Pre-Professional Programs
If you are planning a career in law or healthcare, you should work with advisors in the Pre-Professional Advising Office. Our pre-professional advising staff can help you navigate pre-requisite courses and curricula, professional goals, and professional school admission/application requirements.
Pre-health advisors support students who are interested in a broad range of health-related professions, including dentistry, medicine, nursing, physician assistant, podiatry, optometry, veterinary medicine, and other fields.
Pre-health studies do not constitute a major or a minor program at the University. However, since you must declare a major by the end of their sophomore year, you are encouraged to pick an area in which you have a strong academic interest.
We encourage you to review the Pre-health FAQs for more details about the pre-health pathway.
Registering as a pre-health student:
- Review the recommended Pre-Health Curriculum carefully.
- Pre-health students typically take a general chemistry and/or a biology course in their first semester. Whether you take both chemistry and biology in the same semester or take just general chemistry depends on your major, level of preparation, and advanced credits (e.g. AP, IB, etc.):
- Chemistry: Plan to take CAS CH 101 General Chemistry I as your first pre-health course. However, if you are starting in the fall semester and have an advanced knowledge of high school chemistry, you can consider CH 109 Advanced General Chemistry I; if you are starting in the spring semester and have external or advanced credit (such as AP or IB scores) for chemistry, you may be eligible to take CAS CH 110 Advanced General Chemistry II or CH 112 Intensive Chemistry II. Please review the Chemistry department’s registration guidelines for more information.
- Biology: If you want to take a biology course in addition to your chemistry course, plan to take CAS BI 107 Biology I (if starting in the fall semester) or CAS BI 108 Biology II (if starting in the spring semester). BI 107 and 108 are not sequential, so you can start with either course.
- This summer, you must complete the Summer Orientation module to learn about the recommended pre-health curriculum and which courses to consider registering for this fall. Once you complete the module, you will have an opportunity to meet with a pre-health advisor this summer to discuss specific questions regarding your fall schedule. Instructions on how to complete the module can be found on the Pre-Health website under “New Incoming Students Starting Academic Year 2023-2024”–> ”Meet with a Pre-Health Advisor to Discuss Your Fall Course Registration.”
- Before you are eligible to meet with a pre-health advisor this fall, you must complete the Introduction to the Pre-Health Pathway module. Instructions on how to complete the module can be found on the Pre-Health website under “Current undergraduates and alumni”–> “Scheduling Your Appointment.”
Pre-law is neither a major nor a minor, and there are no specific pre-requisite courses for applying to law school. We encourage you to follow a path you will find intellectually stimulating and challenging that also helps you develop relevant skills such as: research, writing, oral expression, analytical and critical thinking, logic, and knowledge of current political and social issues. For more information on academic planning and law school, please review the Pre-Law Academic Planning page.
Registering as a pre-law student:
- Use the registration guide for your intended major(s) (under Step #4 of the registration checklist). Most first-year pre-law students balance major coursework/exploration with their language and Hub requirements.
- Popular majors among pre-law students include economics, English, history, international relations, philosophy, political science, and psychology. However, this is not an all-inclusive list of majors to consider. Students interested in natural science, computer science, and mathematics are encouraged to pursue these disciplines!