Liberal Education

To be competitive, take a wide range of challenging courses in the liberal arts & humanities as well as science. Ideally, these courses will help you develop good thinking and communication skills, such as reading, speaking and writing, in addition to demonstrating academic rigor.

Exceed Minimum Qualifications

Every year, many applicants nationwide are unsuccessful in gaining admission to health-profession schools, even though they meet the minimum requirements for admission. These students are not unqualified, but they are not as well qualified as other applicants; they are not as "competitive." 

For this reason we encourage you to exceed minimum qualifications, both quantitatively and qualitatively.  That means:

1) taking challenging courses beyond the minimum needed

2) earning a GPA well above the minimum posted

3) earning a good score on the required standardized exam, such as the MCAT, GRE, DCAT, PCAT, etc.

SUGGESTED COURSE PLANS FOR PRE-MED AND PRE-HEALTH STUDENTS
Procedure for non-BIOL majors to register for BIOL courses

Pre-Medicine

The “traditional” pre-med student will apply to medical school after the third year of study; it takes a minimum of two years to complete the pre-requisite coursework (see below). Applications are submitted one year or more before intended matriculation. In addition to the pre-requisite coursework, the successful applicant will have completed a significant number of hours of clinical internships and shadowing experiences in a diversity of medical settings, as well as having performed significant volunteer work and other extracurricular activities.

Pre-requisites for applying to medical school:

1. BIOL 151/151L & BIOL 201/201L (non-BIOL majors will need special permission to enroll in these courses; see the DPP);
2. CHEM 121/121L - CHEM 122/122/L; this course should be completed as soon as possible
3. CHEM 321/321L - CHEM 322/322L
4. PHYS 151/151L - PHYS 152/152L

the following courses are recommended, but not required: BIOL 314/314/L - BIOL 315/315/L, BIOL 301/301L, BIOL 414, BIOL 495 (Immunology)

Pre-Pharmacy

Requirements for admission to pharmacy school vary among the different programs. It is critical for the prospective applicant to check the specific requirements for each program he/she intends to apply to. The pre-requisite coursework will take three years to complete. Applicants are expected to have had some experience in pharmacy settings, and should be able to provide strong letters of recommendation from teachers, pharmacist(s), and others who can attest to the applicants character and attributes. Applications are generally submitted in early Fall (early decision) or early Spring preceding intended matriculation.

Pre-requisites for applying to a typical pharmacy program:

1. BIOL 151/151L & BIOL 201/201L (non-BIOL majors will need special permission to enroll in these courses; see the DPP);
2. CHEM 121/121L - CHEM 122/122/L; this course should be completed as soon as possible
3. CHEM 321/321L - CHEM 322/322L
4. PHYS 151/151L - PHYS 152/152L
5. BIOL 314/314/L - BIOL 315/315/L, BIOL 301/301L, and BIOL 414
6. MATH 125 & MATH 140
7. COMM 201

The following courses are recommended, but not required: BIOL 495 (Immunology), BIOL 307, BIOL 313 or BIOL 412

Pre-Dentistry

Requirements for admission to dental school vary among the different programs. It is critical for the prospective applicant to check the specific requirements for each program he/she intends to apply to. The pre-requisite coursework will take three years to complete. Applicants are expected to have had some experience in dental settings, and should be able to provide strong letters of recommendation from teachers, dentist(s), and others who can attest to the applicants character and attributes. Evidence of good manual dexterity is an asset. Applications are generally submitted in early Fall (early decision) or early Spring preceding intended matriculation.

