Pre-Health Guidelines

Health Professions
Academic Bulletin

First-Year Course Registration Advice for Students Interested in the Health Professions

Students interested in health professions (human medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, nursing, PA, PT, OT, pharmacy, etc.) have many curricular options. Although there are certain courses students must take to prepare for the MCAT exam or to be considered for admission to health science post-graduate programs, pre-health students can major in any discipline, not just the natural sciences. Detailed information about pre-health programs and the support Allegheny provides for pre-health students can be found at http://sites.allegheny.edu/health. Students interested in pre-health professions should arrange to meet with the pre-health advisor in the Center for Student Success early in their first year to discuss their specific interests.

If you are a pre-health student, you should enroll in courses that are intrinsically interesting to you while adhering to the following guidelines:

1. Math courses:

1. If you place into MATH 151 or higher, take MATH 151 or the higher level course into which you have placed.
2. If you place into MATH 140, and if you are interested in majoring in biochemistry, chemistry, mathematics, or physics, take MATH 140 in the Fall followed by MATH 141 in the Spring. You will then need to take MATH 152.
3. If you are not interested in one of the Majors mentioned above, then taking MATH 140 and 141 will be sufficient. You may, of course, continue, but you will not need to do so for your Major or to satisfy a medical school requirement

2. Introductory Chemistry:

1. If you place into MATH 151 or higher and are considering a Major in biology, biochemistry, neuroscience, or chemistry, take introductory chemistry in the fall (CHEM 120). If you are not interested in majoring in these areas and there are other fall courses that interest you more, you may defer CHEM 120 to the spring semester.
2. If you place into MATH 140, you will need to complete the course with a C or better to be allowed to take CHEM 120 in the second semester. You should be enrolled in MATH 141 when you take CHEM 120.

3. Biology: If you are planning to Major in Biology, you may begin taking biology classes as soon as you wish. If you plan to major in another discipline, then take the biology courses as your schedule allows.

4. English Literature: English literature is a requirement for medical professional schools, and we recommend that you complete it as soon as your schedule allows, and no later than the end of your sophomore year. Many first and second year students find that a literature course (English 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, or 118) provides welcome variety to their schedule, which is often heavily weighted in the sciences.

5. Psychology: The current MCAT includes a behavioral science section. Additionally, behavioral science courses are required for some professional school programs. Our students have found PSYCH 162 (Human Social Behavior) to be especially helpful in preparing for the MCAT. Other helpful courses for the MCAT include PSYCH 110 and PSYCH 172.

*Consider taking English 100-level literature course and/or PSYCH 100-level course.