Academic Prerequisites

Obtaining a baccalaureate degree is strongly recommended for applicants to UT Southwestern; however, applicants may be admitted after completing 90 semester hours (or 134 quarter hours) at a  regionally accredited  U.S. or Canadian college or university.

Per the Texas Medical & Dental Schools Application Service (TMDSAS), all premedical requirements must have been completed at a regionally accredited U.S. or Canadian university/college. Foreign coursework will  not count toward meeting any of the prerequisites, even if transfer credit has been given for them by a U.S. or Canadian school. Applicants should refer to the TMDSAS Educational Requirements for further details. 

It is the responsibility of the applicant to complete all prerequisites prior to matriculating into Medical School. Questions regarding prerequisites should be directed initially to the premedical adviser at the applicant’s college or university and secondarily to the TMDSAS. If necessary, clarification should be obtained from the UT Southwestern Admissions Office, which has final authority to accept courses for prerequisite credit. 

The required course work is as follows:

English: One year of college English. A minimum of six semester credit hours is required with a grade of C or better. English courses must be approved by the English department for fulfillment of the general education English requirement for the baccalaureate degree. Remedial, developmental, and English as a Second Language courses are not accepted. Humanities or Social Science courses with significant expository writing may satisfy this requirement after review.

Biology: Two years as required for science majors. One year must include a formal laboratory experience. A minimum of 14 semester credit hours is required with grades of C or better, eight for year one with lab and six for the remainder, or 12 lecture hours and two lab hours. If two semesters of biochemistry are completed, one semester in biochemistry, as offered for science majors, will be accepted toward fulfilling one half-year of this biology requirement. Courses for non-science majors and courses taught for health-career majors (nursing, pharmacy, or health professions sciences) are not accepted.

Physics: One year, including laboratory as offered for science majors. A minimum of eight semester credit hours is required with grades of C or better. Any courses for non-science majors or health-career majors (nursing, pharmacy, or health professions sciences) are not accepted.

Chemistry: One half-year of general (inorganic) chemistry, including a corresponding laboratory experience for science majors, one year of organic chemistry for science majors (including corresponding laboratory experience in both semesters), and one half-year of biochemistry is required. A minimum of 15 semester credit hours is required with grades of C or better (four inorganic, eight organic, and three biochemistry). It should include experience in the laboratory and familiarity with analytic and volumetric techniques. Any courses for non-science majors or health-career majors (nursing, pharmacy, or health professions sciences) are not accepted.

Mathematics: One half-year of college calculus or statistics. A minimum of three semester credit hours is required with a grade of C or better. The calculus course may be taught by the math or physics department. Business calculus and precalculus are not accepted. The statistics course must be math-based and preferably taught in the math department. Business statistics and statistics taught in social sciences or education departments are not accepted.