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2024-2025

Pre-Medicine (minor)

VCU

Community college:
Associate of Science: Life Science (Richard Bland College of William and Mary)
Richard Bland College
Richard Bland College
Associate degree

Associate of Science: Life Science

Completing the associate degree will waive VCU's general education requirements.

Program description

The pre-medicine minor provides foundational courses for students that are preparing to be competitive applicants for Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) and Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) programs after completing their bachelor’s degree at VCU. The pre-medicine minor can be completed as a part of any undergraduate degree. Completing this minor does not guarantee admission into any medical program. This minor is structured to academically prepare students to apply for medical school broadly. Clinical and non-clinical experiences are a requirement of application to most medical schools. In addition to this minor, students should participate in clinical and non-clinical experiences to develop a competitive application for medical school. Visit the VCU Career Services - Pre-Professional Health Career Advising website for more information and to schedule an appointment with a pre-professional health and STEM career counselor.

Career opportunities

Medical schools across the U.S. have different prerequisites for admission. The list below shows courses that may be required by various schools including the VCU School of Medicine. It is always recommended that a student visit each program’s webpages and/or attend an information session to obtain requirements for specific programs. Students are encouraged to meet with their academic adviser to integrate these courses into their academic plan. In addition, students are encouraged to discuss career plans with their pre-professional health academic minor adviser and career counselor for additional guidance.

Graduate and professional level job titles
  • Health-Based Researcher
  • Medical Doctor
  • Physician Assistant
  • Professor
Contact information

 

VCU Transfer Center

Telephone: (804) 827-1349

Email: transferinfo@vcu.edu

Transfer Advising Request

VCCS Transfer Planning Checklist


Office of Admissions

Telephone: (804) 828-1222 or (800) 841-3638

Email: ugrad@vcu.edu
Apply Here.

Guaranteed transfer admission requirements

No guaranteed admission.

Degree requirements in Bulletin
Plan of study in Bulletin
    n/a
Requirements
Highest level of math required
  • MATH 200
  • STAT 210
Science required
  • 5+ additional science courses
Foreign language requirements
  • No
Additional tuition/fees
  • No
GPA requirements (to progress/graduate in the major)
  • 3.0+
VCU Major Maps

View VCU Major Map for Pre-Medicine (minor)

Transfer major map
Visit majormaps.vcu.edu for the online version with links.
Sponsored by the Office of the Provost
Major map compass icon
2024-2025

Pre-Medicine (minor)

Richard Bland College of William and Mary (Associate of Science: Life Science)

MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
Explore Year 1
  • Make friends with people with diverse perspectives and join a cultural or identity-related student organization.
  • Attend cultural events at RBC and/or VCU and celebrate diversity.
  • Attend VCU's annual Intercultural Festival or another community intercultural event.
Experience Year 2
  • Be prepared for academic challenges by meeting with your Learner Mentor and understanding RBC Student Support available.
  • Explore your eligibility for the Two-Year College Transfer Grant.
  • Maintain a high GPA. Use tutoring resources to get ahead. Be prepared to earn good grades at VCU.
  • Submit the FAFSA on time.
  • Practice using flashcards and continuously assessing your knowledge of subjects that will be tested on the MCAT.
  • Review VCU MD Program Admissions information.
  • Volunteer for service learning or community service projects.
  • Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
  • Participate in the STEM Transitions: Transfer Success Program after you’re admitted to VCU.
  • Consider applying to the Summer Academic Enrichment Program (SAEP).
  • Consider learning a foreign language.
  • Volunteer with a vulnerable, under-represented and/or underserved community. Reflect on the challenges these populations might face with their healthcare.
  • Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
  • Become familiar with OMSA at VCU.
  • Attend Career & Internship Fairs at RBC or VCU to explore your interests.
  • Find healthcare experience that’s paid, volunteer or shadowing experience - answer the question, "is this really what I want to do?"
  • Search for a summer science opportunity.
  • Find out about VCU REAL and learn about REAL graduation requirement.
  • Explore the types of aid available at VCU.
  • Review resources at AAMC and begin to develop your own plan for applying and taking the MCAT.
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Take advantage of free Financial Aid counseling.

Explore
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Make friends with people with diverse perspectives and join a cultural or identity-related student organization.
  • Attend cultural events at RBC and/or VCU and celebrate diversity.
  • Attend VCU's annual Intercultural Festival or another community intercultural event.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE

