Pre-Professional Programs and Health-Related Professions

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Many health-related professions require degrees from professional schools after completing an undergraduate degree. These professional schools have specific admission requirements and students interested in obtaining one of these degrees should begin planning their undergraduate curriculum as early as possible. Any student interested in pursuing a career in one of these areas should contact the health-professions advisor. Students may choose to declare BS Biology or BA Chemistry as their degree program and should work closely with their academic advisor to determine which degree program will be better suited to their pre-professional goals.

I. Curriculum for Medical, Dental, and Veterinary Professions

A science degree is recommended for students planning careers in medicine, dentistry, or veterinary medicine. It is possible to gain admittance into any of these programs with a non-science major, but it is usually more difficult as a student will be taking the science requirements necessary for admittance into these programs in addition to other requirements for the major. The basic science requirements for admission into medical, dental, or veterinary medical programs are similar. In addition to coursework, most programs require experience in the profession. Some programs have a specific number of hours and types of experience that an applicant must have, thus early planning is critical.

All programs require the applicant take an entrance examination that will test the applicants knowledge of various fields of science. The minimum entrance requirements for the programs should be completed before taking these exams. Students applying to medical school must take the Medical University Admission Test (MCAT), which is given January-September. The Dental Admission Test (DAT) is required for students applying to dental school; this exam is given year round. Students applying to veterinary school must take either the General Record Examination (GRE) or the MCAT, depending on the requirement of the school; the GRE is offered year round.

Basic Requirements for Medical School
Num Course Cr.
BIOL 120 Principles of Biology I 4
BIOL 121 Principles of Biology II 4
CHEM 101 General Chemistry I 4
CHEM 102 General Chemistry II 4
CHEM 301 Organic Chemistry I 4
CHEM 302 Organic Chemistry II 4
CHEM 380 Biochemistry I 4
ENGL 101 Critical Reading and Writing I 3
ENGL 102 Critical Reading and Writing II 3
MATH 115 College Algebra 3
PHYS 201 General Physics I 4
PHYS 202 General Physics II 4
SOCIAL SCIENCE/BEHAVIOR 3 - 9
Total 48 - 54

 

Basic Requirements for Dental and Veterinary School
Num Course Cr.
BIOL 120 Principles of Biology I 4
BIOL 121 Principles of Biology II 4
CHEM 101 General Chemistry I 4
CHEM 102 General Chemistry II 4
CHEM 301 Organic Chemistry I 4
CHEM 302 Organic Chemistry II 4
ENGL 101 Critical Reading and Writing I 3
ENGL 102 Critical Reading and Writing II 3
MATH 115 College Algebra 3
PHYS 201 General Physics I 4
PHYS 202 General Physics II 4
HISTORY 3 - 6
Total 44 - 47
Recommended courses for Medical, Dental, and Veterinary School
Num Course Cr.
HLTH 230 Anatomy and Physiology I 4
HLTH 231 Anatomy and Physiology II 4
BIOL 335 Cell Physiology 4
BIOL 361 Microbiology 4
BIOL 420 Neurobiology 3
BIOL 456 Genetics 8
CHEM 380 Biochemistry I 4
CHEM 381 Biochemistry II 4
MATH 256 Probability and Statistics 3

A student should plan on taking as many of the recommended courses as feasible; it is not necessary to take all of them.

II. Curriculum for Pharmacy

Preparation for a career in pharmacy requires completion of 67-75 credit hours (depending on the program) and an undergraduate degree is not required. The Pharmacy College Admission test (PCAT) is required of all applicants and can be taken in July, September and January. Glenville State University has partnered with Marshall University Graduate Schools for a 3 + 4 Doctoral Degree in Pharmacology (PharmD). Information regarding this degree is listed in the Graduate Program Partnership section of the catalog.

