UA College of Medicine-Tucson Prerequisites

Any course with "Statistics" in the title, including (but certainly not limited to) the following:

• MATH 263 - Biostatistics
• BIOS 376 - Introduction to Biostatistics
• ECOL 379 - Evidence-Based Medicine
• BME 376 - (Open to BME Students only)

• Any two courses from "PSIO" department are accepted, like PSIO 201 and 202
• BIO 201 and 202 courses from Arizona Community Colleges are accepted for this requirement as well

This includes any course with "Physiology" in the title, including the following (list to be updated as we discover more courses - ask a pre-health advisor):

• ECOL 437 - Vertebrate Physiology
• MIC 328R - Microbial Physiology
• NSCS/NROS 307 - Cellular Neurophysiology
• NROS 330 - Principles of Neuroanatomy: Cells to Systems
• NSCS/NROS 418 - Fundamental Principles in Systems Neuroscience
• NURS 350 - Pathophysiology
• PSY 401A/501A - Principles of Psychophysiology

NOTE: Acceptable physiology courses with "physiology" in the title cannot simply be physiology lab courses but must include a lecture component. This usually means a course that is 3 or more units.

NOTE: Though all the above options are fully accepted without concern, PSIO 201 & 202 is the preferred option at UArizona for College of Medicine Tucson. See PDF at the bottom of the page for more detail. This document is from August 2019 from the UA Physiology Department (contact the UA Physiology Department with further questions).

• BIOC 384 and 385 (BIOC majors at UA take different BIOC courses and these work too)

      or

• BIOC 384 or 385 and one of the following:
  • ECOL 223 - Human Genetics & Evolution (though accepted, a 300-400 level genetics course may be better preparation for medical school)
  • ECOL 320 - Genetics
  • ECOL 430 - Conservation Genetics (cross listed with WFSC and GENE)
  • MCB 301 - Molecular Basis of Life
  • MCB 304 - Molecular Genetics
  • MIC 428R - Microbial Genetics
  • NROS 430 - Neurogenetics
  • NSCS 440 - Mechanisms of Neural Development
  • PCOL 473 - Pharmacogenomics
  • PLS 312 (cross listed with ACBS, ANS, VSC) - Animal and Plant Genetics

NOTE ON LIST: List to be modified as additional courses are approved; ask your Pre-Health Advisor if you feel a course could work in one of these disciplines but is not listed here.

NOTE ON UNIT REQUIREMENTS: Courses in this category must be 3 or more units, including the courses below:

• BIOC 466 - Biochemistry of Nucleic Acids (not offered after spring semester 2020)
• BME 481b - Cell & Tissue Engineering (BME Students only)
• BME 486 - Biomaterial-Tissue Interactions (BME Students only)
• CHEE 477R - Microbiology for Engineers (may be restricted)
• CMM 404 - Cell Biology of Disease
• CMM 410 - Human Histology
• CMM 425A - Functional Human Histology
• ECOL 326 - Genomics
• IMB 401 - Medical Microbiology and Immunology
• MCB - Any 300-400 level MCB course, EXCEPT MCB 310 and 404 or any independent study, internship or preceptorship class (or other house-numbered course). Though MCB courses focused on other topics fulfill this requirement, they recommend human/animal-based courses if possible as these may be better preparation for medical school. Options include (but are not limited to):
  • MCB 305 - Cell and Developmental Biology
  • MCB 410 - Cell Biology
• MIC - Any 300-400 level MIC course, EXCEPT any independent study, internship or preceptorship class (or other house-numbered course). Though MIC courses focused on other topics fulfill this requirement, they recommend human/animal-based courses if possible as these may be better preparation for medical school. Options include (but are not limited to):
  • MIC 419 - Immunology
  • MIC 428R - Microbial Genetics
  • MIC 432 - Comparative Immunology (cross-listed as ECOL, MCB, ENTO, ACBS 432
• NSCS/NROS 307 - Cellular Neurophysiology
• NROS 310 - Molecular and Cellular Biology of Neurons
• NROS 412 - Molecular Mechanisms of learning and Memory
• NURS 350 - Pathophysiology
• PCOL 320 - What's Your Poison? Toxicology of Substances that Surround Us
• PCOL 406 - Comprehensive Human Pharmacology
• PHCL 412 - Introduction to Pharmacology
• PHCL 422 - Introduction to Toxicology
• PHCL 442 - Human Performance Pharmacology
• PHCL 445 - Drugs of Abuse
• PHCL 452 - Substance Abuse Disorder & Addiction
• PSIO 303 - Integrative Cellular Physiology
• PSIO 427 - Metabolism & Disease (Cell Bio or Pathology)
• PSIO 431 - Physiology of the Immune System
• PSIO 484 - Cardiovascular Muscle Biology & Disease (Molecular Bio)
• PSY 313 - Drugs and the Brain
• PSY 413 - Drugs, Brain and Behavior
• PSY 485 - Psychoneuroimmunology

