Pre-Health Tracks

Core Requirements for most dental schools:

• Introductory Biology (BIOL 241, 242)
• General Chemistry (CHEM 231, 232)
• Organic Chemistry (CHEM 341, 342)
• General Physics (PHYS 221–222)

Additional courses often recommended or required for admission include:

• English Composition
• Upper-level science courses such as Anatomy & Physiology (AHS 351 & 361 or BIOL 331 & 332), Microbiology (BIOL 324)
• Social and Behavioral Science courses and the Arts

Helpful Resources

• Pre-Requisite Information for US Dental Schools
• US Dental School List (ADA)
• Associated American Dental Schools Application Service (AADSAS)
• Dental Admissions Test (DAT) is the required entrance exam for all dental schools in the US. The exam is broken up into four sections. For more information on the various test sections and their content, see the ADEA web site.

Core Requirements for most medical schools:

• Introductory Biology (BIOL 241, 242)
• General Chemistry (CHEM 231, 232)
• Organic Chemistry (CHEM 341, 342)
• General Physics (PHYS 221–222)
• Biochemistry (CHEM 461) 

Additionally, school–specific admissions requirements (or recommendations) may be:

• English courses (written composition, advanced or intensive writing courses)
• Semester or year of mathematics (Statistics, MATH 231 – Calculus I, MATH 232 – Calculus II; AP credit can usually apply)
• Social & Behavioral Sciences (Psychology (PSYC 101, Sociology (SOC 115), etc.)
  • About 15 percent of the MCAT questions cover psychology topics, strong preparation is recommended. MCAT preparation does not have to come from an actual course, a number of medical schools require or recommend at least one course in the behavioral sciences.
• Upper Division Biology Courses: BIOL 322 – Advanced Cellular and Developmental Biology; BIOL 356 – Genetics; BIOL 324 – Microbiology
• Anatomy and Physiology (AHS 351 & AHS 361; BIOL 331 & 332)
• Language(s) - recommended

Helpful Resources:

• Medical School Admissions Requirements – students can purchase a subscription to access information, pre-requisites, mission information, selection factors, average GPA & MCAT scores and much more. A free version is available however the released information is very limited. The director of Health Professions has access to the resource if you have specific questions about an individual school or would like to see the full site.
• Osteopathic Medical College Information – information on all osteopathic medical schools in the US
• American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) – centralized application for most MD programs in US and Puerto Rico
• American Association of College of Osteopathic Medicine Application Service (AACOMAS) – centralized application for all osteopathic medical programs in US (except Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine)
• Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) is the required entrance exam for all medical schools in the US. The exam is broken up into four sections. For more information on the various test sections and their content, see the AAMC web site. 

Core Requirements for many optometry programs:

• Introductory Biology (BIOL 241, 242)
• General Chemistry (CHEM 231, 232)
• Organic Chemistry (CHEM 341, 342)
• General Physics (PHYS 221–222)
• Microbiology (BIOL 324)
• Statistics
• Calculus (MATH 231)

 Helpful Resources:

• OptomCAS is the centralized application service for the optometry programs in the US.
• Optometry Admissions Test (OAT) is the entrance exam required for optometry programs.
• Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry General and School Specific Requirement Handout
• Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (OptomCAS) - General and School-Specific Pre-Requisites

Core Requirements for Podiatry Programs

• Introductory Biology (BIOL 241, 242)
• General Chemistry (CHEM 231, 232)
• Organic Chemistry (CHEM 341, 342)
• General Physics (PHYS 221–222)
• English courses (6-8 semester hours)

Helpful Resources:

• American Podiatric Medical Association – What is a Podiatrist?
• American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine (AACPM) represents the nine colleges of podiatric medicine and over 200 hospitals and organizations conducting graduate training in the field
• Podiatric College Information Book – contains information on all nine US programs and other helpful information
• Find a Mentor Resource through the AACPM
• The MCAT is the required entrance exam for podiatry programs. For more information on the various test sections and their content, see the AAMC web site. Additional courses beyond those required for admission may be necessary to adequately prepare for the exam.

Helpful Resources

• The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is often required for veterinary programs.
• Veterinary Medical College Application Services - Summary of Course Pre-Requisites

There are many ways in which one can pursue a career in nursing. One path is the Liberal Arts Nursing major. If not pursuing the major, many Wheaton College students pursue a non-nursing undergraduate major and then enter nursing education after graduation. Applying to an accelerated BSN (second Bachelor’s degree) program or a Graduate Entry Master’s program are the two most popular Wheaton College options for students preparing to enter the nursing field. Some programs are intended for individuals seeking to become nurse practitioners.

Core Requirements for many nursing programs:

• Introductory Biology (BIOL 241)*
• Chemistry (CHEM 231, 232)**
• Microbiology (BIOL 324)
• Anatomy & Physiology (AHS 351 & 361)
• General Psychology (PSYC 101)
• Developmental Psychology (PSYC 317)
• Statistics course

*Required to take Anatomy & Physiology and Microbiology
**Required to take Microbiology

Beyond the courses listed above, school–specific requirements may include courses such as:

• English courses (written composition, advanced or intensive writing courses)
• Social & Behavioral Sciences (additional Psychology, Sociology, etc.)
• Nutrition (AHS 368)
• Oral Communication
• CPR and/or medical terminology*

*Medical terminology is not offered at Wheaton College, many programs allow online courses

Students are encouraged to consult the nursing program web sites for a list of the pre-requisite requirements.

