Academic Preparation
Prerequisites
CHOOSING A MAJOR
Undergraduate preparation for health science professional
schools
No specific major is required by health professional programs.
Each professional school has a core of general requirements (generally
12 in number), which are required. Please note most medical colleges
do not accept AP credit to meet requirements. In addition, most
graduate programs require a specific writing course such as Composition
and Rhetoric, Writing 2 rather than a generic core course. This
information is listed on our Web site.
I. THE PHYSICAL AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE MAJORS
You may choose from any of the university science majors and apply
to a graduate degree program in the health professions provided
you include the core requirements. These are listed by profession
on our Web site. All Physical and Biological Science Majors are
efficient pathways to health science graduate programs.
III. THE NON SCIENCE MAJORS
In addition to the majors in the Physical and Biological Sciences,
other disciplines, such as Anthropology, Community Studies, Sociology,
Psychology and Environmental Studies offer a variety of interesting
courses appropriate for students interested in pursuing a career
in the health science graduate programs. However, if
you choose a major outside of the Physical and Biological Science
area, or you develop your own major, you must include, the basic
science requirements of graduate and professional school through
elective classes, summer school or post baccalaureate courses.
For example, you may major in Psychology and take only the required
12 Physical and Biological Science classes to meet medical school
admissions standards and you will then be fully prepared for the
Medical School Entrance Exam (MCAT).
It is a widespread misconception that it is necessary to major
in a science, especially biology, to be a pre-medical or other pre-health
professions student. It is also a widespread misconception that
health professions schools prefer science majors. The truth is that
any academic major is suitable and acceptable; in fact, data relating
to medical school admission have always shown that students with
different majors are accepted in roughly the same proportions as
science majors in the applicant pool.
Selecting a major only because it is believed that major will improve
the probability of professional school acceptance is not a wise
decision. Professional schools are looking at the overall quality
of performance and the range of undergraduate coursework. For example,
other things being equal, a student majoring in chemistry or biology
who has weak grades will not be accepted to medical school, whereas
a music major with high grades will. The major you choose is irrelevant
to the probability of your being accepted to a professional school.
How, then, choose a major? Be guided by your love of, or interest
in, a particular subject matter. If you love biology, major in biology.
Or, consider what you might choose for an alternate career should
you change your mind about a health career or should you not be
accepted to a health professions school. If you choose a non-science
major, keep in mind how you will mesh the major courses with your
pre-professional course requirements. Have a strategy for a sensible,
balanced course load each semester so you can do well in both the
sciences and your other courses.
The optimal college preparation for medical school or any profession
is a balanced liberal arts education consisting of a good cross-section
of courses taken in the social sciences, the humanities, and the
natural sciences. In the sciences, be sure to include those courses
that are necessary to meet admissions requirements at the professional
schools to which you plan to apply. Do the right thing for yourself
when choosing a major and other courses. College is an education.
It lays the groundwork for becoming an educated person which you
will then be for the rest of your life. College should not be regarded
as an obstacle course on the way to trade school. Learn. Enjoy your
college years. Have a social life. Participate in other activities,
both on and off campus.
Based on 2005 national data for medical schools (as cited in the
Medical School Admissions Requirements, published by the Association
of American Medical Colleges), here is a sample of majors and their
acceptance rates.
| Major |
Applied |
|
Accepted |
% of Total |
| Biological Sciences |
21,263 |
|
9,545 |
44.8% |
| Humanities |
1,526 |
|
797 |
52.2% |
| Math & Statistics |
250 |
|
133 |
53.2% |
| Physical Sciences |
4,564 |
|
2,300 |
50.4% |
| Social Sciences(Specialized) |
4,291 |
|
2,078 |
48.4% |
| Health Sciences |
1,255 |
|
445 |
35.5% |
| Other |
4,215 |
|
1,706 |
40.5% |
The total applicant pool for 2005 was 31,364 with 17,004 (45.5%)
matriculating into medical school.
For the 2006 applicant pool similar trends are noted with 37% of
specialized health science majors gaining entry, 46.3% for biological
science majors, 53.4% for physical science majors to the highest
accetpance rate of 56.8% for humantites majors.
The total applicant pool for 2006 was 37,702 with 17,915 (47.5%)
matriculating into medical school.
As you can see, medical schools are interested in a wide variety
of majors. This is also true for most of the other health
professions. However, again if you choose a major outside
of the Physical and Biological Science area, or you develop your
own major, you must include the basic science requirements of your
particular graduate and or professional school. Your major by itself
does not guarantee or eliminate any possibility. For additional
information, see the chapter on Premedical Planning in the AAMC
publication, Medical School Admission Requirements.
REQUIRED GRADES
Admissions committees look at both your overall GPA and your science
GPA. Your college academic record will be used to assess whether
you have the capability to perform at the level required to succeed
in the health professions.
(See acceptance data)
COMPLETING PREREQUISITES
Students pursuing professional programs in healthcare must complete
the prerequisites for these programs by matriculation. The following
links outline the required academic preparation for various healthcare
fields:
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