AP Physics
Course Choices for Physics: For specific information on how AP/IPC credit is awarded in physics, see this link.
- Depending on your score on the physics exams available, credit will be awarded as PHYSICS 61 (Mechanics) and/or 62 (Electricity and Magnetism) for AP or 53/54 for IPC.
- Nearly all medical schools require two semesters of physics with laboratory. As mentioned in the introductory comments on AP/IPC credits, some medical schools make the stipulation that they will accept AP credit for required courses only if additional work in the same department or academic area is taken in college. This rarely presents a problem when it comes to biology or chemistry because you will typically take additional biology and chemistry courses. But in our experience, most students preparing for medical school do not take additional physics courses beyond the introductory lever (except physics majors of course). For that reason, you may find if you accept your AP/IPC credit for physics, some medical schools may want you to take additional physics courses.
- If you do have AP/IPC credit for physics, you may want to consider relinquishing that credit and taking physics at Duke. Or you could consider taking an advanced physics course.
- A special note about physics for Pratt students intending to go to medical school. Engineering students take PHYSICS 61L/62L. Unlike PHYSICS 53L/54L (the physics sequence taken by most Trinity students) there is some material tested on the MCAT that is not taught in PHYSICS 61L/62L. Therefore, if you take PHYSICS 61L/62L, you should either take PHYSICS 63L or when you study for the MCAT you should take care to prepare carefully in the areas that are not taught in PHYSICS 61L/62L but are covered by the MCAT.
There is a description of those topics on the Physics Department website. Please note that while PHYSICS 61L/62L does not cover all the material tested on the MCAT, it is accepted by medical schools as “two semesters of physics with laboratory.”