Medicine

There are three main types of physicians: Medical Doctors (MDs), Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (DOs), and Doctors of Podiatric Medicine (DPMs). The first two types of physicians can provide care for any system in the human body, while a podiatrist (DPM) focuses exclusively on the lower legs and feet. All three physicians diagnose and treat patients for a range of medical issues, although a DO might also utilize preventive medicine and holistic patient care techniques. MDs and DOs train in specialties including radiology, allergy, immunology, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, emergency, dermatology, neurology, cardiology, pediatrics, geriatrics, family medicine, oncology, and many others.

The pre-med curriculum at South Dakota Mines is based primarily on the prerequisite requirements of the University of South Dakota School of Medicine and other regional medical schools. Whether you intend to pursue allopathic (MD), osteopathic (DO), or podiatric (DPM) medicine, successful completion of our pre-med curriculum and chosen electives will help you meet the expectations for admission. Add meaningful volunteer work, physician shadowing, internships, and strong scores on the MCAT to strengthen your application and reach your goal.

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Required Classes for Pre-Med

Required courses	CHEM 464 -- Biochemistry I & 464L Lab - 4
Entrance exam	MCAT exam
Suggested electives	Biol 488 Molecular immunobiology BIOL 487 Diagnostic parasitology BIOL 470 -- Cancer Biology BIOL 498 -- Undergraduate research PSYC 221 -- Lifespan Developmental Psychology - 3 PSYC 451 -- Psychology of Abnormal Behavior - 3
Shadowing hours	50-100 hours of medical shadowing generally required

 

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Required Classes for All Medical Majors

Biology courses	BIOL 151 -- General Biology I & 151L Lab - 4 BIOL 153 -- General Biology II & 153L Lab - 4 BIOL 221 -- Human Anatomy & 221L BIOL 326 -- Biomedical Physiology & 326L BIOL 331 -- Microbiology & 331L 381L Lab - 4 BIOL 371 -- Genetics & 371L Lab - 4
Chemistry courses	CHEM 112 -- General Chemistry I & 112L Lab - 4 CHEM 114 -- General Chemistry II & 114L Lab - 4 CHEM 326 -- Organic Chemistry I & 326L Lab - 5 CHEM 328 -- Organic Chemistry II & 328L Lab - 5
Math courses	MATH 123 -- Calculus - 4 MATH 281 -- Introductory Statistics - 3 or Math 381 Probability and Statistics
Physics courses	PHYS 111 -- Introduction to Physics I & 111L Lab - 4 PHYS 113 -- Introduction to Physics II & 113L Lab - 4
Social Science courses	PSYC 101 -- General Psychology - 3 SOC 100 -- General sociology
English courses	Met through SDBOR general education requirements
Suggested electives	BIOL 375 Current Bioethical issues Epidemiology (no course number yet) SOC 411 Licit and Illicit Drugs SOC 420 Alcohol Use and Abuse

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Student Resources

Professional Associations and Accreditation: Allopathic (MD) Medicine

• Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), Medical School 101
• AAMC Medical School Admissions Requirements
• Recommended Timeline for Application/Admission to Medical Schools
• Accredited Allopathic Medical Schools

Professional Associations and Accreditation: Osteopathic (DO) Medicine

• American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM), Become a Doctor
• Recommended Timeline for Application/Admission to Medical Schools
• Accredited Osteopathic Medical Schools

Professional Associations and Accreditation: Podiatric (DPM) Medicine

• American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine (AACPM), Becoming a Podiatric Physician
• Accredited Podiatric Medical Schools

Entrance Exam

Medical and podiatric schools require the Medical College Admission Test as an entrance exam. Learn more about the MCAT here.

Resources to Prepare for Medical and Podiatry School

• Applying to Medical School: Understanding the Process
• AspiringDocs.org
• StudentDoc.com
• Student Doctor Network
• National Society for Non-Traditional Pre-Medical and Medical Students
• Medical School Interviews (AAMC)
• Sample Med School Interview Questions (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

Selected Regional Programs – Allopathic (MD)

• Sanford School of Medicine - University of South Dakota Vermillion, SD
• Mayo Medical School Rochester, MN
• Carver College of Medicine - University of Iowa Iowa City, IA
• Creighton University School of Medicine Omaha, NE
• University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis and Duluth, MN
• University of North Dakota Grand Forks, North Dakota

Selected Regional Programs – Osteopathic (DO)

• Des Moines University, College of Osteopathic Medicine Des Moines, IA
• Kansas City University, College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine

Selected Regional Programs – Podiatry (DPM)

• Des Moines College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery
• Kent State University, College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, College of Podiatric Medicine

Consult the admissions/application web pages of the professional programs for information on required pre-requisite courses and admissions tests, application procedures, and application deadlines. Some professional/graduate programs will not accept AP or CLEP credits, online courses, or correspondence courses for the core science and math pre-requisite requirements. Many programs also require that all pre-requisite coursework be completed within a certain period of time, e.g., within 5 years prior to application. Policies vary by school and program. Be sure you know the requirements.

Contact Us

If you have questions about any of our pre-med programs, call (605) 394-2447.