Touro University Nevada 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 figure. "Experience in healthcare" is named among the qualities applicants must demonstrate, alongside "academic competence, personal/professional achievements, leadership skills, creative abilities... and the likelihood of practicing in underserved primary care areas."

50+ hours

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

Touro Nevada is one of the few schools that states shadowing as a flat requirement rather than a preference. Under "Your Personal Requirements": "Have documented physician shadowing experience." No hours minimum is attached and no DO is specified, but note the word documented, so keep a record of dates, hours, and the physician. Separately, one of the three required letters "must be from a physician (D.O. or M.D.)", which the FAQ words as "DO preferred, MD acceptable."

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

The alternative to the science instructor letter, with a condition attached: "a committee letter must include all letter contributors' names and titles and must include at least two science faculty." Letters must be sent directly from recommenders on letterhead and signed.

No published minimum

"At least one letter must be from your college science instructors", or, in its place, one premedical/academic committee letter.

No published minimum

One of three required letters: "at least one letter must be from a physician (D.O. or M.D.)." Touro Nevada separately requires "documented physician shadowing experience", so the letter and the hours behind it are both expected.

No published minimum

The FAQ words the required physician letter as "DO preferred, MD acceptable", a preference, not a gate.