Pre-Health Studies Program

Program Advisors:

Shelli Waetzig, PhD, Department of Chemistry & Food Science
Steven Cok, PhD, Department of Chemistry & Food Science

This is a campus-wide program available to any student from any major who may be interested in a career in the medical or health professions. There are many resources at this site that can help to educate you regarding the different health service fields that one can specialize in and how to best prepare for that career. For students who are interested in a health career, but are not quite sure where to start, we recommend beginning with the Career Resources page. Here you will find links to a variety of different health professions so that you can learn more about each one.

Students interested in medical, veterinary, dental, pharmacy, and physician assistant programs, as well as many other health professions, will need a core foundation in biology and chemistry. The courses that you need to take include laboratories. For biology, you will need BIOL 160 Introduction to Organismal Biology (fall semester) and BIOL 161 Introduction to Cell and Molecular Biology (spring semester). For chemistry, you should start with CHEM 107 Principles of Chemistry (fall semester) and CHEM 108 Principles of Chemistry and Quantitative Analysis (spring semester). Please note that CHEM 107 is a prerequisite for CHEM 108, so beginning the sequence in the spring is not an option. These career paths also require a semester or two of organic chemistry and, usually, two semesters of physics. To enroll in PHYS 211 Principles of Physics, students must have completed or be enrolled in Calculus I. Students may also need courses in English composition and literature, nutrition, psychology, and sociology. For specific course recommendations for particular health professions, see the Health Professions Prerequisite Course Worksheets page.

It is strongly recommended that students interested in the medical and health professions meet with one of the Pre-Health Program advisors no later than their sophomore year and continue to meet periodically. This contact will help ensure that students complete the specific requirements for the programs to which they intend to submit applications, since each program and institution has varying admissions requirements. Note that particularly strong graduating grade-point averages, shadowing, leadership demonstrations, and volunteering/community service are required for competitive applications to professional schools.

When the time comes to apply for your program, the advisors are here to help you with the process. Please feel free to schedule an appointment with one of them during the process of preparing and submitting your application. As a part of your application, you may need to have a composite letter of recommendation from Framingham State University. Please see the Health Professions Advisory Committee (HPAC) page to review the process of meeting with the Committee and obtaining a letter. Please note that students applying to medical and health professions schools should complete an Intent to Apply Form no later than December 1st of the year prior to his/her application. Students with January application deadlines should submit by September 15th.

All forms and questions regarding the HPAC process should be directed to the HPAC Chair, Dr. Shelli Waetzig. General advising questions can be directed to either Dr. Waetzig or Dr. Cok.