Two sample plans are presented below for students interested in medical school. Through advising, you can modify it according to your own needs. Cardea students interested in other healthcare fields can work with the Cardea director for assistance on planning coursework.
Please be aware that you do not have to worry about prehealth planning your first semester at Duke. The new curriculum is designed to invite you to explore and learn about new fields of study, e.g. Constellations.
These two sample plans include the required Cardea first-year fall courses (CHEM 99D and EDUC 290T) as well as the new curriculum first-year requirements (two Constellation courses in the fall and spring as well as WRITING 120 connected to your Constellation, which the Constellation Committee will place you in for the fall or the spring of your first year.
A full-time course load is 4.0 credits or more. The required first-year fall courses (CHEM 99D, the Constellation course, and the WRITING 120 course connected to your Constellation) are all 1.0 credit courses. The required first-year Cardea seminar is a .5 credit course. There are different enrollment and course load scenarios that will be determined by whether you are placed in WRITING 120 (connected to your constellation) in the fall or the spring. You will have academic advising support when selecting your first-year fall courses and building your class schedule.
Cardea Academic Plan 1
With this plan, fellows take prehealth courses every semester over all four years, but delay starting Math until sophomore year. Students may also have AP credit, place into MATH 111L, or take calculus as a transfer credit after the first year.
| Fall Semester | Spring Semester | Summer I/II | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fifth Year spent gaining one year of full-time professional work experience | |||
| First-Year | CHEM 99D (Introduction to Chemistry and Chemical Problem Solving) Required First-Year Cardea Course EDUC 290T (Pathways to Academic Success & Personal Well-being) Required First-Year Cardea Course CONSTELLATIONS COURSE Required Trinity First-Year Course WRITING 120 (Connected to your Constellation) Required Trinity First-Year Course; The Constellations Committee will place you in a writing course for either the fall or the spring. | CHEM 101DL (Core Concepts in Chemistry) Any seminar CONSTELLATIONS COURSE Required Trinity First-Year Course WRITING 120 (Connected to your Constellation) Required Trinity First-Year Course; The Constellations Committee will place you in a writing course for either the fall or the spring. | SHPEP* SBSI* or similar program |
| Sophomore | CHEM 201DL (Organic Chemistry I) MATH 105L (Laboratory Calculus and Functions I) | CHEM 202L (Organic Chemistry II) MATH 106L (Laboratory Calculus and Functions II) | |
| Junior | PHYSICS 141L (General Physics I) BIOLOGY 201L (Gateway to Biology: Molecular Biology) | PHYSICS 142L (General Physics II) BIOLOGY 202L (Gateway to Biology: Genetics and Evolution) | |
| Senior | Senior Thesis BIOCHEM 301 (Introductory Biochemistry I: Intermediary Metabolism) | Senior Thesis CHEM 210L (Modern Applications of Chemical Principles) PHYSIOLOGY | MCAT** or standardized test |
*Fellows will spend their first year preparing applications for SHPEP or SBSI, acceptance is not guaranteed
**Students are encouraged to take their MCAT no later than April to receive scores in time for application review
Cardea Academic Plan 2
| Fall Semester | Spring Semester | Summer I/II | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fifth Year spent gaining one year of full-time professional work experience | |||
| First-Year | CHEM 99D (Introduction to Chemistry and Chemical Problem Solving) Required First-Year Cardea Course EDUC 290T (Pathways to Academic Success & Personal Well-being) Required First-Year Cardea Course CONSTELLATIONS COURSE WRITING 120 (Connected to your Constellation) Required Trinity First-Year Course; The Constellations Committee will place you in a writing course for either the fall or the spring. MATH 105L (Laboratory Calculus and Functions I) | CHEM 101L (Core Concepts in Chemistry) MATH 106L (Laboratory Calculus and Functions II) Any seminar CONSTELLATIONS COURSE Required Trinity First-Year Course WRITING 120 (Connected to your Constellation) Required Trinity First-Year Course; The Constellations Committee will place you in a writing course for either the fall or the spring. | SHPEP* SBSI* or similar program |
| Sophomore | CHEM 201DL (Organic Chemistry I) BIOLOGY 201L (Gateway to Biology: Molecular Biology) | CHEM 202L (Organic Chemistry II) BIOLOGY 202L (Gateway to Biology: Genetics and Evolution) | |
| Junior | PHYSICS 121L (General Physics I) CHEM 210DL (Modern Applications of Chemical Principles) | PHYSICS 122L (General Physics II) PHYSIOLOGY | |
| Senior | Senior Thesis BIOCHEM 301 (Introductory Biochemistry I: Intermediary Metabolism) | Senior Thesis | MCAT** |
* Fellows will spend their first year preparing applications for SHPEP, SBSI, or a similar program (acceptance is not guaranteed)
** Students are encouraged to take their MCAT no later than April to receive scores in time for application review
NOTE: In both Academic Plans, we advise students to include coursework in Statistics, Psychology, and Sociology prior to the MCAT.