Academics

Applying to a professional program takes advanced planning and dedication. Students must be prepared academically. Your academic performance at the undergraduate level demonstrates your capability to handle the rigor and demands of coursework and licensing exams required to practice in your health profession of interest. 

Scroll down to learn more about choosing a major, prerequisite courses, and grades. 

Pre-Health Advising

Major

You can major in anything you want to study! There is not one required major that you have to choose from to be admitted into a health professional program. 

Some majors align more closely with pre-health prerequisite requirements than others. We recommend speaking with an advisor to discuss the majors you are considering, review course requirements, and discuss your plan of study. 

Not sure what to major in? Check out all the UNI majors or contact the Office of Academic Advising to meet with a general advisor!

Prerequisites

Even though you can major in anything, all health programs require specific coursework you must complete to be eligible to apply. These prerequisite courses will prepare you for the health program you are applying to. Often, coursework is required within Biology, Chemistry, Math, and the Social Sciences. Additional coursework may be required or recommended, depending on the program you are applying to.   

Advanced planning is needed to ensure you can fit in all required prerequisite courses. As a pre-health student, you should start planning early in partnership with an academic advisor to ensure you are staying on track. 

Grades

Grades are an important component of your pre-health preparation. Professional programs will often request both your cumulative college GPA and your extracted prerequisite GPA to determine your academic readiness to succeed in graduate school. Programs calculate your prerequisite GPA and/or science GPA in different ways, so make sure to consult the centralized application service for your health profession. Performing well academically is a key factor in being accepted into a program. 

Researching potential graduate schools early is important to understand their GPA requirements and policies. For example, some programs will require a minimum grade in specific courses or will have policies about repeated courses. 

Comparing Graduate Schools handout (Coming Soon!)