Art Major... Pre-Med Student???

I know you can major in whatever you want for applying to medical school, and art is my passion. But would I be able to go to an art university like Pratt, and be able to complete my prerequisites? I’ve had trouble researching this issue because I am still not completely sure how many classes I would be taking each year in college, and how many of those classes would be “art classes” and “normal classes” because they implement art into almost all of their courses. I believe that they have the required courses I need ( general bio, physics, stats, lang,) but NYU school of medical, a school I am looking into applying to after art school. recommends(but its not required) organic, inorganic, and biochemistry. I know other schools require these classes and I am not sure if they’re available. I know it sounds very specific and odd, trust me. But i am just so confused. (Also yes, i enjoy being nontraditional; it’s risky but I have a different perspective than most other med students, so, that’s something).

Pratt Institute doesn’t offer the science classes you need to take to meet med school admission requirements. You would need to take your pre-med science classes at another university, probably after you’ve completed your art degree.

This is something you will need to check for any art schools you think you may apply to. The school MUST offer a BA/BS level science degree in biological and physical sciences. Because all pre-med regardless of their undergrad major must take the exact same science courses as a science major.

Most purely art school won’t offer this. You will probably need to look at art programs within a larger university in order to major in visual art and still have the opportunity to complete pre-med coursework. The other option would be to attend an art school for your undergrad degree, but then do a 2 year post-bacc program where you’d take all your science classes after you’ve graduated.


The number of classes required for degree completion varies somewhat from college to college, but generally you need 120 credits to graduate with a baccalaureate degree. Off those 120 credits, at least 60 credits --or half your undergrad courses-- would be in your major field. The other 60 credits will be spread among your general education requirements and any co-requisistes for your major. Co-requisites are courses required to fulfill your major’s graduation requirements that aren’t directly in your major. (Like painting/drawing majors may be required to take a human anatomy class.) GE requirements will vary from college to college but typically include writing skills, oral communications/public speaking, foreign languages, plus distribution requirements. (EX. an engineer might be requires to take some literature and social science classes. A history major will be required to take some art and science classes.)


I wouldn’t rely on just meeting NYU’s admission requirements. NYU is one of THE most difficult med school in the entire country to get admitted to due its free tuition. It is tied with WashU for the highest median MCAT score in the country. (422–which above the 98th percentile.)

BTW, in med school speak recommended = required. (The courses are listed as recommended because the med school will accept more advanced coursework in the same subject areas in place of the recommended coursework.)

The competition to get into medical school is fierce. You will need to apply widely to 20+ schools all over the country in hopes of getting single acceptance. This means to you need to be able to meet the admission requirements of as many med schools as possible.

You will need:
1 year of general chemistry with labs
1 years of organic chemistry with labs
1 semester of biochemistry
1 year of introductory biology with labs
1 year of physics with labs
1 semester of statistics or biostatistics
1 semester of “college level” mathematics (AKA Calc 1)
1 semester of intro psychology
1 semester of intro sociology
2 semester of writing skills (does not include creative writing or similar classes)

Total credits= 60

NOTE: the required sciences and math course MUST be the same exact science and math classes that a bio or chem or physics major would take. They cannot be things like the chemistry of color or the physics of light. The courses cannot even be organic chemistry for nursing and allied health sciences.

Not all schools require all of these classes, but most medical schools do.

A few medical schools require even more classes than those listed above–Calc 2 and Calc 3, human anatomy, human physiology, genetics, cellular & molecular biology, medical ethics are fairly common additional requirements

Even if all of the classes in my list above aren’t required by a particular school, this doesn’t mean you can skip the class. You probably will not be able to earn an A in biochem without first taking 2 semesters of organic chemistry. Not all med school require stats, but stats is tested on the MCAT. Not all medical schools require psych and soc, but an entire section of the MCAT (25% of your grade) is devoted to human behavior as explained by sociology and psychology. So those are classes you really can’t skip even if they aren’t formally required.

So you will have 60 credits in art, plus 60 credits of pre-med plus how ever many GE credits your university requires for graduation. There may be some small amount of overlap with GEs and pre-med requirements, but you will still need to take additional GE credits to meet graduation requirements. This means it will probably require an extra year of undergrad to get everything done.