Pre-requisites for applying to a typical dental program:

1. BIOL 151/151L & BIOL 201/201L (non-BIOL majors will need special permission to enroll in these courses; see the DPP);
2. CHEM 121/121L - CHEM 122/122/L; this course should be completed as soon as possible
3. CHEM 321/321L - CHEM 322/322L
4. PHYS 151/151L - PHYS 152/152L
5. BIOL 414

The following courses are strongly recommended: BIOL 314/314/L - BIOL 315/315/L, BIOL 301/301L, BIOL 307, and BIOL 313

The following courses are highly recommended: BIOL 309, BIOL 495 (Immunology)

Pre-Physical Therapy

Most Physical Therapy (and Occupational Therapy) programs require only two semesters of chemistry, at least one of which includes organic and biochemistry. This can be satisfied with CHEM 103/L - 104/L. If you are not totally certain of which medical field you will ultimately pursue, or to be eligible for any programs, you might consider the two year chemistry sequence. In addition to the pre-requisite courses, applicants must have accumulated a significant number of hours of physical therapy experiences, including some in acute-care settings. Some programs, such as Old Dominion University, do not interview applicants and base their decision solely on the application (including essays/personal statements) and letters of reference. Most students begin applying in mid-late Fall of their graduation year.

Pre-requisites for applying to a typical physical therapy program:

1. BIOL 151/151L & BIOL 201/201L (non-BIOL majors will need special permission to enroll in these courses; see the DPP);
2. CHEM 121/121L - CHEM 122/122/L and CHEM 321/321L - CHEM 322/322L; or CHEM 103/103L-CHEM 104/104L;
3. PHYS 151/151L - PHYS 152/152L
4. BIOL 314/314/L - BIOL 315/315/L
5. at least 3 cr in PSYC
6. MATH 125

Pre-Physician's Assistant

The typical Physician’s Assistant program lasts approximately 30 months and leads to a Master of PA , but there are exceptions to this. Admission to a PA program is similar to that for other health careers, in that it is based on overall academic performance, performance in pre-requisite courses, personal statements, and letters of reference, including some from practicing PAs. Most require a minimum of three different “shadowing” experiences. Applications are submitted at various times, depending on the program. Students should determine the specific deadlines and requirements for each program he/she intends to apply to.

Pre-requisites for applying to a typical physician assistant program:

1. BIOL 151/151L & BIOL 201/201L (non-BIOL majors will need special permission to enroll in these courses; see the DPP);
2. CHEM 121/121L - CHEM 122/122/L and CHEM 321/321L - CHEM 322/322L; or CHEM 103/103L-CHEM 104/104L;
3. BIOL 301/L
4. BIOL 314/314/L - BIOL 315/315/L
5. at least 6 cr in PSYC
6. MATH 125

The following courses are strongly recommended (required by some programs): BIOL 271, BIOL 313

Pre-Veterinary Medicine

Because there are relatively few Veterinary Medicine Schools in the U.S., competition for admission is very intense, despite the looming shortage of practicing veterinarians. A strong GRE score is important in addition to a solid academic performance. Many hours of experience with animals is paramount; admissions committees look for confidence and competence in animal handling skills. Exposure to a variety of animal groups (small, large, exotic, e.g.,) is also important. At least one letter of recommendation from a practicing veterinarian is required.

Pre-requisites for applying to a typical veterinary medicine program:

1. BIOL 151/151L & BIOL 201/201L (non-BIOL majors will need special permission to enroll in these courses; see the DPP);
2. CHEM 121/121L - CHEM 122/122/L; this course should be completed as soon as possible
3. CHEM 321/321L - CHEM 322/322L
4. PHYS 151/151L - PHYS 152/152L 5) BIOL 414

The following courses are strongly recommended: BIOL 301/301L, BIOL 409/409L, BIOL 420/420/L, BIOL 307/307L, and BIOL 313

For those health professions not listed here consult with the Career Development Office (594-8887, DSU 3100) and/or the DPP. Various websites also provide valuable information (such as Explore Health Careers.org - http://www.explorehealthcareers.org/en/index.aspx).

Pre-requisite coursework must be completed at some minimal level determined by each particular program; grades below a "C" are generally not accepted.

Students are ultimately responsible for determining specific course and admissions requirements for any program to which they plan to apply.