II. Premedical College Course
The requirements given below are strictly minimum requirements. Premedical
students are advised to take more than thirty session-hours of college work, either
by spending an additional year in college or by taking thirty-three or thirty-six
session-hours during their two years as college students. Entrance conditions of
any kind whatsoever are absolutely prohibited and no substitution can be allowed
for any required subject.
In addition to the high-school work specified above, a candidate for admission
to the Department of Medicine must present evidence of the completion in a manner
satisfactory to this medical school of at least thirty session-hours of collegiate
work in a college approved by the Council on Medical Education of the American
Medical Association. A session-hour is the credit value of one hour a week of
lecture or recitation or two hours a week of laboratory work throughout a session
of at least thirty-two weeks, exclusive of holidays. The subjects included in the
thirty session-hours of college work should be in accordance with the following
schedule:
Required Subjects:
|
Session-hours. |
| General Inorganic Chemistry (a) |
4 |
| Organic Chemistry (b) |
3 |
| Physics (c) |
4 |
| Biology (d) |
4 |
| English Composition and Literature (e) |
3 |
| Other non-science subjects (f) |
6 |
Subjects Strongly Urged:
French or German, Advanced Botany or Advanced Zoölogy, Psychology, Advanced
Algebra, Solid Geometry, and Trigonometry, additional courses in Chemistry.
Other Suggested Electives:
English (additional), Economics, History, Sociology, Political Science, Ethics,
Logic, Mathematics, Latin, Greek, Italian, Spanish, Drawing.
Credit Not Given for an Incomplete Course.
Credit can be accepted only when the student has a clear record on the entire
course; for example, if the course in general physics is a six session-hour course
consisting of three hours lecture and six hours laboratory weekly for three trimesters
and the student passes on two trimesters but fails on the third, no credit
for admission to medicine can be given for the portion of the subject passed, even
though the credit value of this work is four session-hours. In all cases the student
must have completed the entire subject for which he is registered. Deficiencies of
this kind may however be made up by obtaining a clear record in the portion of
the subject in which the failure has occurred, without repeating the entire course.
Requirements in Individual Collegiate Subjects
(a) General Inorganic Chemistry. Four session-hours are required, including
two session-hours of laboratory work. In the interpretation of this rule
work in qualitative analysis may be counted as general inorganic chemistry.
It is desirable that more time than this be given to general chemistry and
especially that either the elements of physical chemistry be included in a six
session-hour course in this subject or a supplementary course in elementary physical
chemistry be taken.
Students are also advised when their premedical work extends over more than
two sessions to take at least four session-hours of qualitative analysis and two
session-hours of quantitative analysis.
(b) Organic Chemistry. Three session-hours are required of which at least
one must be laboratory work. Four session-hours including two session-hours of
laboratory work are recommended as giving better preparation in organic chemistry.
(c) Physics. Four session-hours required, of which at least one must be
laboratory work. It is urged that this course be preceded by a course in trigonometry
and solid geometry.
(d) Biology. Four session-hours required, of which two must consist of
laboratory work. The requirement may be satisfied by a course of four session-hours
in general biology or zoölogy, or by courses of two session-hours each in
zoölogy and botany, but not by botany alone. Courses in physiology and hygiene,
sanitation, bacteriology, histology, and other similar work covered in the medical
curriculum cannot be accepted as part of the premedical college requirements in
biology.
(e) English Composition and Literature. The usual introductory college
course of three session-hours, or its equivalent, is required.
(f) Non-Science Subjects. Of the thirty session-hours required as the
measurement of two years of college work, at least nine, including three session-hours
of English, should be in subjects other than the physical, chemical, or biological
sciences.
Although not required for admission to the medical school, premedical students
are strongly urged to acquire the basic knowledge of French or German—
and preferably of both French and German—which will enable them with a little
practice to read with ease the medical literature published in these languages.