Also keep in mind that becoming a strong candidate for med school is more than just having the “right” classes. You will also need a strong MCAT score plus LORs from your science professors and the right ECs.

All med school applicants are expected to have all of the following ECs–

● physician shadowing–especially in primary care specialties
● clinical volunteering
● community service with disadvantaged populations
● leadership roles in your activities
● clinical or lab bench research (least important, but if you’re planning to applying to NYU you’re expected to have research as well everything else…)

Correction to above–

NYU’s median MCAT is 522–which is above the 99th percentile.

(I should not type after 1 am)

First of all, I really want to thank you for responding to my question, especially in as much detail as you did. I didn’t expect a response at all, and had just put my feeling out in response to a lost hope I had. By the sound of it, I can’t expect myself to go to an art university and med school together. There is no better way to put it then… that sucks. Although unprofessional, it’s the only way to phrase how I am feeling. I know many people say how if medicine is not your number one passion, you shouldn’t think about applying to med school, but both art and medicine are passions of mine, and are much more than just mere hobbies. But I was expecting this response, because i’ve never heard of anybody doing the unspeakable. And so now I am at a crossroads, because I love both pathways equally and having to choose one is difficult. I am going to be a junior next year, so the decision is close by. I am asking you, what do you think I should pursue? I have family pressure, but I truly couldn’t care less. I know you don’t know me, but can you help me come up with a plan? Because I am lost and rounds of school counselors can’t help me. Even if you cannot, thank you so much for helping me as much as you have; it may not seem as useful as you think, but it really is.

Well, it is possible to do both, but would take either a formal post-bac or a self-directed one. An ultimately successful applicant I know had a BA with few required med school courses; she worked for a couple of years and took the required courses, took the MCAT, did all the other things, and was accepted at and attended medical school and is now in residency.

There are schools like Bryn Mawr and Georgetown which offer a formal program

That’s a very long range plan, but it is possible. So don’t view it as “unspeakable” but instead “very difficult but possible.”

@PreMedonna

I’m sorry if I discouraged you. That wasn’t my intent. I just wanted to makes sure you understood what the challenges are going forward.

It is possible for an art major to go to medical school, but you are going to need to find some way to get the science and math classes you’ll need for med school.

I see three possible paths:

  1. major in Fine Arts at a university that offers broad range of majors. Perhaps at your state U or some other university or college that has a strong art department. Double major in visual arts and take your pre-med requirements at the same time. This may extend your undergrad time by an extra year to accommodate both.

  2. go to art school, graduate, then enroll in a post-bacc program to complete your med school requirements. A post bacc can be a formal structured program through a college or university or an informal, do-it-yourself one.

  3. major in biology (or some field that compatible with pre-med), minor in visual arts in college.

Sooner or later you are going to have choose one path or the other, But just because you’ve chosen one, this doesn’t mean you have to abandon the other.

My older is daughter is talented artist; she’s also a physician. When she was a HS junior she wanted to major in visual arts in college. Ultimately she decide not to (long boring story…). She has not abandoned art. She pursues it at a high level hobbyist level. She still paints and draws in a her free time. She takes private lessons in oil & acrylic painting. Someday when she has more time (i.e. after she retires from medicine) she will probably pursue painting as her second career.

I can’t tell you what to do or how to deal with your family’s pressure because I am a stranger on the internet who doesn’t know you or know the dynamics of your family.

If you family is pressuring you away from art (as I suspect they are from your post), you might offer to do minor in a more employable field–like business, (art) education, commercial design or something similar. It’s a compromise, I know, but parents worry about how our children will be able to support themselves after college. We want to see our children with a comfortable life and there are too many stories about “starving artists”.

Personal note: D1 did not pursue medicine from her first moment she stepped foot on campus. She didn’t decide to pursue medicine until she was a senior in college. She did a do-it-yourself post bacc and was successful in getting a med school acceptance.

As her parent I have very mixed feelings about her (and her sisters’) decision to pursue medicine. While it is a well-compensated and often well respected profession, it’s also a very difficult one. The hours are long & exhausting --physically, emotionally, spiritually. I keep thinking there are so many easier ways to earn than living than by becoming physician.

Check out the Brown Program in Liberal Medicine and its joint program with RISD?

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