Are you looking for a great pre-med degree? There’s a lot of great options out there, but if you’re looking for a strong foundation in medical knowledge and helpful skills in an adjacent field, then you should consider public health science.
Plenty of students have chosen this as their pre-med degree and found their spot in medical school, but they had to plan their courses carefully to fulfill the prerequisites for your dream school. This article explains what courses you need for medical school, the ones public health doesn’t cover, and whatever else you need for your application.
Prerequisites for Medical School
Most medical schools will have similar prerequisite courses, especially in biology and chemistry. Depending on the school, the courses will vary, but in general, you can expect classes like:
- Behavioral Sciences
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Biochemistry
- Physics
- Math
- Writing
What Public Health Science Covers
Majoring in public health science makes sure that you cover a lot of these courses already, but it also gives you a background in courses like:
- Human Diseases
- Drugs of Use and Abuse
- Health Disparities
- Emergency Management
- Epidemiology
- Environmental Health
- Biostatistics
What Public Health Science Doesn’t Cover
Public health gives you a well-rounded education when it comes to medicine, but it doesn’t really spend a lot of time on some of the other prerequisites. The good news, though, is that your degree comes with electives courses already built in, so you can take the classes you need or want.
If you want to strengthen your application, take classes in:
- Human Physiology
- Biochemistry
- Molecular Genetics
- Histology
- Pathophysiology
- Research Writing
- Leadership
- General Business or Finance
- Public Speaking
- Humanities
What Else Do I Need for Medical School?
Getting into medical school is more than academic courses. Admissions looks at stuff outside of your academic career, so if you want a good chance for getting into medical school, you should look beyond your classes. For the most part, medical schools want to see:
- Volunteer work
- Research experience
- Internships
- Leadership roles
- Shadowing or clinical experience
- Letters of recommendation
If you want to get some ideas about how to get experience in these areas, reach out to your academic advisor. They have plenty of good advice, resources, and insight that can set you up on your path.
Making Your Path from Public Health to Medical School
In short, if you want to go to medical school, you can choose whatever pre-med degree that interests you, even public health. And it’s a great one to choose, because it gives you valuable knowledge about health systems, communities, and disease prevention—not just patient needs. You’ll still have to meet the medical school prerequisites with some extra science and math courses, but public health is a great path to choose on your way to the medical field.
Citations
Harvard Medical School — Prerequisite Courses for Medical School Admission
BYU–Idaho — Academic Program Catalog
Student Doctor Network — Ten College Classes Every Pre-Med Should Take
American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine — 10 Tips to Improve Your Medical School Application