Pre-Med

What Pre-Med Students Study at Case Western Reserve University

Case Western Reserve University prepares students for medical school through a wide variety of undergraduate degree programs, reflecting the university's belief that great physicians come from diverse academic backgrounds. From the sciences to the humanities, CWRU students consistently earn acceptance to top medical programs across the country. Whichever path you choose, you'll graduate with the skills, experience and credentials to succeed.

Bachelor’s Degrees Recently Earned by Students Accepted to Medical School

• Anthropology
• Biochemistry
• Biology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Chemistry
• Cognitive Science
• Economics
• English
• Modern Languages and Literatures
• History
• International Studies
• Music
• Nutrition
• Physics
• Political Science
• Psychology
• Religious Studies
• Sociology

See Guidelines for Pre-Med Coursework

Undergraduate Research

CWRU undergraduates have numerous opportunities to participate in research alongside faculty mentors—some as early as their first year on campus. Learn about a few of them.

• Biochemistry major and applied data science minor Sara Desai works under the mentorship of Divita Mathur, PhD, the Frank Hovorka Assistant Professor of Chemistry and principal investigator of the Mathur Nano Lab. Her research focuses on developing DNA-based nanotechnology for environmental and health applications. Her early work in the Mathur Lab focused on creating a biosensor designed to detect heavy metals in water. She expanded her research into cell culture techniques at the University of California San Francisco and investigated HIV at the Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology.
• Jackie Cai, a biochemistry major, is guided under the mentorship of Hung-Ying Kao, PhD, a professor of biochemistry within CWRU School of Medicine. She is working on breast cancer and anti-diabetic drug interactions with oncogenic proteins. The Kao Lab studies how transcription and signaling networks control cell fate in breast cancers with the goal of identifying anticancer targets. Her research investigated how anti-diabetic medications affect the expression of promyelocytic leukemia in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer—the largest breast cancer subtype, representing approximately 70% of patients. She won first place in the life sciences category at Intersections, CWRU’s undergraduate research symposium, in spring 2025.