University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine prerequisites

15 credits · lab

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

Fifteen credits of biology in total (roughly four semesters, not the usual two), including at least two credits of laboratory and six credits of upper-division coursework. If Nevada is on your list, plan the extra biology early; it is the single largest gap between this school and the baseline.

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.

Nevada lists no English or writing requirement. Do not drop your writing coursework on that basis: three quarters of schools do require it, and this is one of the few that does not.

1 semester · 3 credits

Most medical schools ask for 1 semester · 3 credits and list it as required.

Nevada does not require a maths course. Statistics and biostatistics appear only on its strongly-recommended list, alongside calculus.

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

Most medical schools ask for 1 semester · 3 credits and list it as recommended.

Three credits of psychology OR sociology are required here, not merely recommended. Either subject satisfies it, so one course covers this line and the sociology line below.

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.

2 semesters · 6 credits

Six of the fifteen biology credits must be upper division. These six count inside the fifteen, not on top of them. The school strongly recommends anatomy and physiology, cell biology, genetics, immunology, molecular biology, metabolic regulation, and neurobiology as the courses to use.

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

"UNR Med prefers individual letters be submitted directly by the writer to AMCAS or via Interfolio. However, we will also accept Committee (or Composite) letters or packets that include all required letters." Note the condition: a committee packet must still contain the clinical and academic letters.

No published minimum

The required clinical letter is "preferred from a practicing physician but can be from other health care professionals." A preference inside a required clinical letter, not a separate requirement.

No published minimum

For M.D./Ph.D. combined program applicants only, the third letter is fixed as a research letter, "written by a faculty member or research supervisor who can evaluate the applicant's research skills, role in research projects, and contributions as a team member." Straight M.D. applicants get a free choice for their third letter.

No published minimum

"Applicants must submit three (3) letters of evaluation," and for M.D. applicants one of them is fixed as a clinical letter: "preferred from a practicing physician but can be from other health care professionals who can assess the applicant's interactions with patients, understanding of medical roles, and professional competencies such as communication and teamwork." The writer must have watched you with patients. Letters from family, friends, or parents' colleagues are not acceptable.