what is being asked for: the population matters.
- 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.
Letters
- Committee letterrecommendedextra here
No published minimum
Howard accepts "a health professions committee letter of evaluation (composite letter), or a letter packet from your college/university which includes at least two letters written by science faculty."
- Science faculty letterrequiredextra here
2 letters
"At least two (2) MUST be letters written by science faculty (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Math) who taught you and gave you a grade (includes research course faculty)." Note maths counts as science here, and a research course instructor counts. "There is no limit on the number of recommendations."
Also on the school’s page
Howard's list is one of the most complete in the country: the standard science block plus biochemistry, six hours of English, six hours of mathematics or statistics, and six hours of humanities. Nothing is unusually heavy on its own, but very few schools require all of it, so if Howard is on your list check the maths and humanities lines early. You need 71 semester hours or the equivalent from an accredited US or Canadian college or university.
School
medicine.howard.eduCheck your transcript against this list
Cyclios keeps this list beside your coursework and tells you what Howard still needs from you.
See it for medical school