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Prerequisite Courses
- Prerequisite Course Guide - Review this document to determine which courses at your institution will fulfill out prerequisite course requirements. Note: not all schools are listed.
- Access USF’s Course Inventory to review USF’s course descriptions for the prerequisites listed below.
Courses | Credits |
---|---|
Biochemistry (upper division) | 3 |
Calculus | 3 |
Cell or Molecular Biology (upper division) | 3 |
English* | 3 |
General Biology with labs | 8 |
General Chemistry with labs | 8 |
General Psychology or Sociology* | 3 |
Genetics | 3 |
Human Anatomy and Physiology with labs | 8 |
Humanities and Arts AND/OR Social Science* | 3 |
Microbiology | 3 |
Organic Chemistry with labs | 8 |
Statistics | 3 |
Total | 59 |
*Candidates who have earned at least an Associate's degree or Bachelor’s degree are expected to complete these courses as part of the general education core requirements for their Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree. However, it remains the candidates’ responsibility to ensure they have previously completed or plan to complete these courses at the time of applying.
Additional information
- All coursework (including online courses) must be taken at a 2 or 4-year regionally accredited institution within the US.
- Courses must be completed regardless of previous degrees earned.
- Courses must be completed with a grade of C or better (C- is not sufficient).
- Letter grades of Satisfactory (S) or Pass (P) due to COVID-19 will ONLY be accepted if taken during the Spring 2020, Summer 2020, and Fall 2020.
- If accepted into the Class of 2028, the deadline by when missing prerequisites must be completed is by late July 2024, the specific date will be updated on this webpage once the 2024-2025 academic calendar is finalized.
- AP and IB test scores may be used in lieu of coursework to fulfill prerequisites. AP coursework is accepted with a score of 3 or higher. IB coursework is accepted with a score of 4 or higher. Credit toward prerequisites is awarded if your AP test score (3, 4, or higher) or IB test score (4, 5, or higher) is reported on your official transcript. Admitted students may be asked to submit official score reports to the Office of Admissions if it is necessary to determine the score earned.
- General Education courses that are writing intensive OR Writing intensive General Education courses that may fulfill the English requirements at your institution will not meet the English prerequisite requirement; English courses must be taken with the English Department at or above the level of English Composition or English Literature (ESL courses will not be accepted).
- Applicants who attend a college on the quarter system should multiply the number of credits by .66 for translation into semester hours. Round partial credits of .5 and above up to the next semester hour; credits at .4 and below are rounded down.
- The human anatomy and physiology requirement may be met by a one-semester course in human anatomy and one-semester course in human physiology. A two-semester sequence of combined human anatomy and physiology courses is also acceptable.
- We do not double count credit hours. If credit hours are being used to satisfy one prerequisite requirement, they may not be double counted towards another prerequisite requirement.
Outdated coursework? Completion of prerequisite coursework will be critically reviewed by the Admissions Committee. The date when prerequisite courses were completed, particularly math and/or science coursework, as well as the grade earned in all prerequisite courses will be reviewed. Upon transcript review, you may be advised to retake a course(s) completed five or more years ago.