Pre-Health Professions Program

College of Natural and Behavioral Sciences

Pre-Health Professions

Pre-Medicine

Pre-Dentistry

Pre-Osteopathy

Pre-Veterinary Medicine

Pre-Pharmacy

Pre-Optometry

Pre-Podiatry

Pre-Chiropractic

Faculty

Faculty, primarily from Biology and Chemistry, who have experience in advising for these programs are available. Among these are Thomas Landefeld and John Roberts. These advisors can be contacted through their individual offices and/or their departmental offices. In addition, students can contact the College of Natural and Behavioral Sciences Dean's Office (310-243-2547) for information.

Program Description

Students interested in careers in the health professions, such as medicine, dentistry, veterinary sciences, pharmacy, podiatry, etc. are encouraged to first choose a major that is of interest to them as there is no major such as pre-med, pre-pharmacy, pre-dental, etc. Once a major is chosed, the student should familiarize themselves with the list of courses below that meet most of the minimal requirements for entry into a professional health school. Generally, one year of lectures and laboratories in general chemistry, organic chemistry, physics and general boilogy are required as well as a year of mathematics, such as calculus, statistics, or some combination of the two. Other courses such as biochemistry are highly recommended. It is important to emphasize that a major in science is not required; however, the student does need to do well in the necessary science courses. Additionally, although a bachelor's degree is not necessary, it is recommended strongly that the undergraduate degree is obtained.

Academic Advising

Within the major department, faculty members can advise the students as to the sequence of courses that they need to complete the requirements for their major (and minor if required). However, it is important that the student seek the advice of a faculty member with expertise and/or experience with professional school admissions in preparation for their application to the desired school. Students should contact Dr. Thomas Landefeld in the NBS Dean's Office at (310) 243-2547 or Dr. John Roberts in the Biology Department at (310) 243-3381 fo that advice. In addition, there is a student organization on campus called the Pre-Professional Organization (PPO) that can be of assistance to students interested in these careers.

Preparation

High school students should include courses in algebra, biology and chemistry in their high school preparation. Although community college transfers may complete some of the lower division required courses at a community college, they should also consult the University Catalog for their proposed major requirements.

Pre-Health Courses

The following courses should be taken to meet the minimum admission requirements for most California medical and dental schools:

BIO 120. Principles of Biology I (4)

BIO 122. Principles of Biology II (4)

BIO 314. Embryology (4)

BIO 320. Cell Biology (3)

BIO 340. Genetics (3)

CHE 110. General Chemistry I (5)

CHE 112. General Chemistry II (5)

CHE 230. Quantitative Analysis (4)

CHE 310. Organic Chemistry I (4)

CHE 311. Organic Chemistry Lab I (1)

CHE 312. Organic Chemistry II (3)

CHE 313. Organic Chemistry Lab II (2)

ENG 110. Freshman Composition I (3)

ENG 111. Freshman Composition II (3)

q MAT 171. Survey of Calculus for Management and Life Sciences (4) or

MAT 191. Calculus I (5)

q PHY 120. Elements of Physics I (4) and

PHY 122. Elements of Physics II (4) or

q PHY 130. General Physics I (5) and

PHY 132. General Physics II (5)

NOTES:

1. CHE 450 and CHE 451 are strongly recommended.

2. Students interested in applying to California dental schools would
not be required to take calculus.

Note that this only represents a list of courses offered at CSUDH that are suggested for entry into a health profession school. Individual schools may have their own special requirements. For this reason, advising is critical for students interested in these programs.

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