Typical Minimum Course Requirements
Minimum requirements for admission to most medical and allied health professional schools include basic science courses in biology, chemistry, and physics. Basic science courses in the program are a semester long and consist of both a lecture and laboratory section. The course list below provides a baseline of “Typical Minimum Requirements for Health Professional Schools.”
To ensure that students take the appropriate courses beyond the baseline recommended courses below, they are advised to contact schools of interest prior to enrolling in the Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Health program for additional course requirements. Admission requirements vary among health professional schools and specific programs. The health professional schools themselves provide the most accurate and up-to-date source of information.
Students are encouraged to review the Health Professions page for more information and important online resources in the “Tools” box for each respective area of interest such as medicine, dentistry, physician assistant, etc.
Science course requirements vary for medical and allied health professional schools. Students are encouraged to meet with a pre-health advisor to discuss which courses should supplement the minimum requirements.
Careful planning and development of a strong application before applying to health professional schools, regardless of time to complete courses, is strongly recommended.
| Area | Subject/Course | Loyola Course Number |
|---|---|---|
| Biology | Biology I | BIOL 101/111 |
| Biology II | BIOL 102/112 | |
| Chemistry | Chemistry Structure & Properties w/lab | CHEM 160/161** |
| Chemical Reactivity I w/lab | CHEM 180/181*** | |
| Chemical Reactivity II w/lab | CHEM 240/241 | |
| Quantitative Methods in Chemistry w/lab | CHEM 260/261**** | |
| Physics | Physics I * | PHYS 111 & 111L (+) or PHYS 125 & 125L (++) |
| Physics II | PHYS 112 & 112L or PHYS 126 & 126L |
* Post-Baccalaureate students who need to take chemistry or physics courses must demonstrate proficiency in Precalculus I (Math 117) or a higher Math-level with a grade of B or better within the past five years prior to enrollment or, upon acceptance to the program, take the Math Placement Assessment and receive a score of 60 or higher.
**Enrollment in CHEM 160/161 requires students to have satisfactorily completed the Math 117 requirement prior to enrollment.
*** Enrollment in CHEM 180/181 requires students to have satisfactorily completed the Math 118 requirement prior to enrollment. As such, we recommend students who have not completed Math 118 or equivalent enroll in this class concurrently with 160/161.
****Enrollment in CHEM 260/261 requires students to have satisfactorily completed MATH 131 (or MATH 161) prior to enrollment.
(+) Enrollment in PHYS 111/111L requires students to have completed Math 118 or a higher Math level demonstrating proficiency prior to enrollment.
(++) Enrollment in PHYS 125/125L requires students to have completed Math 118 and concurrently enroll in Math 161 (Calculus I) unless they have demonstrated proficiency in Math 161 or a higher Math level prior to enrollment.
For description of:
- Biology courses see the Biology Department Course Catalog
- Chemistry courses see the Chemistry & Biochemistry Course Catalog
- Math courses see the Mathematics Course Catalog
- Physics courses see the Physics Department Course Catalog
The Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Health Program is designed for part-time students. Most students enrolled in the program take 4 - 11 credit hours per semester. Due to the sequencing structure of the science courses, it may take up to two or more years to complete the courses needed to apply to health professional schools. Enrolled students are typically working part-time, engaged in volunteer opportunities in order to complete their clinical experiences, and/or conducting research (optional) among an array of other experiences involving personal interests.
Sample Academic Plans
The Sample Academic Plans will vary depending on many factors such as Math placement, number of credit hours taken per semester, and other areas of interest. Meeting with the Post-baccalaureate advisor will help ensure a more personalized academic plan.
- These plans are intended as a sample to help Post-bacc students envision their academic path in preparation to a health professional school but is not comprehensive.
- Course sequencing may be impacted by math placement, course offerings, and repeating of classes, among other factors not listed.
- Health Professional schools typically require a grade of “C” or better among required courses for admission.
The Sample Academic Plans for those students enrolled for a Fall or Summer start can be accessed here: Post-baccalaureate Pre-Health Academic Plan.
Potential Electives
Loyola offers elective courses which are not required for the Post-Baccalaureate program but that may be required for particular medical or health professional schools. In addition, these classes may be of interest to students who want to further their own educational interests or meet specific health professional school admissions requirements.
Additional classes are suggested for the following health professions:
- Physician Assistant: Human Structure and Function I and II; Microbiology
- Medicine: Cell Biology; Genetics; Biochemistry
- Dentistry: Human Structure and Function I & II; Microbiology; Biochemistry
- For Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Optometry, Veterinary, Podiatry – Please refer to the recommended courses listed on our Health Professions page.
In addition to above course recommendations, it is important to review further pre-requisites for specific schools of interest.
Courses outside of the “Typical Minimum Requirements” will require advisor approval for students completing the "preparatory coursework" form.
| Area | Subject/Course | Loyola Course Number |
|---|---|---|
| Biology | Human Structure and Function I & II | BIOL 242/243 |
| Cell Biology | BIOL 251 | |
| Genetics | BIOL 282 | |
| General Microbiology | BIOL 302 | |
| Lab in Psychobiology | BIOL 313 | |
| Introductory Immunology | BIOL 315 | |
| General Virology | BIOL 318 | |
| Comparative Anatomy | BIOL 323 | |
| Human Anatomy | BIOL 342 | |
| Vertebrate Physiology | BIOL 350 | |
| Neurobiology | BIOL 362 | |
| Molecular Genetics | BIOL 382 | |
| Introduction to Pharmacology | BIOL 389 | |
| Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry | *BIOL 366 | |
| Chemistry | Principles of Biochemistry | *CHEM 361 |
| Mathematics | Applied Calculus I/II | MATH 131/132 |
| Philosophy | Action & Value: Medicine | PHIL 284 |
| Sociology | Sociology of Health Care | SOCL 225 |
| Theology | Moral Problems: Medical Issues | THEO 192 |
Please note that all the above, Potential Elective courses, have specific course requirements and may or may not be offered each semester. Please review department websites for details and plan accordingly.
*Biochemistry is included on the MCAT. Completing this course prior to taking the MCAT is strongly encouraged.