Apart from the cultural value of the study of a foreign language and the use
which may be found for French and German in the study of medicine, a reading
knowledge of one or both of these languages is required for certain desirable postgraduate
scholarships and fellowships. When the student presents for admission
to the premedical college course two units of high school work in either language,
the usual three session-hour "second year" college course will amply give this
basic knowledge. When he begins the study of the language in college, he should
take at least four, and preferably five, session-hours in the language.
College courses in Physical Training and in Military Training or Military
Science will not be counted towards the thirty session-hours required for admission
to medicine; nor will required courses in Bible and Biblical Literature be
counted, unless the course has a credit value of at least three session-hours for
one session.
No entrance conditions whatever can be allowed nor can any substitutions be
made for the required subjects. Premedical students in other colleges and universities
who are considering the possibility of entering upon their medical studies
in this University are urged to have the authorities of the University of Virginia
pass officially upon their academic credit early in their last premedical college
year and in no case later than June 1, of that year. Deficiencies may be discovered
in this way in time to remove them before the following September. Such students
will incur no obligation to enter this medical school. The prohibition of entrance
conditions in all Class A medical colleges makes it especially important for the
student to be absolutely sure six months or more beforehand that the course he
is taking will admit him to the study of medicine. Many deficiencies can be made
up by work in summer schools.
In planning two years of premedical college work students are advised to take
English, mathematics (solid geometry, plane trigonometry, and advanced algebra),
biology, and general inorganic chemistry the first year; and organic chemistry,
physics, foreign language, and one or more electives the second year. This arrangement
of studies is advised because mathematics should precede physics and
general inorganic chemistry must precede organic chemistry. Those who have to
take four or more session-hours of college work in foreign language may find it
advisable to take foreign language both years and take the mathematics in a summer
school following the first premedical college session.
Admission with Advanced Standing.—Students are admitted to advanced
standing in the second and third years under the following conditions:
1. Satisfaction of the requirements for entrance into this department at the
time of entrance of the class to which the applicant seeks admission.
2. The presentation of a certificate of honorable dismissal from the school last
attended.
3. The presentation of the complete record of the student in the school previously
attended, on blanks to be obtained from the Dean of the Department of
Medicine. This record will be submitted to the action of the Faculty Committee
on Advanced Standing, and the admission of the student, together with the terms
of admission, will be determined by this committee.
The Committee on Advanced Standing will not in general consider favorably
applications which are not accompanied by a distinctly good record in the school
previously attended. Only in case of illness or equivalent cause will it admit a
student to a year in which he has failed elsewhere and then only when, in the
judgment of his previous instructors, he would have succeeded but for his illness.
Whenever a student is admitted to advanced standing he must take and pass
the full work of the class to which he is admitted unless by permission of the
Dean he substitutes for one or more of the regular courses of his class other
courses of approximately the same credit value.
Students are not received with advanced standing to the fourth-year class.
Limitation of Numbers and Reservation of Places.—The number of students
in the first-year class is limited to sixty-five. Reservation of a place, if desired
by the applicant, can be made beforehand on the conditions hereinafter described.
At the time of registration, applicants will be registered in the order in which
they present themselves, until all vacancies are filled. Applicants who have not
made reservations, as described below, are therefore advised to apply for registration
at 9 o'clock of the first day of registration (September 12, 1929).
Any applicant whose record has been endorsed by the Dean of the Department
of Medicine as entitling him to admission to the class to which he seeks admittance,
may at any time after June 25 and before the registration period in September
have a place reserved for him until 12:00 noon of the first day of registration
by depositing with the Bursar the sum of $50.00 in part payment of the
tuition fee. A reservation so made can be cancelled only in exceptional cases.
In case a student who has obtained a reservation fails to register, the deposit of
$50.00 will be forfeited to the University unless, in case of illness or equivalent
cause, the Dean of the Department of Medicine directs that it be returned.
By the deposit, under similar conditions, of the entire fees for the year a
student may have a place reserved for him until 5 p. m. of the last day of registration.
Women over twenty years of age are admitted to the medical department by
satisfying the entrance requirements specified above.
