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Health Science Career Resources

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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