Physician Coursework
Common Courses for DO/MD programs in VA
Biology (2 semesters)
Chemistry (4 semesters)
Physics (2 semesters)
Specific Program Course Requirements
Important Point 1: Most programs will require MORE than completion of a set of prerequisite courses! Students should always check the website of the program of interest for all requirements (e.g., exams, experiences, letters).
Important Point 2: The information below is meant to be helpful by collecting this information in one place. Please be aware that each school has its own required courses for admission and they may change them without notice. Please check the website of the program in which you are interested for the most current information.
Any errors in the information below are solely the responsibility of HCAB.
Via College of Osteopathic Medicine
| VCOM Required Courses |
Required Credit Hours | Roanoke Equivalent(s) |
| Biological Sciences | 4 | BIOL 106 or BIOL 180 |
| Physics | 6 |
PHYS 102 AND PHYS 104 or PHYS 103 AND PHYS 104 or PHYS 201 AND PHYS 202 |
| General and Inorganic Chemistry | 6 | CHEM 111 AND CHEM 112 |
| Organic Chemistry (or biochemistry) | 6 | CHEM 221 AND CHEM 222 |
| English Composition | 6 | INQ 110 AND INQ 120 |
| Biomedical science courses at the 200 level or higher | 9 | Option include (but not limited to) BIOL 230, BIOL 260, BIOL 290, BIOL 305, CHEM 341, BIOL 370, BIOL 235, BIOL 315 |
| Liberty Required Courses |
Required Semesters |
Roanoke Equivalent(s) |
| Biochemistry or Cellular Biology | 1 (3-5 semester hours) | CHEM 341 or BIOL 210 (note prerequisites) |
| Biological Sciences | 2 (8-10 semester hours) |
BIOL 106 AND BIOL 180 or BIOL 110, BIOL 180, and BIOL 190 or BIOL 210 AND BIOL 315 |
| English | 2 (6-10 semester hours) | INQ 110 AND INQ 120 |
| General Chemistry | 2 (8-10 semester hours) | CHEM 111 AND CHEM 112 |
| Organic Chemistry | 2 (8-10 semester hours) | CHEM 221 AND CHEM 222 |
| Physics | 1 (4-5 semester hours) | PHYS 102 or PHYS 103 or PHYS 201 |
| Additional Science hours | 1 (4 semester hours) | Including but not limited to BIOL 230, BIOL 260, BIOL 370, BIOL 315 |
Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University
| ODU Required Courses |
Required time |
Roanoke Equivalent(s) |
| General Biology with lab | 1 year |
BIOL 106 AND BIOL 180 or BIOL 110, BIOL 180, and BIOL 190 or BIOL 210 AND BIOL 315 |
| General Chemistry with lab | 1 year | CHEM 111 AND CHEM 112 |
| Organic Chemistry with lab | 1 year | CHEM 221 AND CHEM 222 |
| Physics | 1 year |
PHYS 102 AND PHYS 104 or PHYS 103 AND PHYS 104 or PHYS 201 AND PHYS 202 |
| Highly recommended: Biochemistry | CHEM 341 |
UVA does not have any specific course requirements for admission to their MD program. They recommend the following courses:
| UVA Recommended Courses |
Required Credit Hours | Roanoke Equivalent(s) |
| Cell Biology | BIOL 210 (note prerequisites) | |
| Biochemistry | CHEM 341 (note prerequisites) | |
| Human Behavior | ||
| Statistics | INQ 240 or STAT 210 |
Virginia Commonwealth University
| VCU Required Courses |
Required Credit Hours | Roanoke Equivalent(s) |
| English (writing-intensive) | 6 | INQ 110 AND INQ 120 |
| Mathematics or statistics | 6 | 2 of INQ 240, STAT 210, MATH courses |
| Biological science with lab | 8 |
BIOL 106 AND BIOL 180 or BIOL 110, BIOL 180, and BIOL 190 or BIOL 210 AND BIOL 315 |
| General or Introductory Chemistry with lab | 8 | CHEM 111 AND CHEM 112 |
| Organic Chemistry with lab | 8 | CHEM 221 AND CHEM 222 |
| General or Introductory Physics with lab | 8 |
PHYS 102 AND PHYS 104 or PHYS 103 AND PHYS 104 or PHYS 201 AND PHYS 202 |
| Upper-level Biological Science | 4 | 1 of (but not limited to) CHEM 341, BIOL 210, BIOL 230, BIOL 260, BIOL 315, BIOL 235, BIOL 400, BIOL 370 |
| Highly recommended: Psychology | INQ 260PY or PSYC 101 | |
| Sociology | INQ 260SO or SOCI 101 |
| VTC Required Courses | Required Semesters |
RC Equivalent(s) |
| General Biology with lab | 2 |
BIOL 106 AND BIOL 180 or BIOL 110, BIOL 180, AND BIOL 190 BIOL 210 AND BIOL 315 |
| General Inorganic Chemistry with lab | 2 | CHEM 111 AND CHEM 112 |
| Organic Chemistry with lab | 2 | CHEM 221 AND CHEM 222 |
| Physics with lab | 2 |
PHYS 102 AND PHYS 104 or PHYS 103 AND PHYS 104 or PHYS 201 AND PHYS 202 |
| Mathematics | 2 |
MATH 121 or MATH 122 or MATH 121 AND INQ 240 or STAT 210 |
| English/Writing | 2 | INQ 110 AND INQ 120 |