After One Year, You’re Ready to Begin Medical School
Bryn Mawr offers a structured and comprehensive curriculum that fulfills — in one year — all the requirements you will need to apply to medical school. Over a 12-month period, you will carry a full-time load of courses in biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry and physics. This typically involves three laboratory sciences per semester during the academic year and, if needed, a two-semester laboratory science course during the summer session.

Flexible Enrollment
You may choose to enroll in the program in the summer or fall, whichever is most convenient as you make the transition to a new career in medicine. Students who begin their studies in the summer typically complete the program the following May, and take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) in the spring. Those starting in the fall usually finish the following summer, when they also take the MCAT.

Self-Scheduled Exams
Like all of the undergraduate and graduate students at Bryn Mawr, you have the freedom to decide when to schedule many of your examinations during the fall and spring semester examination periods. This is one of the privileges of the College’s Honor Code, which allows students to govern themselves and take responsibility for integrity in their academic and social behavior.

Elective Courses
If you have previously completed one of the core course requirements as an undergraduate, you may take an elective science or multidisciplinary course. Some of the more popular of these elective courses include Biochemistry, Developmental Biology, Genetics, Medical Anthropology, Neurobiology and Behavior, and the Sociology of AIDS, which includes an internship in education, service and outreach at AIDS and poverty agencies. You cannot choose to repeat science courses that you completed as an undergraduate to improve your academic record. In rare instances, you may be allowed to retake a course that you completed five or more years ago.

Typical Course Schedule for a Summer Start Date

Summer Session
General Chemistry or
Calculus (optional)

Fall & Spring Semesters
Biology
Organic Chemistry
Physics
Take MCAT in spring

Optional Extra Summer Session
Biochemistry (optional) or
Calculus (optional)

Typical Course Schedule for a Fall Start Date

Fall & Spring Semesters
Biology
General Chemistry
Physics

Summer Session
Organic Chemistry
Take MCAT in summer

CORE COURSES REQUIRED FOR MEDICAL SCHOOL

101. Introduction to Biology I: Molecules to Cells
A comprehensive examination of topics in micro- and macroevolution, biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, and genetics. Lecture three hours, laboratory three hours a week.

102. Introduction to Biology II: Organisms to Populations
A comprehensive examination of the biology of organisms: organismal diversity, physiology and developmental biology, and ecology. Lecture three hours, laboratory three hours a week.

103. General Chemistry
The atomic theory of matter; stoichiometry of chemical reactions; properties of gases, liquids and solids; phase changes; the electronic structure of atoms; chemical bonding; introduction to thermodynamics; the chemistry of representative nonmetallic elements. Lecture three hours, recitation one hour, laboratory three hours a week.

104. General Chemistry
A continuation of Chemistry 103. Ionic equilibria; introduction to chemical kinetics, electrochemistry and radiochemistry, and the chemistry of representative metallic elements. Lecture three hours, recitation one hour, laboratory three hours a week. Prerequisite: Chemistry 103.

211. Organic Chemistry
An introduction to the principles of organic chemistry, including synthetic and spectroscopic techniques. Lecture three hours, recitation one hour, laboratory five hours a week. Prerequisite: Chemistry 104.

212. Organic Chemistry
A continuation of Chemistry 211 with an exploration of complex chemical reactions and syntheses utilizing structure-reactivity principles. Lecture three hours, recitation one hour, laboratory five hours a week. Prerequisite: Chemistry 211.

101. Introductory Physics I
102. Introductory Physics II
Two introductory courses on the study of the physical universe. The emphasis is on developing an understanding of how we study the universe, the ideas that have arisen from that study, and on problem solving. Physics 101 typically includes topics from among Newtonian kinematics and dynamics, relativity , gravitation, fluid mechanics, and waves and sound. Physics 102 typically includes electricity and magnetism, electrical circuits, light and optics, quantum mechanics, atomic and nuclear physics, and particle physics and cosmology. Calculus is introduced and used throughout both courses. An effective and usable understanding of algebra and trigonometry is assumed. Lecture three hours, laboratory three hours a week.

ELECTIVE COURSES
Postbac students who have previously completed one of the core requirements may need to take an elective course in order to maintain a full course load. Below is a list of some of the popular elective courses.