General Course Requirements for Pharmacy
Num Course Cr.
BIOL 120 Principles of Biology I 4
BIOL 121 Principles of Biology II 4
BIOL 361 Microbiology 4
CART 101 Introduction to Public Speaking 3
CHEM 101 General Chemistry I 4
CHEM 102 General Chemistry II 4
CHEM 301 Organic Chemistry I 4
CHEM 302 Organic Chemistry II 4
ECON 201 Principles of Microeconomics 3
ENGL 101 Critical Reading and Writing I 3
ENGL 102 Critical Reading and Writing II 3
HISTORY 3
HLTH 230 Anatomy and Physiology I* 4
HLTH 231 Anatomy and Physiology II* 4
MATH 115 College Algebra 3
MATH 120 Precalculus 4
MATH 201 Calculus I 4
MATH 256 Probability and Statistics I 3
PHYS 201 General Physics I 4
PHYS 202 General Physics II 4
PSYCHOLOGY 3
Total 67 - 75

* These courses are required by some, but not all programs.

III. Curriculum for Physical Therapy

The curriculum for admission into physical therapy programs varies between schools. The courses listed below fulfill the requirements of many programs, but not all. Most schools require that applicants have a four-year degree. In addition to coursework, must physical therapy programs require that an applicant has observed a physical therapy practice and some programs require a certain number of hours and observation of more than one practice. A student interested in a career in physical therapy must begin planning early to meet the admission requirements. Physical therapy programs require that applicants take the GRE.

General Course Requirements for Physical Therapy
Num Course Cr.
BIOL 120 Principles of Biology I 4
BIOL 121 Principles of Biology II 4
CHEM 101 General Chemistry I 4
CHEM 102 General Chemistry II 4
ENGL 101 Critical Reading and Writing I 3
ENGL 102 Critical Reading and Writing II 3
HLTH 107 Introduction to Medical Terminology* 1
HLTH 230 Anatomy and Physiology I 4
HLTH 231 Anatomy and Physiology II 4
MATH 115 College Algebra 3
MATH 256 Probability and Statistics I 3
PHYS 201 General Physics I 4
PHYS 202 General Physics II 4
PSYC 201 General Psychology 3
PSYC 250 Lifespan Development# 3
Total 31

* Some programs require 3 hours of medical terminology
# Some programs require a different upper-level psychology course

IV. Occupational Therapy

Most PT programs require observation hours at one, and often two, PT practices. Glenville State University’s Practicum course, EXSC/HLTH 493, provides the student with 6 credit hours of observation.

General Course Requirements for Occupational Therapy
Num Course Cr.
BIOL 120 Principles of Biology I 4
BIOL 121 Principles of Biology II 4
HLTH 107 Introduction to Medical Terminology 1 - 3
HLTH 230 Anatomy and Physiology I 4
HLTH 231 Anatomy and Physiology II 4
MATH 256 Probability and Statistics I 3
PSYC 201 General Psychology 3
PSYC 250 Lifespan Development# 3
PSYC 310 Abnormal Psychology 3
PSYC 342 Multicultural Psychology 3
PSYC 420 Theories of Personality 3
Upper level/science writing 3
Total 31

V. Curriculum for Physician Assistant

Students interested in becoming a Physician Assistant (PA) must complete a Bachelor’s Degree. The course requirements for admission into a PA program vary by school, but have some overlap. Physician Assistant programs require that applicants take the GRE.

General Course Requirements for Physician Assistant
Num Course Cr.
BIOL 120 Principles of Biology I 4
BIOL 121 Principles of Biology II 4
BIOL 361 Microbiology 4
BIOLOGY (UPPER LEVEL) 4 - 8
CHEM 101 General Chemistry I 4
CHEM 102 General Chemistry II 4
CHEM 301 Organic Chemistry I 4
CHEM 380 Biochemistry I 4
HLTH 230 Anatomy and Physiology I 4
HLTH 231 Anatomy and Physiology II 4
MATH 256 Probability and Statistics I 3
PHYS 201 General Physics I 4
PHYS 202 General Physics II 4
PSYCHOLOGY 3 - 6
Total 54 - 61

VI. Curriculum for Wildlife Biology

Students interested in a career in wildlife biology will be well-prepared by majoring in biology. Depending on career aspirations in wildlife biology, courses from the Wildlife Management major offered by the Department of Land Resources at the university may also be possible. Students interested in wildlife biology will work with their advisor to create the best plan of study for their career aspirations.