Pre-Health Professions

(Dentistry, Medicine, Physician's Assistant, Optometry, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, Veterinary Medicine, Public Health)

Many students entering Jacksonville University hope to one day have a career in a health profession, such as medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, physician’s assistant, public health, physical therapy, or veterinary medicine. In order to successfully apply to a health professional school following graduation from Jacksonville University, students must successfully complete various undergraduate science courses, as well as courses from other disciplines. These undergraduate prerequisites are determined by the individual health professional schools, and may vary somewhat between institutions. The following information and suggested course list provide general information to JU students interested in preparing for a Health Professions career. JU students are strongly encouraged to seek out their advisor and JU Pre Health Professions advisors for additional detailed information regarding preparation for application to medical school or other health professions.

Many students wishing to pursue a career in medical school or another health profession choose to obtain an undergraduate major in Biology or Chemistry. However, there is actually not a requirement for any specific major in order to apply to a health professional school. Overall, these schools look for well rounded individuals who have demonstrated the ability to use their intellect. However, regardless of major chosen, a student must fulfill specific undergraduate course prerequisites for the professional school to which he/she would like to apply. Many schools have similar basic undergraduate science course requirements, with varying recommendations for additional coursework in the sciences and other subjects. For instance, most medical and health professional schools require at least 8 hours of Biology. Examples of additional science courses that may be required by such schools include Human Anatomy and Physiology (Physician’s Assistant and Physical Therapist), Biochemistry (Pharmacy), and Genetics (Veterinary Medicine).

It is very important for JU students intending to pursue a career in a health profession to work closely with their faculty advisor and/or JU Pre Health Professions advisors early and regularly, in order to stay on track with meeting entrance and course requirements. Additionally, it is strongly advised that JU students closely read the websites of professional schools to which they may apply to understand specific undergraduate course and entrance exam requirements that a particular school may have. Students are also encouraged to join JUMPS, the Jacksonville University Medical Pre-Professional Society, which holds meetings throughout the year on topics relevant to Pre-Health Profession students. Below is a list of courses that will help prepare JU students for successful application to a Health Professional school. These requirements encompass the material needed for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), which is required by all but a few medical schools in the U.S. These courses also comprise the information needed for basic background for the study of medicine as well as admission to most other health professional programs. The requirements are to be regarded as minimal for either purpose.

Requirements

Pre-Health Professions Basic Course Recommendations:

BIOL 180Biological Diversity

4

BIOL 190Biological Unity

3

BIOL 290Basic Laboratory Techniques in Biology

3

CHEM 103General Chemistry I

4

CHEM 104General Chemistry

4

CHEM 310Organic Chemistry I

3

And

CHEM 310LOrganic Chemistry I Laboratory

1

CHEM 311Organic Chemistry II

3

And

CHEM 311LOrganic Chemistry II Laboratory

1

PHYS 111Principles of Physics I

4

PHYS 112Principles of Physics II

4

MATH 140Calculus I

4

Total Credit Hours:38

BIOL 180, BIOL 190, BIOL 290, CHEM 103, CHEM 104, MATH 140: Prerequisite for select 300/400-level BIOL courses. Specific prerequisites are listed for each course in the Course Descriptions portion of the catalog. These may be waived in certain cases by permission of the faculty teaching upper division courses.

In addition to the basic requirements, the following courses are recommended for strengthening the student’s scientific foundations, and good performance in these courses will also make the student a stronger candidate for admission to the program of their choice. The courses that an individual student should take will vary with the student’s intended career path and the professional school(s) to which they are intending to apply. The student should always review the requirements of their intended school(s) and work closely with their JU advisor.

Additional Recommended Courses:

BIOL 301WRMicrobiology

4

BIOL 305Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy

4

BIOL 308Principles of Immunology

4

BIOL 309Animal Physiology

4

BIOL 320 WI

4

BIOL 322Medical Microbiology

4

BIOL 337Genetics

3

BIOL 402WRCell Biology

4

BIOL 430Special Topics in Biology

1-4

BIOL 435WIBiochemistry I

4

Or

CHEM 435WIBiochemistry I

4

BIOL 436Biochemistry II

4

Or

CHEM 436Biochemistry II

4

CHEM 322Analytical Chemistry

4

CHEM 323Instrumental Analysis

4

PSYC 201Introductory Psychology

3

SOC 203Introductory Sociology

3

BIOL 301WR: Prerequisites: “C“ or better in CHEM 104; and either MSC 113 & MSC 114, or BIOL 280 & BIOL 290, or BIOL 290 & CHEM 322; and either CHEM 211SI, or BIOL 223SI

BIOL 305: Prerequisites: "C" or better in BIOL 190; and either BIOL 280, or MSC 113 & MSC 114

BIOL 308: Prerequisite: “C“ or better in BIOL 290

BIOL 309: Prerequisites: “C“ or better in BIOL 180 and CHEM 104; and either BIOL 290 or MSC 113 & MSC 114; recommended: CHEM 301/L

BIOL 320 WI: Prerequisites: BIOL 223SI; and BIOL 190; and either BIOL 280 or MSC 113 & MSC 114

BIOL 322: Prerequisites: “C” or better in CHEM 104; and either BIOL 223SI or CHEM 211SI; and either BIOL 290 or MSC 113 & MSC 114

BIOL 337: Prerequisites: “C“ or better in CHEM 104 and BIOL 290

BIOL 402WR: Prerequisites: “C” or better in either BIOL 223SI, or CHEM 211SI; and either BIOL 290, or MSC 113 & MSC 114

BIOL 430: Prerequisites: “C” or better in BIOL 280, BIOL 290, and BIOL 223SI

BIOL 435 WI and CHEM 435 WI: Prerequisites: “C” or better in CHEM 302; and BIOL 190; and either BIOL 290, CHEM 322, or MSC 113 & MSC 114 (BIOL 290 strongly recommended)

BIOL 436 and CHEM 436: Prerequisites: “C” or better in BIOL 435WI or CHEM 435WI

CHEM 322 and CHEM 323: Prerequisite: “C” or better in CHEM 104  

BIOL 430: See Notes #

Notes:

# BIOL 430 denotes a special topics course. Special topics courses vary in theme and not all special topics courses are applicable to students pursuing a health profession. However, students interested in some health professions may find the Wildlife Disease Ecology course beneficial and may wish to take it when it is offered.

In addition to successful completion of course requirements, programs leading to degrees in the health professions often recommend and/or require students to show evidence of completing numerous experiential hours (e.g., volunteerism, clinical shadowing, research, internships, work experience) related to the health profession. Programs may differ in the minimum expected, so it is important to check the recommendations of individual programs early and often. Involvement in student clubs, service organizations, and other extracurricular activities also help students develop additional skills complementary to future work in the health professions.

A variety of internship programs with either Research or Clinical/Practical Professional orientation are available to JU students. JU students collaborate with mentors at the Mayo Clinic, UF Health Jacksonville and other institutions. The faculty and staff at JU work with these institutions to identify and encourage minorities and other students who are interested in careers in research and medicine through these internships. JU has also devised numerous shadowing, internship, and research projects for students at other medical and dental facilities, as well as an array of veterinary sites.