2022-23 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Pre-Professional Health Sciences
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 Return to: College of Engineering and Natural Sciences
The University of Tennessee at Martin does not offer professional degrees or certificates of completion in any of the pre-professional health sciences. It does, however, provide training which will prepare students for application to professional schools in the following areas:
Professional programs in Chiropractic, Dentistry, Medicine, Optometry, Pharmacy and Physical Therapy normally lead to a doctoral degree, while those in the other health sciences listed above generally lead to a bachelor’s or master’s degree.
The courses listed under each pre-professional plan are representative of the minimum requirements for admission to most professional schools in that area; however, students are strongly encouraged to review the requirements for their school(s) of choice. Information about professional schools’ requirements can be found in the pre-professional program coordinator’s office. In most cases, students should expect to take classes well above the minimum recommendations to be considered competitive and students are strongly encouraged to pursue as rigorous a schedule of courses as possible.
It is important to note that the pre-professional plans are not majors and do not fulfill the requirements for a baccalaureate degree at UT Martin. The courses listed are recommendations and are not required for degree completion unless also listed under the student’s chosen major. Health science pre-professional (HSPP) students planning to graduate from UT Martin must satisfy all requirements for the bachelor’s degree they plan to earn, including the general education requirements, as well as meet the admission requirements of the particular professional school(s) to which they are planning to apply. In most cases, students may choose any major they wish as long as they also meet the admission requirements of the professional school(s).
Health science pre-professional (HSPP) students should be aware that careful sequencing of courses is necessary to complete the required course work in a timely fashion and should work closely with their advisers in planning their individual curriculum. Students should always check with their adviser and/ or school(s) of choice before deciding which classes to take. Students are encouraged to research and learn about the field they are interested in prior to application to professional school. The pre-professional program coordinator can provide students with resources and information about the various fields to ensure students are making an informed decision about their choice of career. Additionally, many professional schools recommend that students gain some experience in the field through volunteering and/or shadowing prior to application.
Some professional programs require an entrance exam such as the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT), or Graduate Record Exam (GRE). Although most students do not take those exams until their junior year or later, the exams are typically based on material from introductory classes. Health science pre-professional students (HSPP) should begin to prepare for those exams as soon as they start their pre-professional coursework. Additionally, entry into most professional schools is competitive and health science pre-professional students should expect to earn a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Additional information about all of the HSPP plans is available in the HSPP program coordinator’s office. Students interested in any of the HSPP plans should speak with their academic advisers and then contact the program coordinator for more information.
Return to: College of Engineering and Natural Sciences
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