Anthropology

210. Medical Anthropology
An examination of the linkages between culture, society, disease and illness. A wide range and distribution of health-related experiences, discourse, knowledge and practice among different societies and among different positionings within society are considered. Sorcery, witchcraft, herbal remedies, healing rituals, folk illnesses, modern disease, scientific medical perception, clinical technique and epidemiology are examined as diagnoses and therapies embedded within social forms and practices that are culturally informed and anchored in a particular historical moment. Prerequisite: Anthropology 102 or permission of instructor.

Biology

201. Genetics
An introduction to heredity and variation, focusing on topics such as classical Mendelian genetics, linkage and recombination, chromosome abnormalities, population genetics and molecular genetics. Examples of genetic analyses are drawn from a variety of organisms, including bacteria, viruses, Dropsophila and humans. Lecture three hours, laboratory three scheduled hours a week; some weeks require additional hours outside of the regularly scheduled lab. Prerequisites: Biology 101, 102 and Chemistry 103, 104.

202. Neurobiology and Behavior
An introduction to the attempt to understand behavior in terms of the nervous system. A brief overview of fundamental principles of nervous system structure is followed by consideration of several topics chosen to illustrate how studies of the nervous system illuminate behavior and studies of behavior contribute to better understanding of the nervous system. Examples cover a wide variety of invertebrate and vertebrate species, including humans. Lecture three hours a week. Prerequisites Biology 101, 102 or permission of instructor.

210. Biology and Public Policy
A lecture/discussion course on major issues and advances in biology and their implications for public-policy decisions. Topics discussed include reproductive technologies, genetic screening and gene therapy, environmental health hazards, and euthanasia and organ transplantation. Readings include scientific articles, public-policy and ethical considerations, and lay publications. Lecture three hours a week. Prerequisite: one semester of introductory biology or equivalent, or permission of instructor.

236. Evolution
A lecture/discussion course on the development of evolutionary thought, generally regarded as the most profound scientific event of the 19th century; its foundations in biology and geology; and the extent of its implications to many disciplines. Emphasis is placed on the nature of evolution in terms of process, product, patterns, historical development of the theory, and its applications to interpretations of organic history. Lecture three hours a week. Prerequisite: a 100-level science course or permission of instructors.

271. Developmental Biology
An introduction to animal embryology and the concepts of developmental biology. Concepts are illustrated by analyzing the experimental observations that support them. Topics include gametogenesis and fertilization, morphogenesis, cell fate specification and differentiation, regulation of gene expression, neural and behavioral development, and sex determination. The laboratory focuses on vertebrate embryology and involves study of prepared slides and observations and experiments on living embryos. Lecture three hours, laboratory three scheduled hours a week; most weeks require additional hours outside of the regularly scheduled lab.

303. Animal Physiology
A comprehensive study of the physical and chemical processes in tissues, organs and organ systems that form the basis of animal function. Homeostasis, control systems and the structural bases of function are emphasized. Laboratories are designed to introduce basic physiological techniques and the practice of scientific inquiry. Lecture three hours, laboratory three hours a week. Prerequisites: Biology 101, 102, Chemistry 103, 104, and one 200-level Biology course — Histology recommended.

341, 343. Introduction to Biochemistry
A course on the structure, chemistry and function of amino acids, proteins, lipids, polysaccharides and nucleic acids; enzyme kinetics; metabolic relationships of carbohydrates, lipids and amino acids, and the control of various pathways; and protein synthesis. Lecture three hours, laboratory three hours a week or library project. Prerequisite: Chemistry 212.

Mathematics

101, 102. Calculus with Analytic Geometry
Differentiation and integration of algebraic and elementary transcendental functions, with the necessary elements of analytic geometry and trigonometry; the fundamental theorem, its role in theory and applications, methods of integration, applications of the definite integral, infinite series. May include a computer lab component. Prerequisite: math readiness or permission of instructor.

104. Elements of Probability and Statistics
Basic concepts and applications of probability theory and statistics, including finite sample spaces, permutations and combinations, random variables, expected value, variance, conditional probability, hypothesis testing, linear regression and correlation. The computer is used; prior knowledge of a computer language is not required. This course may not be taken after any other statistics course. Prerequisite: math readiness or permission of the instructor.

Sociology

310. Sociology of AIDS and Internship
An analysis of major sociological issues related to AIDS, including the social construction of the disease, social epidemiology, the psychosocial experience of illness, public opinion and the media, and the health care system. The implications of political and scientific controversies concerning AIDS will be analyzed, as will the impact of AIDS on the populations most affected in both the United States and Third World countries.