Physician/Medicine
Overview
Physicians diagnose and treat human disease, ailments, injuries and other conditions. Some doctors are general practitioners while others work in specialties, from emergency medicine to surgery.
The Clemson University Health Professions Advising program prepares students for application to a four-year doctor of allopathic medicine or doctor of osteopathic medicine degree program. Pre-medicine is not a major. Students choose a degree-granting major (and minor, if appropriate). Medical schools do not discriminate among the different disciplines from which students choose, so students should choose curriculums of interest in which they can excel.
What is Competitive?
Admissions criteria vary by institution and should be verified individually. According to data from the American Medical College Application Service, a competitive applicant for admission to M.D. (allopathic) programs has an average grade point average of 3.7 and an average Medical College Admission Test score of 508, as compared to the overall applicant pool, which had an average GPA of 3.55 and an MCAT score of 505.
According to data from the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, a competitive applicant for admission to D.O. (osteopathic) programs has an average GPA of 3.53 and an average MCAT score of 503, as compared to the overall applicant pool, which had an average GPA of 3.44 and an MCAT score of 500.
Core Preparation Courses
Requirements vary by institution and should be verified. Students planning to pursue a degree in medicine should expect to take the following courses:
- Introductory Biology: BIOL 1030 and BIOL 1050, and BIOL 1040 and BIOL 1060; or BIOL 1100 and BIOL 1110.
- Introductory Chemistry: CH 1010 and CH 1020.
- Organic Chemistry: CH 2230 and CH 2270, and CH 2240 and CH 2280.
- Biochemistry: BCHM 3010 or BCHM 3050.
- Physics: PHYS 1220 and PHYS 1240, and PHYS 2210 and PHYS 2230; or PHYS 2070 and PHYS 2090, and PHYS 2080 PHYS 2100.
- Psychology: PSYC 2010.
- Sociology: SOC 2010.
Additional recommended courses include:
- Anatomy and Physiology: BIOL 2220 and BIOL 2230; or BIOL 3150 and BIOL 3160.
- Cell Biology: BIOL 4610.
- Genetics: GEN 3000 or GEN 3020.
- Microbiology: MICR 3050.
- Abnormal Psychology: PSYC 3830.
- Lifespan Human Development: PSYC 3400.
- Medical Terminology: HLTH 2600 or BCHM 2500.
- Calculus: MATH 1020, 1030, 1060.
- Statistics: STAT 2300.
