What is Pre-med?
Pre-medical studies (pre-med) are a set of undergraduate courses students must complete in order to apply to medical schools that follow the American model of medical education, such as the Doctor of Medicine (MD) program at the American University of Beirut’s Faculty of Medicine (AUBFM).
Pre-med is not a major. Students at AUB Mediterraneo can pursue any major (for example, Psychology, Industrial Engineering, or Management) while completing these pre-med courses.
Some pre-med courses can be used to fulfill existing General Education requirements, while others will need to be taken as additional courses beyond the 240–246 ECTS normally required for a bachelor’s degree; for example, a BS in Psychology student would need to complete 18 ECTS in addition to the 240 ECTS in their major to complete the premed track described below. Careful planning is essential to fit them in without delaying graduation.
Because AUB Mediterraneo does not currently offer some lab-based courses, students may complete the laboratory components of certain premed courses (for example, Biology, Chemistry, Physics) at the AUB campus in Beirut during their required Beirut residency.
Students interested in medical school should meet with their academic adviser early in their first year to plan how to integrate the premed track into their degree.
Premedical Track Courses
The following is based on the AUB Faculty of Medicine admission requirements as of 2024–25.
For medical programs other than AUB’s, it is the responsibility of the student to ensure that the corresponding admission requirements are fulfilled through an appropriate course selection.
| Subject | ECTS | Courses | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biology | 14 | BIOL 201 General Biology I with Laboratory (8 ECTS)* BIOL 220 Introductory Biochemistry (6 ECTS)* | |
| Chemistry | 16 | CHEM 100 Chemical Principles (6 ECTS) CHEM 208 Brief Survey of Organic Chemistry (6 ECTS)** CHEM 209 Introductory Organic Laboratory (4 ECTS)* | |
| Computer Science | 6 | CMPS 101 Introduction to Programming (6 ECTS) | |
| English | 12 | ENGL 100 Academic English (6 ECTS) AND ENGL 101 Advanced Academic English (6 ECTS) OR ENGL 102 Technical English (6 ECTS) | |
| Physics | 8 | PHYS 206 Applied Physics for Life Sciences (6 ECTS)** PHYS 206L Applied Physics for Life Sciences Laboratory (2 ECTS)** | |
| Psychology | 6 | PSYC 101 Introduction to Psychology Science (6 ECTS) | |
| Sociology | 6 | SOAN 101 Introduction to Sociology (6 ECTS)** | |
| Humanities | 12 | Any two courses in the Cultures and Histories category of the General Education program. | |
| Total ECTS: | 80 |
Notes
- * These courses must be taken at AUB in Beirut as part of the student’s Beirut Residency requirement.
- ** These courses may be taken at AUB in Beirut or at AUB Mediterraneo starting Fall 2026–2027.