What are the Requirements to Become a Cardiologist?
Cardiology: Getting to the Heart of the Matter Like any medical profession, the requirements to become a cardiologist are extremely rigorous. It takes years of highly focused training to learn how to recognize, prevent and treat problems and diseases of the heart. Though the path is long–four years of college, four years of medical school, and years of internship and residency–a career as a cardiologist can be very rewarding and profitable. Undergraduate Degree A bachelor’s degree from a four-year university is required before taking the medical school admissions test, or MCAT. Two sections of the four-part MCAT test focus on the sciences, so majoring in biology or chemistry can give you a head start. The other two parts focus on reading comprehension and writing. Plan coursework accordingly to meet the MCAT requirements, which can be found in the MSAR, or medical school admissions requirements handbook. Medical School There are only 146 accredited medical schools in the U.S., and co