undergradly.
Major · Health Professions

Building the prerequisites for medical, osteopathic, or podiatric school

Pre-Medicine/Pre-Medical Studies (CIP 51.1102) prepares you for admission to a professional program in medicine, osteopathic medicine, or podiatric medicine. About 1,018 students complete it across 112 institutions, with five-year median earnings of $60,507 — but the credential is explicitly a launching pad: the bachelor’s isn’t the destination, professional school is.

Schools offering
112
Annual completions
1,018
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$61k

About this major

Pre-Medicine/Pre-Medical Studies (CIP 51.1102) prepares you for admission to a professional program in medicine, osteopathic medicine, or podiatric medicine. The CIP definition is short and explicit — the credential is structured around the prerequisites medical schools require: general and organic chemistry, biochemistry, general biology, physics, mathematics or statistics, English composition, and increasingly psychology and sociology following the 2015 MCAT redesign. At many institutions Pre-Medicine functions as a track or advising designation atop a biology or biochemistry major; at the 112 institutions that label the bachelor’s under 51.1102 specifically, it’s a structured prerequisite-focused program with additional health-sciences breadth.

The major fits students committed to applying to medical, osteopathic, or podiatric school — typically with the seriousness that commitment requires: strong science-and-math aptitude, sustained study habits across organic chemistry and biochemistry, willingness to accumulate hundreds of hours of clinical and research experience during undergrad, and the patience to navigate a multi-cycle application process. Because the credential is a launching pad rather than a destination, the major rewards students who treat the bachelor’s as scaffolding for the MCAT, application narrative, and downstream professional-school decision.

One grounded observation about scale and the labor-market structure: 1,018 students complete this CIP across 112 institutions, with bachelor’s grads earning a five-year median of $64,284 — a figure that reflects a heterogeneous mix of medical students still in training (whose stipends and resident wages stay low at year 5), clinical research and scribe roles ($35-50K typical), and pivots into nursing, PA, or biotech. The careers list is intentionally empty because the next step is professional school, not direct labor-market entry. Top producers span major research universities (Arizona State 213 completions, Notre Dame 62, Penn State Main 48), health-sciences-focused universities (MCPHS 96, Thomas Jefferson 52), and associate’s-level transfer feeders (San Juan College, Howard College, Austin Community College District). Related pre-professional CIPs — Pre-Nursing Studies (51.1105, 2,197 completions), Pre-Physician Assistant (51.1111), Pre-Physical Therapy Studies (51.1109), Pre-Pharmacy Studies (51.1103) — function as adjacent and often used as fallback pathways.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

No federal crosswalk data available for this major yet.

Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$61k

Associate's vs Bachelor's — early-career earnings

Associate's

$54k

Bachelor's

$64k

Who this major is for

Good signs this major fits: you’re committed to applying to medical, osteopathic, or podiatric school, and you’ve thought through the 7-12-year arc to attending physician status; you’re strong in science and mathematics, particularly chemistry and biology, and you’re willing to maintain a high GPA through organic chemistry and biochemistry; you’re willing to invest hundreds of hours in clinical experience (volunteer, scribe, EMT, MA work) and research experience during undergrad to build a competitive application; you’re prepared for multi-cycle applications and the patience the process requires; and you’ve confirmed the institution publishes its medical-school matriculation-rate data and offers strong pre-health advising and MCAT support.

Reasons to pause: medical-school acceptance rates run roughly 40-45% of applicants in any given cycle, so plan for plan B explicitly — Pre-Nursing (51.1105, 2,197 completions), Pre-Physician Assistant (51.1111), Pre-Physical Therapy (51.1109), or pivots to clinical research, biotech, public health, or healthcare administration are all real fallback paths. The bachelor’s itself is not a labor-market destination; the year-5 earnings figure ($60,507) reflects a mix of training stipends and pivot roles, not the post-residency physician income most pre-med students imagine. Most pre-med advisors recommend majoring in a science you actually want to study (biology, biochemistry, chemistry, neuroscience) rather than the 51.1102 label specifically, since medical schools care about prerequisite completion, MCAT, GPA, and experience — not the major name. If your interest is broadly health sciences but not specifically physician-track, the closely related Health/Medical Preparatory Programs, Other (51.1199, 2,909 completions) is the larger preparatory umbrella.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Pre-Medicine/Pre-Medical Studies

