Noorda 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

No hours minimum is published. Noorda names "Work experience in the medical field (e.g., EMT, nurse, medical assistant, CNA, etc.)" and "Medical field volunteer experiences (e.g., hospital or hospice volunteer, medical interpreter, Red Cross volunteer, etc.)" as experiences it considers. The binding detail is in the letters: one of the three must come from "a healthcare source who is familiar with the applicant's work in healthcare/with patients (preferably an osteopathic physician)", which means you need sustained enough patient-facing work that a clinician can write about it.

50+ hours

Noorda lists "Shadowing of a physician, osteopathic or allopathic (osteopathic preferred)" among the non-academic experiences its admissions committee weighs. No hours figure is published and shadowing is not stated as a hard requirement, but the osteopathic preference is explicit, and it is reinforced by the letters rule below, so a DO you have actually worked alongside is worth more here than a larger pile of MD hours.

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

"Involvement in research activities" appears on Noorda's list of non-academic experiences the committee considers. No hours figure and no requirement: it counts, but it is not a gate.

No published minimum

"Preferably an osteopathic physician" qualifies Noorda's required healthcare letter. A DO is not mandatory (any healthcare source familiar with your patient work qualifies), but Noorda names the DO first, and it separately lists "shadowing of a physician, osteopathic or allopathic (osteopathic preferred)" among the experiences its committee weighs.

No published minimum

One of Noorda's three required letters must come from "a healthcare source who is familiar with the applicant's work in healthcare/with patients (preferably an osteopathic physician)." Note "work": the writer needs to have seen you doing something, not merely observing. Letters "must be signed and on letterhead and dated within two years prior to application submission. Letters from family members are not accepted."