Approximately two-thirds of Brown students aspiring to the health professions choose to take one or more years off from school before beginning their professional training. In doing so, they are able to spread their required courses over four years of undergraduate study. This "four-year plan" allows more flexibility in course selection (including study abroad options) and more time to develop a strong set of clinical, research, and other activities.

If you wish to enter medical school or some other health profession training program in the fall after you graduate from Brown, you must complete all of your required pre-med or health profession courses by the end of your junior year. You should also have taken any required standardized tests (MCAT, DAT, etc.) by that time and have a well-developed portfolio of clinical, research, and other extracurricular activities. 

Below are four sample plans of study for completing your medical school/health professions school requirements. The first two plans spread the requirements over four years, while the second two plans compress requirements into a three-year span. Note that neither plan includes courses for the English requirement (typically two courses) or the Social and Behavioral Sciences (typically two courses). Remember, too, that requirements are not uniform across all medical/health professions schools. Finally, remember that these are sample plans. You should develop a plan in consultation with your advisors that reflects your own interests and needs. 

Before reading over these plans, view the list of Brown courses that fulfill health and medicine school requirements.

Four Year Plan Sample Programs*

Time Period	Sample I	Sample II
Year 1	Fall--CHEM 0330, math course (if no AP)                       Spring--CHEM 0350, BIOL 0200 (if no AP), math (if no AP)	Fall--math course (if no AP), CHEM 0100  Spring--math course (if no AP), BIOL 0200
Year 2	Fall--CHEM 0360                 Spring--BIOL w/lab	Fall--CHEM 0330 Spring--CHEM 0350
Year 3	PHYS 0030- 0040 and BIOL 0280 as fourth chemistry course	Fall--CHEM 0360       Spring--BIOL w/lab and BIOL 0280 as fourth chemistry course
Year 4	MCAT, DAT, etc. spring of senior year	Fall--PHYS 0300   Spring--PHYS 0400**; MCAT, DAT, etc.
Summer Following Graduation	Complete applications	Complete applications
Fall- Spring Following Graduation	Interviews at schools and decisions	Interviews at schools and decisions

 

Three Year Plan Sample Programs*

Time Period	Sample I	Sample II
Year 1	Fall--CHEM 0330, math course Spring--CHEM 0350, math (if no AP) and BIOL 0200 (if no AP)	Fall--math course (if no AP), CHEM 0100 Spring--math course (if no AP), BIOL 0200 (if no AP)
Year 2	Fall--CHEM 0360 Spring--BIOL course w/lab and BIOL 0280	Fall--CHEM 0330, BIOL course w/lab Spring--CH 0350
Year 3	Fall--PHYS 0300 Spring--PHYS 0400, MCAT, DAT, etc.	Fall--CHEM 0360, PHYS 0030 Spring--PHYS 0040, BIOL 0280***, MCAT, DAT, etc.
Summer	Complete applications	Complete applications
Year 4	Complete additional chemistry or other courses  Interviews at schools and decisions	Interviews at schools and decisions

*Neither plan includes courses for the English requirement or the social and behavioral sciences necessary for the MCAT. Also, requirements are not always uniform from school to school. If you need to complete additional requirements, we suggest doing so during senior year. If you wish to study abroad, junior year or a summer may be optimal. No courses completed abroad count for admission requirements. Plan your course work, activities, and MCAT accordingly. Approximately two-thirds of Brown applicants follow the four-year plan. Nationally 63% of applicants admitted to MD programs followed a four-year or longer plan. 

**Sample II of the Four-Year Plan: You will be covering PHYS 0040 content knowledge while studying for the MCAT or DAT. Take the exam as late as feasible in the spring so you gain the knowledge you need.

***Sample II of the accelerated Three Year Plan: Because BIOL 0280 is necessary for the MCAT it is highly inadvisable to study for or take the MCAT before completing the courses. This sample is better suited to applicants to other health professional programs.