Students interested in pre-health programs are advised in the College of Arts and Sciences dean’s office.

As careers in health professions continue to be plentiful, applicants to the professional training programs become more numerous and requirements for admission become more stringent. One of the universal requirements is a high grade point average (GPA). Therefore, after completing 24 or more semester hours at K-State, students with a K-State GPA below 2.75 are required to find an alternative to pre-health curriculum. To remain in a pre-health curriculum a student must continue to take the prerequisite coursework appropriate to that curriculum and maintain a 2.75 K-State GPA. To be competitive, at the point of application to professional schools students must have earned a GPA above a 3.0.

Students who have previous academic work at K-State or elsewhere must have a 2.75 or higher GPA to declare a pre-health curriculum. For purposes of declaring a pre-health curriculum, GPAs will be based on all college or university courses attempted.

Academic prerequisites for successful application to health professions schools and programs are different for each profession and vary from program to program within individual professions. Some programs require completion of a bachelor’s degree before matriculation while others require only the completion of specific coursework. Programs that require completion of a bachelor’s degree accept students with a wide variety of degrees. No specific degree is required.

Creating a competitive applicant profile takes time and includes more than academics. Therefore, all students who are considering a health profession should consult with the appropriate health professions advisor in the College of Arts and Sciences dean’s office early in their undergraduate career.

Programs:

• Pre-chiropractic medicine
• Pre-dentistry
• Pre-health information management
• Pre-medicine
• Pre-nursing
• Pre-occupational therapy
• Pre-optometry
• Pre-pharmacy
• Pre-physical therapy
• Pre-physician assistant
• Pre-respiratory care
• Pre-veterinary medicine

Pre-chiropractic medicine

Pre-chiropractic medicine  is not a degree-granting program. Individual advising is strongly recommended.

Most chiropractic colleges abide by the prerequisite course recommendations of the Council on Chiropractic Education. This list of courses can be found on the website of the Association of Chiropractic Colleges and is used as a guideline when advising students. Individual colleges, however, may have additional specific requirements not listed here.

The following courses satisfy the admission requirements for most chiropractic colleges:

For more information go to K-State Pre-health.

Pre-dentistry

Pre-dentistry  is not a degree-granting program. Individual advising is strongly recommended.

Dental Schools in the United States require applicants to satisfactorily complete a specified set of courses and to present acceptable scores on the Dental Admission Test (DAT).  The majority of entrants earn bachelor’s degrees prior to entering dental school.  The courses listed below satisfy the admission requirements for most dental schools:

Requirements for dental schools vary, so consultation with a health professions advisor is strongly recommended.

For more information go to K-State Pre-health.

Pre-health information management

Pre-health information management  is not a degree-granting program. Individual advising is strongly recommended.

The pre-health information management curriculum is a based on prerequisites for the professional program at KU Medical Center.

The following course work must be completed to qualify for admission to KU’s program:

There are specific course recommendations and suggestions to fulfill the humanities and general elective requirements. Prerequisites are subject to change. Consultation with a health professions advisor is strongly recommended.

For more information go to K-State Pre-health.     

Pre-medicine

Pre-medicine  is not a degree-granting program.  Individual advising is strongly recommended.

Medical schools in the United States require completion of a bachelor’s degree before entering medical school. No specific degree is preferred. In addition to the prerequisite courses, students are expected to include a broad range of humanities and social sciences in their undergraduate studies. Leadership and physician shadowing experiences are expected. Acceptable scores on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) are required and vary among medical schools. Kansas residents are given preference at the University of Kansas School of Medicine.  The courses listed below fulfill the requirements at most U.S. medical schools: 

Requirements for medical schools vary, so consultation with a health professions advisor is strongly recommended. 

For more information go to K-State Pre-health.

Pre-nursing

Pre-nursing  is not a degree-granting program.  Individual advising is strongly recommended.

Pre-nursing students take prerequisite course work in preparation to transfer to a school that offers a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN).

The following are core requirements of most BSN programs:

Additional humanities, social sciences, and other specific courses and elective hours vary considerably; therefore consultation with a health professions advisor is strongly recommended. 

For more information go to K-State Pre-health.

Pre-occupational therapy

Pre-occupational therapy  is not a degree-granting program.  Individual advising is strongly recommended.

