Advising for healthcare careers

What classes do I need? What else should I do to prepare?

There is no specific major required for entry into the medical science professions (medicine, dentistry, physician assistant, optometry, veterinary medicine). Instead, these professions typically require a set of core courses, exposure to clinical settings, and standardized tests for admission.

Pathways to success

Our students typically take one of three pathways, each with unique characteristics and advantages. You are strongly encouraged to choose the path that best fits your strengths and interests.

Each of these paths can satisfy the requirements for entry into health-related graduate and professional schools, either through courses in their major or via free elective credits. Thus students interested in healthcare learn side-by-side with students who have a wide variety of majors and career goals in patient care. This diversity of exposure is a significant benefit for students, as it adds breadth of experience and robustness to their preparation for healthcare careers. It is therefore important that each student selects a path that is best aligned with their interests and strengths, so that they can excel in their undergraduate experience and obtain the strongest possible preparation for graduate or professional school in health care.

Prerequisite courses and extracurricular preparation

Required Coursework
What classes do I need to take?
Course Lists
Extracurricular Preparation
How should I prepare outside of class?
Get hands-on experience
Get Advice!

A key mission of the Health Professions Advisory Committee is to help students of all majors select courses that will fulfill prerequisites for graduate and professional schools in health care. To facilitate this advising, students interested in health care careers should register with the HPAC during their first year on campus.