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The guidelines listed below are for students who hope to attend graduate school in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, pharmacy, and veterinary science. Admissions requirements are set by the professional school and may vary somewhat from one institution to another. Students are responsible for being aware of the requirements for the school(s) they hope to attend.

Medical schools in general require at least two years of chemistry, at least one year of biology and one year of physics. The course work needed should be scheduled to ensure that the student will have completed all the relevant material prior to taking the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) at the end of the student's junior year (offered in April and August). All courses required for admission to the professional school must have grades -- no pass/no credit grades will be accepted.

The initial chemistry course is CH 161 (Principles of Chemistry I), which has a prerequisite of one year of high-school chemistry. Students who do not have this prerequisite should enroll in CH 101 (Introduction to Chemistry). There is an honors chemistry available for those who score high enough in the placement test given the first day of class. CH 161 is only offered fall semester of each year. All students enrolled in CH 161 must enroll in a lab section the same semester.

Students who do not pass both parts of the math proficiency test will not be allowed to enroll in CH 161.

Most medical schools require a year of physics. At Whitworth, calculus is a prerequisite for physics and should be started as soon as possible. Ideally, MA 110 (Calculus I) should be taken in the fall of freshman year and MA 111 (Calculus II) in the spring of freshman year.

The year of biology is met by the beginning biology sequence that involves taking BI 150 and 152 fall semester which are both half-semester courses, and BI 153 and 154 in the spring. Genetics (BI 363) should be taken at some point before taking the MCAT since there will be a few genetics questions on that test beginning in 2003.

The recommended science and math coursework for the first two years is as follows:

First Year - Fall Semester    
CH 161 & CH 161L General Chemistry I and Lab
4
BI 150 & BI 152

Cell Biology and Animal Biology

4
MA 171 Calculus I
4

First Year - Spring Semester    
CH 271 & CH 271L Organic Chemistry I and Lab
4
BI 153 & BI 154

Plant Biology and Microbial Biology

4
MA 172 Calculus II
4

Second Year - Fall Semester    
CH 278 & CH 278L Organic Chemistry II and Lab
4
PS 151

General Physics I

4
BI 363 Genetics
4

Second Year - Spring Semester    
CH 281 & CH 281 L Organic Chemistry II and Lab
4
PS 153

General Physics II

4

Fall Semester - Odd Years    
BI 323 Animal Physiology
4

Fall Semester - Even Years    
CH 401W & CH 401L Biochemistry I
4

In addition, the University of Washington has begun to require a year of biochemistry (CH 401 and 403) and a semester of molecular biology (BI 399).

Other courses strongly suggested:
CH 181 & 181L: General Chemistry II & Lab
CH 401 & 401L: Biochemistry I & Lab
CH 403: Biochemistry II
MA 256: Statistics
BI 350: Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy
BI 354: Developmental Biology
BI 347: Advanced Microbiology
One year of university-level English

Conversation between the student and his or her pre-med advisor should begin as soon as possible.

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