The pre-occupational therapy curriculum prepares students for application to the master’s program in occupational therapy at the University of Kansas Medical Center.  Successful completion of 90 semester hours is required before entering.

General Electives

Electives must bring the prerequisite hours to a total of 90.  Suggested courses include but are not limited to multicultural classes, foreign language, sign language, kinesiology, technical or professional writing, sociology or psychology relating to family dynamics, and additional humanities of interest to the student.

Prerequisites may change. Since requirements of other occupational therapy programs will vary, so consultation with a health professions advisor is strongly recommended.

For more information go to K-State Pre-health.

Pre-optometry

Pre-optometry  is not a degree-granting program.  Individual advising is strongly recommended.

In order to apply for admission to a school of optometry, students are expected to complete successfully at least three years of college work including a set of specified science and mathematics courses and to present acceptable scores on the Optometry Admission Test (OAT). Students must earn a bachelor’s degree before the optometry degree will be granted.

The following courses satisfy the admission requirements at most optometry schools:

Requirements for optometry schools vary, so consultation with a health professions advisor is strongly recommended.

For more information go to K-State Pre-health.

Pre-pharmacy

Pre-pharmacy  is not a degree-granting program.  Individual advising is strongly recommended.

Pharmacy schools require 65-70 hours of courses prior to application to their program and acceptable scores on the (PCAT) Pharmacy college Application Test.  The pharmacy school at the University of Kansas gives preference to applicants who are Kansas residents. The following courses constitute their requirements. Requirements for other pharmacy schools vary, so consultation with a health professions advisor is strongly recommended.

*Students who have completed high school physics with a grade of B or better may be exempt.

For more information go to K-State Pre-health.

Pre-physical therapy

Pre-physical therapy  is not a degree-granting program. Individual advising is strongly recommended.

Most physical therapy education programs require completion of a bachelor’s degree before making application to their programs:

Additional humanities, social sciences, and other electives are required and vary with each program. Many programs require satisfactory scores on the Graduate Record Exam. Observation hours are usually required.

Requirements for pre-physical therapy schools vary, so consultation with a health professions advisor is strongly recommended.

For more information go to K-State Pre-health.

Pre-physician assistant

Pre-physician assistant  is not a degree-granting program. Individual advising is strongly recommended.

The Pre-physician assistant curriculum prepares students for application to master’s physician assistant studies. Successful completion of a bachelor’s degree (any major) is required before entering. In addition to the requirements of the major, students must complete the following core requirements:

 Additional humanities, social sciences, and other electives are required and vary with each program. Many programs require satisfactory scores on the Graduate Record Exam. Observation hours are usually required.

For more information go to K-State Pre-health.

Pre-respiratory care

Pre-respiratory care  is not a degree-granting program. Individual advising is strongly recommended.

The pre-respiratory care curriculum is based on prerequisites for the professional program at KU Medical Center. Since prerequisites for other programs may vary, consultation with a health professions advisor is strongly recommended.

The following courses must be completed to qualify for admission to KU’s program:

Requirements for pre-respiratory care programs vary, so consultation with a health professions advisor is strongly recommended.

For more information go to K-State Pre-health.

Pre-veterinary medicine

Pre-veterinary medicine  is not a degree-granting program. Individual advising is strongly recommended.

The pre-veterinary program in the College of Arts and Sciences prepares students for application to veterinary school. The following preprofessional courses must be included as a minimum preparation for admission:

Most students pursue a bachelor’s degree while working toward admission to vet school, although it is not required. Students interested in veterinary medicine may be advised through the College of Arts and Sciences or the College of Agriculture. Prerequisites, established by the College of Veterinary Medicine, are the same.

The college in which students receive undergraduate advising should be chosen based on the individual student’s academic interests, should they choose to pursue a bachelor’s degree.

The College of Veterinary Medicine at K-State does not recommend or give preference to students based on the college in which they receive undergraduate advising or through which they earn a bachelor’s degree.

The Veterinary Scholars Early Admission Program provides an admission opportunity for high school seniors.

Students with a 29 or higher composite ACT score or a 1280 or higher SAT combined score qualify for application to the Veterinary Scholars Early Admission Program. For more information about the early admission program contact the College of Veterinary Medicine.

For more information on Pre-veterinary medicine go to K-State Pre-health. For more information on pre-vet advising, contact the College of Arts and Sciences dean’s office.