NOTE ON FLEXIBLE OPTIONS: A student who completes 2 semesters of BIOC (see drop-down above) can take 1 semester of Genetics (including lower-division genetics) toward this requirement and so requires just 1 additional upper-division course from this list. This creates 3 options with biochemistry, genetics and upper-division discipline requirements:

• Option 1 = 1 Biochemistry course + 1 Genetics course + 2 upper-division courses from this list
• Option 2 = 2 Biochemistry courses + 2 upper-division courses from this list
• Option 3 = 2 Biochemistry + 1 Genetics course + 1 upper-division course from this list

NOTE ON "DISCIPLINES": In most situations, these principles can be used to determine if a course works as a different discipline (but please ask your pre-health advisor if you aren't sure):

1. If the name of the discipline (e.g. Immunobiology) is listed in the title or course description, it can be used for that discipline requirement.
2. If the name of more than one discipline is listed in the title or course description, it can be used for either one but not both (e.g. a course that lists both molecular and cellular biology in the title/description).

NOTE ON “DISCIPLINES” and PREFIXES: Generally, courses must have different prefixes in order to be considered different disciplines; however, there are many instances in which courses with the same prefix can be accepted (see list below). There are also instances in which courses with different prefixes are in the same discipline and so cannot both be accepted (see list below). These lists will be updated as we learn of new examples.

Courses with the SAME prefix but considered different disciplines:

• BME 481B & BME 486 (Pharmacology v Molecular Biology)
• MCB 301 & MCB 304 (Cell Biology v Molecular Biology)
• MCB 301 & MCB 305 (Molecular Biology v Cell Biology)
• MCB 410 & MCB 411 (Cell Biology v Molecular Biology)
• MIC 419 & MIC 428R (Immunobiology v Microbiology)
• NROS 310 & NROS 412 (Cell Biology v Molecular Biology)
• PSIO 303 & PSIO 431 (Cell Biology v Immunobiology)
• PSY 313/413 & PSY 485 (Pharmacology v Immunobiology)

Courses with DIFFERENT prefixes but considered the same discipline. A course whose title includes the same discipline as another is likely considered as being in that same discipline:

• PSY 313/413 & PCOL 406 (all pharmacology)
• PSY 313/413 & PHCL 412/422/442/445 (all pharmacology)
• PSIO 431 & PSY 485 (both immunobiology)

NOTE ON CROSS-LISTED COURSES: Upper-division courses may be cross-listed in other departments and these courses are accepted by UA COMT, but taking the course with the prefix on this list or in the discipline in which you hope the course will be used is a little easier for those reviewing transcripts. Refer to the catalog to review whether a course is cross-listed.

NOTE ON MCB COURSES: If you are not an MCB major, contact the advisors for MCB for support enrolling in an upper-division MCB course for which you meet the prerequisites