Pre-health tracks
Preparing for a Career in Healthcare at UToledo
If you want to become a doctor, dentist, veterinarian, pharmacist, or physician assistant, there are many paths to professional school at UToledo. You can select a major in the sciences, pharmaceutical sciences, health sciences, public health and more alongside the pre-health track of your choice. You can also take advantage of the pre-med pathway to medical school at UToledo.
In the meantime, learn from highly funded, world-renowned faculty who can write strong recommendation letters for your application to medical school, dental school, pharmacy school, veterinary school or physician assistant school.
Science-Related Majors that Prepare you for Health Professions
Biochemistry
Degree: Bachelor of Science
College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
- The second most popular undergraduate degree choice for pre-med students.
- Obtain more in-depth coverage of biochemistry and a deeper understanding of the chemistry of living systems. You will learn more about the metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids and amino acids, energy transductions, and mechanisms and regulation of nucleic acid and protein synthesis, all of which are not part of the typical pre-health curriculum and may give you an advantage over other programs.
- Get undergraduate research experience that is directly related to human disease and disorders which is directly applicable to health professions like medicine, nursing, physician assistantship and more.
- Choosing the pre-med track? This program includes the pre-med courses completely embedded in the curriculum, so you do not have to worry about taking any extra courses. Other pre-health tracks have significant overlap as well.
Bioengineering (5-Year Program)
Degree: Bachelor of Science
College of Engineering
-
- Offers a pre-med concentration
- The technical education and research skills that medical schools desire
- Courses that prepare you for the MCAT exam (required for entrance to medical school) and medical school
- Bioengineering graduates are accepted into medical school at higher rates than students who major in the physical sciences.
Biology
Degree: Bachelor of Science
College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
- Get undergraduate research experience that is directly related to human disease and disorders and includes coursework in molecular, cellular and developmental biology.
- Choosing the pre-med track? This program includes the pre-med courses completely embedded in the curriculum, so you do not have to worry about taking any extra courses. Other pre-health tracks have significant overlap as well.
Drug Discovery and Design
Degree: Bachelor of Sciences in Pharmaceutical Sciences (B.S.P.S.)
College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
- Prepares students to research and design pharmaceutical drugs for patient needs, diseases and health objectives.
- Curriculum blends courses in pharmacology and toxicology, medicinal and biological chemistry, pharmaceutics, and healthcare delivery.
- Includes a required internship and hands-on laboratory component, so you’ll be prepared for real-world applications.
- Great pre-health major for entering medical, dental or veterinary school as well as equipping for advanced graduate study in pharmaceutical sciences, forensics, toxicology and chemistry.
Health Sciences
Degree: Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts
College of Health and Human Services
The HS-B.S. program offers three health-related concentrations. The pre-professional course requirements are built into the program's curriculum — no extra classes required.
Gain foundational knowledge and skills related to the function of human systems and disease, as well as exposure to and knowledge of contemporary approaches including the non-clinical factors (social determinants of health) that impact the health of individuals and communities.
- Pre-medical professions – for students interested in medicine, dentistry or veterinary graduate programs
- Pre-physician assistant
- Pre-rehabilitation sciences — for students interested in athletic training or physical therapy graduate programs
The HS-B.A. program offers a Pre-Occupational Therapy concentration. The pre-professional course requirements are built into the program's curriculum — no extra classes required.
Neuroscience
Degree: Bachelor of Science
College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and College of Medicine and Life Sciences
- A great choice for pre-health students who want to specialize in neurology.
- Get undergraduate research experience directly related to human disease and disorders.
- A program that is jointly offered by faculty in the Department of Biological Sciences and faculty in the College of Medicine and Life Sciences — the only undergraduate program where you get to work with and learn from faculty in the College of Medicine and Life Sciences at UToledo. This gives you an advantage of getting to know faculty who could be your professors in medical school. They can even be used as some of your letter writers for your applications to medical school.
Public Health
Degree: Bachelor of Science
College of Health and Human Services
- Offers a pre-medical track
- Rigorous, basic science courses and a solid foundation in public health
- A background in global and community health that helps you learn to prevent disease as well as treat it
- A side of medicine that many pre-med students don't see. Work with and learn from professionals in areas such as healthcare policy and substance abuse. This broader understanding of health will help you as a physician.