Philadelphia 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

PCOM does not size general chemistry on its own. It asks for sixteen semester hours of chemistry in total with four hours of lab, of which four must be organic and three biochemistry, leaving roughly nine hours for general chemistry and any other chemistry you take.

1 semester · 4 credits · lab

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

At least four of the sixteen chemistry hours must be organic chemistry with lab: one semester is the stated minimum, though the sixteen-hour total usually pushes people to take the full year anyway.

1 semester · 3 credits

At least three of the sixteen chemistry semester hours must be biochemistry. It counts inside the chemistry block, not on top of it.

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.

PCOM's prerequisites are biology, physics, chemistry, and English. No mathematics or statistics course appears among them.

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

PCOM publishes no hours figure, but it is specific about who should be writing for you: the committee "strongly prefers" letters "from Physicians, preferably DOs, and/or other health care providers with whom a candidate has had a professional relationship." Three letters are the firm minimum. The phrase that matters is "professional relationship": a single afternoon of observation will not produce that letter, so plan for enough time with one DO that they can write about you specifically.

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

"A minimum of three letters of recommendation are required from individuals who know the applicant in a professional capacity." The DO Faculty Committee of Admissions "strongly prefers" one from "a pre-health or academic advisor/committee (undergraduate, post-baccalaureate or graduate programs). A pre-health advisor letter will meet the requirement for one of the three required letters," and "a packet of letters from an institution containing three or more letters of recommendation will indeed meet the letter requirement."

No published minimum

Among the strongly preferred sources: "undergraduate, graduate or post-baccalaureate faculty (preferably those who delivered a candidate's completed science coursework), who can attest to academic performance and aptitude. We highly recommend at least one letter from an academic source."

No published minimum

Among the strongly preferred sources: "physicians, preferably DOs, and/or other health care providers with whom a candidate has had a professional relationship, who can attest to the applicant's clinical experiences and overall fit for the profession." "Professional relationship" is the phrase that rules out a single afternoon of observation. No hours are published and shadowing is never named on the page.

No published minimum

"Physicians, preferably DOs": PCOM prefers the clinical letter come from an osteopathic physician. No letter source is strictly required, though: "candidates who may not have the ability to submit letters from any/all of the above sources should select letter writers who know them in a professional capacity."