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Pre-Med/Pre-Health Majors

Pre-Med and Pre-Health Majors

The Pre-Med Pre-Health Scholars Program is a pre-professional advising program that is open to all undergraduate UMass Dartmouth students interested in applying to a graduate medical or health-related program after graduation. Common undergraduate majors offered in health-related fields include Medical Laboratory Science, Nursing, Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Psychology, and Health & Society. However, students in any major are eligible to participate in Pre-Med and Pre-Health program and prepare for medical and health-related graduate school admissions.

Students interested in preparing for graduate healthcare careers such as those in medicine including, but not limited to osteopathic, allopathic, chiropractic, optometry, podiatry, physician’s assistant, dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, physical therapy, or occupational therapy, should contact the UMassD Health Professions director, Dr. Frank Scarano, at pre-med@umassd.edu as early as possible in their undergraduate career.

Students have access to our Pre-Professional advisor in the STAR Center beginning with their first semester here at UMassD. The Pre-Professional advisor will support students on the Pre-Med and Pre-Health track in terms of scheduling, identifying programs of interest, understanding the pre-med pathway and programs such as the UMass Chan BaccMD program.

During Pre-Med and Pre-Health advising, students will be assigned an advisor appropriate to their field of interest. Students who are interested in a medical or health career but are not certain of a specific path or specialty should still contact the program so an advisor can assist with exploring graduate school options.

Pre-Med and Pre-Health Program of Study

Each medical and health-related graduate program has specific requirements. Students should work closely with their advisor to identify schools and specialties to ensure they meet the requirements of each school for admissions. The specific program you plan to apply to determines the specific pre-requisite courses.

Common pre-requisite courses for many (but not all) pre-med and pre-health professions usually include the following science and math sequence completed across the four undergraduate years at UMassD. Please note, students are responsible for reviewing the admissions criteria to the programs they are interested in and ensuring they meet those requirements. Pre-Med and Pre-Health advisors will assist in reviewing these requirements.

Sample Fall Courses (taken across four years)*

  • Biology with Lab
  • Inorganic Chemistry with Lab
  • Physics with Lab
  • Organic Chemistry with Lab
  • Calculus I or Statistics

Sample Spring Courses (taken across four years)*

  • Biology with lab
  • Inorganic Chemistry with lab
  • Physics with lab
  • Organic Chemistry with lab
  • Calculus II or Statistics

*Important Notes:

  • Many graduate programs discourage summer courses. Be sure to review the admission requirements for the program(s) you may be applying to.
  • The actual courses that can fulfill these requirements can vary. Review the sequence tracking form for the list of courses typically followed. Careful planning is essential.
  • Each medical and health-related graduate program may have different requirements, students must review the requirement for each school and work with the advisor to ensure they are meeting the criteria for admissions applications.
  • Be sure to check with your advisor well in advance of your registration time to ensure registration in required courses.