Experience
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
  • Be prepared for academic challenges by meeting with your Learner Mentor and understanding RBC Student Support available.
  • Explore your eligibility for the Two-Year College Transfer Grant.
  • Maintain a high GPA. Use tutoring resources to get ahead. Be prepared to earn good grades at VCU.
  • Submit the FAFSA on time.
  • Practice using flashcards and continuously assessing your knowledge of subjects that will be tested on the MCAT.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
  • Review VCU MD Program Admissions information.
  • Volunteer for service learning or community service projects.
  • Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
  • Participate in the STEM Transitions: Transfer Success Program after you’re admitted to VCU.
  • Consider applying to the Summer Academic Enrichment Program (SAEP).
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Consider learning a foreign language.
  • Volunteer with a vulnerable, under-represented and/or underserved community. Reflect on the challenges these populations might face with their healthcare.
  • Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
  • Become familiar with OMSA at VCU.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
  • Attend Career & Internship Fairs at RBC or VCU to explore your interests.
  • Find healthcare experience that’s paid, volunteer or shadowing experience - answer the question, "is this really what I want to do?"
  • Search for a summer science opportunity.
  • Find out about VCU REAL and learn about REAL graduation requirement.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Explore the types of aid available at VCU.
  • Review resources at AAMC and begin to develop your own plan for applying and taking the MCAT.
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Take advantage of free Financial Aid counseling.
Recommended courses
Major map compass icon
2024-2025

Pre-Medicine (minor)

Richard Bland College of William and Mary (Associate of Science: Life Science)

Richard Bland College of William and Mary courses
Course Title Equivalent course Credits Requirements
ENGL 101 Rhetoric and Research I Note: students with credit for AP English Language and Composition will only receive credit for UNIV 111 at VCU and should take ENGL 102 to fulfill the VCU composition requirement. UNIV 111-112 3 General education (pre-medicine requirement)
ENGL 102 Rhetoric and Research II UNIV 200 3 General education (pre-medicine requirement)
Fine Arts Select 1: ART 201, 202, 231, MUS 103, MUS 123, THEA 201. VCU equivalent 3 General education
U.S. & World Cultures Select 1: ECON 201, 202, GEO 101, GEO 103, GOVT 201, GOVT 202, GOVT 203, HIST 101, HIST 102, HIST 191, 192, HIST 201, HIST 202, HIST 240, REL 209, REL 210, REL 219, REL 220, REL 254. VCU equivalent 3 General education
MATH 151 Precalculus II MATH 151 4 Elective (pre-medicine recommendation)
MATH 217 Statistics STAT 210 3 Elective (pre-medicine requirement)
BIO 151 + Lab Biological Science I + Lab BIOL/Z 151 4 General education (pre-medicine requirement)
BIO 152 + Lab Biological Science II + Lab BIOL/Z 152 4 Elective (pre-medicine requirement)
CHEM 101 + Lab General Chemistry I + Lab CHEM/Z 101 4 General education (pre-medicine requirement)
CHEM 102 + Lab General Chemistry II + Lab CHEM/Z 102 4 Elective (pre-medicine requirement)
PHYS 101 or PHYS 201 College Physics I (lecture and lab) or University Physics I (Lecture and Lab) PHYS 201 or PHYS 207 4 Elective (pre-medicine requirement)
PHYS 102 or PHYS 202 College Physics II (lecture and lab) or University Physics II (Lecture and Lab) PHYS 202 or PHYS 208 4 Elective (pre-medicine requirement)
PHIL 203 Introduction to Ethics PHIL 201 3 General education (pre-medicine recommendation)
PSY 210 Survey of Psychology PSYC 101 3 General education (pre-medicine recommendation)
SOC 201 General Sociology SOCY 101 3 General education (pre-medicine recommendation)
Complete requirements for associate degree VCU equivalents 8 Elective
Richard Bland credits transferred to VCU 60
Beyond curricular requirements, students must obtain additional experiences to be a competitive applicant for the VCU School of Medicine. Successful applicants have an average of 200 hours of clinical exposure, interacting with both physicians (>60 hours) and patients. Non-clinical community service that demonstrates their passion for serving others over an extended amount of time is required; 200 hours is the average. Students should be knowledgeable about how their clinical exposure and community service has impacted their motivation to study medicine and be successful in the classroom. It is also helpful to the applicant but not mandatory to have research and leadership experience.
VCU courses
Course Title Credits Requirements
The courses listed below are required for the minor in pre-medicine. Students must complete at least 9 credits of upper-level course requirements at VCU to be eligible for the minor. Students must also select a VCU major and complete the major requirements. The minimum number of credits required for a bachelor's degree at VCU is 120 credits.
CHEM/Z 301 Organic Chemistry I and Laboratory 5 Elective (pre-medicine minor)
CHEM/Z 302 Organic Chemistry II and Laboratory 5 Elective (pre-medicine minor)
BIOL/CHEM Select three courses from the following list: BIOL 300, BIOL 303, BIOL 310, CHEM 403. 9 Elective (pre-medicine minor)
Courses required for VCU major and electives 41 Major
REAL The REAL requirement may be satisfied by successfully completing a 300-level (or higher) course that has received a REAL attribute of Level 2, 3 or 4 or through an approved “REAL” co-curricular experience that has received a REAL attribute of Level 3 or 4. See VCU advisor for options. 0 Major
Minimum number of credits completed at VCU 60
Minimum number of credits required for a bachelor's degree 120