Pre-Health Advising

School of Natural Sciences Pre-Health Advising UC MERCED

UC Merced Health Careers

The University of California, Merced, is a perfect place to build the foundation for your career in the health sciences.

Rigorous, interdisciplinary programs allow you to amass the knowledge and the academic record you need to prepare for graduate or professional school in the health sciences. One-on-one attention from faculty members and other mentors helps you stay on top of your learning and develop professional networks that will make a positive difference for your future. Participating in a start-up university affords you opportunities for leadership and personal development – both in and out of the classroom – that will stand out to future admissions and recruiting officials.

Preparation for a Health Career

REQUIRED COURSES Courses requirements vary between schools and among health professional programs. In general, pre-health students can expect to take courses in biological sciences, chemistry, organic chemistry, calculus, physics, statistics, writing, arts, humanities and social sciences. It is the student’s responsibility to become familiar with the prerequisites for the intended health career and school.

OPPORTUNITIES TO INCREASE YOUR COMPETITIVENESS

Research Community service Leadership

Campus involvement Faculty interaction

Pathway to Becoming a Health Professional

Professional or graduate school (two to four years)

High school

Four-year college

Additional training (three to five years)

Optional fellowships (one to three years)

Practicing professional

Get Help with Health Career Preparation

PRE-HEALTH ADVISING OFFERS A VARIETY OF SERVICES TO HELP YOU REACH YOUR GOALS. One-on-one appointments Informational workshops Assistance with course selection Exploration of career options Exam preparation Connect with campus resources Assistance throughout the application process Gaining acceptance into a professional health school requires a huge commitment from you. You must not only have a strong academic record, but also the meaningful extracurricular activities that develop the personal characteristics you will need to be successful in a professional school program. Pre-health Advising can help you make the best decision when choosing a health career path and offer insight on how to build a successful application.

UC Merced Alumni are Attending

California Northstate School of Pharmacy George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences Illinois College of Optometry Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Bradenton, Fla. Michigan State University School of Veterinary Medicine San Diego State University School of Public Health Southern California College of Optometry Texas Tech University Doctor of Physical Therapy Program Touro University College of Pharmacy University of Alabama at Birmingham Master of Health Administration Program University of the Pacific Long School of Pharmacy UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine UCSF School of Dentistry UCSF School of Medicine UCSF School of Pharmacy Western University of Health Sciences College of Veterinary Medicine

Health Careers

Research experiences and leadership opportunities at the first research university of the 21st century will provide competitive advantages for students interested in professional health careers.

Chiropractic Pharmacy Dentistry Physical therapy Genetic counseling Physician assistant

Medicine Podiatric medicine Nursing Public health Occupational therapy Veterinary medicine Optometry

Health administration and clinical laboratory technician

To learn more about upcoming health-related workshops and events, the Pre-health Advising listserv and additional programs and resources, please visit the Pre-health Advising website at c.ucm.edu/prehealth .

Selection of Major

You can major in any undergraduate degree area, provided you include pre-health prerequisites in your course of study and do well in them. Successful applicants have majored in many nonscience subjects such as economics, philosophy and psychol- ogy, as well as the more common science majors such as chemistry, biochemistry and biological sciences. You should major in what interests you. Most students, however, do major in science because this ensures that there will be a great deal of overlap between courses required for their major and those required for professional school and graduate school programs; it makes course planning easier. Those choosing nonscience majors often make their choices for breadth and do very well in the applicant pool.

Contact Information

PRE-HEALTH ADVISING EMAIL:

prehealth@ucmerced.edu

WEBSITE: c.ucm.edu/prehealth

Pre-health Advising has resources available to any student interested in a health career, regardless of major.

PHYSICAL LOCATION Science and Engineering Building Room 370

5200 N. Lake Road Merced, CA 95343

SCHOOL OF NATURAL SCIENCES

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