Helpful Resources:

• American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) member program directory
• Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education program directory
• American Association of Colleges of Nursing Fact Sheet for Accelerated Baccalaureate and Master’s Degrees in Nursing (PDF)
• NursingCAS is the centralized application service for many nursing programs. The service opens in late August each year. If a program is not a part of NursingCAS, the application can be found on the school’s web site.
• The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is often required for master’s programs. In some cases, the requirement is waived with a certain cumulative GPA.

Core Requirements for most physician assistant schools:

• General Biology (BIOL 241)
• Microbiology (BIOL 324)*
• Anatomy & Physiology (AHS 351 & 361 or BIOL 331 & 332)
• Chemistry course (significant variability in chemistry requirements)
• Statistics

*Prerequisite courses: BIOL 241, CHEM 231 & 232

PA programs tend to have the greatest variability from program to program of the health profession tracks. Students are wise to investigate required classes early.

Helpful Resources:

• Physician Assistant Education (PAEA) Directory and ARC-PA Accredited Program List
• Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) – represents 95% of the accredited programs
• The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is often required for master's programs in PA studies.

There are ten common areas of study/work within the discipline of Public Health: Biostatistics/Informatics, Community Health, Epidemiology, Environmental Health, Global Health, Health Policy, Health Promotion and Communication, Maternal and Child Health, Minority Health and Health Disparities, and Social/Behavioral Health.

American Public Health Association

• What is Public Health?
• Topics and Issues for Public Health Officials

The type of graduate program being pursued determines if any pre-requisite courses would be required. The GRE is frequently required for MPH or MSPH programs. Over 19,000 individuals applied for public health programs in 2016-2017 and over 13,000 were accepted.

Helpful Resources:

• Schools of Public Health Application Service (SOPHAS) – centralized application process for many public health programs
• The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is often required for master’s programs.
• Association of Schools and Programs for Public Health (ASPPH) Academic Program Finder
• Council on Education for Public Health accredited program list

A child life specialist is an expert in child development. The individual works to ensure that life remains as normal as possible for children in various health care settings and other challenging environments. Child Life Specialists promote effective coping through play environments, self-expression activities, and age-appropriate medical preparation and education. Individuals work with the families and in partnership with doctors, nurses, social workers and others professionals to meet the unique developmental, social, emotional and cultural needs of the child and family.

Helpful Resources:

• Child Life Council
• Chicagoland Association of Child Life Specialists

Core Requirements for most occupational therapy schools:

• Anatomy & Physiology (AHS 351 & 361 or BIOL 331 & 332)*
• General Psychology (PSYC 101)
• Abnormal and/or Developmental Psychology (PSYC 348 and 317)
• Statistics course

*Prerequisite courses are required

Helpful Resources:

• OTCAS is the centralized application service for occupational therapy programs. The application opens in mid-July each year for the next application cycle.
• Accredited Master’s Level Program list
• The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is often required for master's programs in OT.

Core Requirements for most physical therapy schools:

• General Biology (BIOL 241 & 242)
• Anatomy & Physiology (AHS 351 & 361 or BIOL 331 & 332)
• Physics (PHYS - Physics (PHYS 221 & 222) or Calculus based sequence 231 & 232)
• Calculus (MATH 231)
• Psychology (PSYC 101) and Chemistry (CHEM 231 & 232)

Helpful Resources:

• Recommended Steps in the Application Process
• Program List of PTCAS program participants
• Program Pre-Requisite Lists (courses, letters of recommendation, GRE, observation hours, etc.
• PTCAS Check List

Wheaton College students interested in becoming a speech-language pathologist can pursue professional studies in the field after graduation. In many cases, pre-requisite courses would be needed to apply. Some pre-requisite courses include: Introduction to Communication Sciences & Disorders, Introduction to Audiology, Phonetics, Anatomy and Physiology of the Speech and Hearing Mechanism.

Helpful Resources:

• American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA)
• ASHA Program Search Resource
• The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is often required for master’s programs in SLP.

Wheaton College students interested in becoming a pharmacist can pursue professional studies in the field after graduation. In many cases, pre-requisite courses would be needed to apply. Some pre-requisite courses include:

Core Requirements for many pharmacy programs:

• Introductory Biology (BIOL 241, 242)
• General Chemistry (CHEM 231, 232)
• Organic Chemistry (CHEM 341, 342)
• General Physics (PHYS 221)
• Microbiology (BIOL 324)
• Statistics
• Calculus (MATH 231)
• Psychology (PSYC 101) and/or Sociology (SOC 115)
• Communication/Speech (COMM 101)
• Anatomy & Physiology (BIOL 331, 332)
• English Composition & Writing

Helpful Resources:

• PharmCAS is the centralized application service for the pharmacy programs in the US.
• Pharmacy College Admissions Test (PCAT) is the entrance exam required for optometry programs.
• American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy General and School Specific Requirement Handout