Pre-Medical, Pre-Dental, Pre-Veterinary and Pre-Pharmacy Advisory Program

Worcester State University offers an advisory program for students interested in preparing for medical, dental, or veterinary studies, or for post-graduate study in another healthcare field such as pharmacy, physical therapy, or optometry. Students interested in any of these tracks may pursue study in any of the Worcester State University academic majors but must complete all prerequisite courses required for their post-graduate programs of interest. It is the students' obligation to check with the professional school(s) to which they intend to apply for exact requirements. Nearly all medical, dental, and veterinary schools require one year each of the following laboratory courses: General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Biology, and Physics. Schools typically also require one year of English (e.g. EN-101 and EN-102), and may require Mathematics through Calculus. Study of a modern foreign language is encouraged but not required. Regardless of major, students are advised to select CH-120 and CH-121, General Chemistry I and II, and either BI-140 and BI-141, or PY-221 and PY-222 or PY-241 and PY-242  in their first-year.

Students interested in medicine (allopathic or osteopathic physician or physician assistant), dentistry, veterinary medicine, optometry, podiatry, or physical therapy should consult both the major advisor and the Chair of the Pre-Medical and Pre-Dental Advisory Committee as soon as possible following matriculation. Students should note that the application process for many of these professional programs must be started more than a year in advance of the planned date of matriculation into the programs. Therefore, the course requirements and required national pre-professional exam (e.g., MCAT, DAT) must be taken before that time (e.g. during the spring of the Junior year for anyone wishing to begin a professional program immediately after graduation from WSU). Students wishing to apply to programs with a committee letter of recommendation (usually for medical, dental, or podiatry school but not veterinary school or other healthcare programs) must arrange an interview with the Pre-Medical and Pre-Dental Advisory Committee prior to applying. Students majoring in Biology, Biotechnology, or Chemistry have the option of declaring a Pre-Medicine Concentration in those majors. Students pursuing a major other than Chemistry may also declare a Chemistry Minor for the Health Professions. Additional information is available at http://www.worcester.edu/PreMed and for the pre-medicine concentrations/minor as follows: