Pre-Health Advising

Health Profession Graduate Programs

This term encompasses masters and doctoral programs such as medical, dental, pharmacy, physician assistant, physical therapy, occupational therapy, optometry, podiatry, orthotics/prosthetics, and chiropractic, to name a few.  You might also hear these programs referred to as professional schools.

Academic Preparation - Choosing a Major

Health profession graduate programs do not require, or favor, any particular undergraduate major. Students should explore majors that interest them, and those that can provide a functional parallel plan. Because schools do not require any specific major, they use certain prerequisite courses and admissions exams to determine the potential of student success in the professional school curriculum.  These prerequisites are typically courses in the hard sciences such as biology, chemistry, physics, and math.  Common majors our pre-health students pursue include biology, chemistry/biochemistry, nutrition, business, engineering, kinesiology, and psychology. Political science, philosophy, Spanish, and English have also been gaining popularity.  Overall, your undergraduate degree has very little impact on a professional school admission decision.

Extracurricular Preparation – Getting Involved

While academic preparation and building a science foundation is absolutely essential in preparing for health profession graduate programs, what you do outside of class is just as important.  As you build your first-semester academic plan, make sure to consider an appropriate mix of classes that will allow you to balance these two areas of preparation.