Why "PreHealth" is not a major

Why isn't "PreMed" (or "PreDent" or "PreAnything") a major?  Why must you declare Biology or Chemistry or History or Psychology?

Basically, your major gets you out of college but your PreHealth Professional plan gets you into the Health Profession school. These will overlap, but they are not identical!

Health Professions schools don't care what major you bring with you from college. They DO require that certain prerequisite courses be completed and (usually) that an entrance exam be passed satisfactorily.  Because the prereqs (and the content of the entrance exams) generally include multiple courses in Chemistry and Biology, those are the two majors most often chosen by college students following any PreHealth track. 

In addition to a Bio or Chem major being the "path of least resistance" for many students, it is very helpful to have already taken a lot of Chemistry and Biology in college because, when they teach it to you again in Health Professional school, it will be the second time around and thus "easier". 

Another PreHealth major that comes up a lot is Psychology.

Reminder: you can major in one area and minor in another, sometimes rather easily.  Speak to your Academic Advisor about this, or consult the current Bulletin.  There is also a Neuroscience Minor at UW Oshkosh that is appropriate for PreHealth students.

At UW Oshkosh, you must eventually declare a major (such as Biology, Chemistry, or Psychology) and you can declare a PreHealth Profession plan (such as Medicine or Pharmacy). BOTH will show up on the STAR (progress) report that you receive every semester you are here, helping to track you to specialist advisors for that PreHealth plan. 

• Should you decide on a Biology Department major or minor, be sure to examine the Biology Department's Advising Web for information on planning for graduation.
• Should you decide on a Chemistry Department major or minor, visit http://www.uwosh.edu/departments/chemistry/ for more information.
• Should you decide on a Psychology Department major or minor, visit http://www.uwosh.edu/departments/psychology/ for more information.

It comes down to this: you may be ANY major in college and still be competitive for admission to a Health Profession school.

Warning: Some Health Profession schools say they will admit you after 90 credits are earned (equivalent to completing the Junior year of college, i.e. without a Bachelor's degree in hand). However, the number of students admitted this way is tiny, so it's unrealistic to assume you will be one of them.  Moreover, this policy is disappearing across the country and could well be dropped at any time.  It's a good thing to demonstrate that you finish what you start; so declare a major and finish strong!

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Last updated on 04/26/2007.  Contact webmaster.