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ 0 213 213
MCPHS University Boston, MA 0 96 96
University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN 0 62 62
Thomas Jefferson University Philadelphia, PA 0 52 52
University of Dayton Dayton, OH 0 50 50
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus University Park, PA 0 48 48
South College Knoxville, TN 0 45 45
San Juan College Farmington, NM 38 0 38
Howard College Big Spring, TX 31 0 31
Austin Community College District Austin, TX 21 0 21
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Health/Medical Preparatory Programs, Other

2,909 completions/yr

Pre-Nursing Studies

2,197 completions/yr

Pre-Veterinary Studies

553 completions/yr

Pre-Law Studies

520 completions/yr

Pre-Physical Therapy Studies

255 completions/yr

Pre-Pharmacy Studies

176 completions/yr

Pre-Physician Assistant

121 completions/yr

Pre-Occupational Therapy Studies

93 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What is Pre-Medicine actually, and is it a major?
At most institutions, Pre-Medicine is a track or advising designation rather than a true standalone major — students typically major in biology, chemistry, biochemistry, neuroscience, or another science while completing the pre-medical prerequisites (general biology, general and organic chemistry, biochemistry, physics, statistics, English composition, and increasingly psychology and sociology). At the institutions that classify the bachelor’s under CIP 51.1102 specifically, the major is structured around those prerequisites with additional health-sciences breadth. Either way, the credential targets professional-school admission.
Why is the careers list empty for this major?
Pre-Medicine is by design a gateway to professional school, not a labor-market destination. The CIP doesn’t map cleanly to specific BLS occupations because the next step is medical, osteopathic, dental, optometry, or podiatry school — and the labor-market outcomes are physician roles that require the doctoral professional degree, not the bachelor’s. Students who don’t go on to professional school typically work in clinical or research roles tied to whatever science prerequisites they completed (clinical research coordinator, lab tech, medical scribe, EMT) while reapplying or pivoting.
What happens if I don’t get into medical school?
Plan for it explicitly. National medical-school acceptance rates run roughly 40-45% of applicants, and many applicants apply multiple cycles. The fallback paths are real: Pre-Nursing Studies (CIP 51.1105, 2,197 completions), Pre-Physician Assistant (51.1111), Pre-Physical Therapy Studies (51.1109), Pre-Pharmacy Studies (51.1103), Pre-Veterinary Studies (01.1302), or Pre-Occupational Therapy (51.1107) — many of which require additional master’s or doctoral training but with shorter timelines than MD/DO. Many students also pivot to clinical research, biotech, public health master’s programs, or healthcare-administration tracks.
How does the bachelor’s earn $60,507 if there are no named careers?
The five-year median ($60,507) reflects whatever roles completers actually hold five years out — typically a mix of medical-school students still in training (whose IRS-reportable wages stay low), residents earning resident salaries, clinical research and scribe roles (typically $35-50K), some early-career nurses and PAs (after additional credentialing), and the small share working in non-clinical sectors. The figure understates the labor-market outcome of those who reach physician status (because they’re still in residency at year 5) and overstates it for those who never enter clinical practice.
What programs produce the most pre-med students?
Arizona State University Campus Immersion leads with 213 completions, followed by MCPHS University (96), University of Notre Dame (62), Thomas Jefferson University (52), University of Dayton (50), Penn State Main Campus (48), South College (45), and three associate’s-feeder community colleges (San Juan College 38, Howard College 31, Austin Community College District 21). The producer pattern mixes major research universities with strong pre-health advising, health-sciences-focused universities (MCPHS, Thomas Jefferson), and community-college pre-med tracks designed for transfer. Choose by advising quality, MCAT-prep support, and matriculation-rate data the institution publishes.
Should I major in Pre-Med or in biology with pre-med prerequisites?
Most pre-med advisors recommend majoring in a science you actually want to study — biology, biochemistry, chemistry, neuroscience, physics, or even non-science majors with strong prerequisite completion — rather than a Pre-Medicine label specifically. Medical schools care about the prerequisite courses, MCAT score, GPA, clinical and research experience, and personal essays — not the major label. The 51.1102 label can carry a perception of being narrow if you don’t matriculate. A biology or biochemistry major with strong pre-med advising often gives more flexibility on the back end.