Pre-Health Pathways

Do your plans include becoming a physician, physical therapist, or maybe a veterinarian? At CMU we offer pre-health pathways to help guide you into graduate health schools. These are NOT majors but pathways.

Pre-medicine and pre-health professions advising center

Your Pre-Medicine and Pre-Health Professions Advising Center is a specialized office whose advisors are here to assist you in exploring health career options, building effective skills, and preparing for admission into graduate health schools.

Regardless of your major, you'll be assigned a pre-health academic advisor to support your academic and pre-professional pathway during your time at CMU.

Graduate health schools seek applicants with diverse interests and backgrounds, so we encourage you to think about what you are most passionate about and what you want to learn and do while in college. The Pre-Medicine and Pre-Health Professions Advising Center will assist you in connecting with faculty in your major as well as faculty in the areas of your chosen health pathway.

Offerings

In conjunction with other CMU student services, we provide services designed to:

  • help you explore your interests and future career in health
  • teach you the importance of developing a well-rounded application
  • identify opportunities to gain experience in research, volunteering, and clinical
  • develop skills in writing personal statements and interviewing for admission to graduate health schools

Want to learn more? 

  • Please email  cmichse@cmich.edu to connect with the CMU Pre-Medicine and Pre-Health Professions Advising Center

Already a CMU student? 

  • Connect with your pre-health academic advisor. Make an appointment by visiting https://cmich.edu/MyAdvisor to get their booking link
  • Make sure you are receiving the pre-health listserv. Check your cmich email account
  • Attend workshops to help guide you along your path, workshops are provided throughout the academic year

Common majors

When following one of our pre-health pathways you can choose ANY major, even a non-STEM major, but it may take extra time to complete the admission requirements for graduate health school.

Pre-Dentistry

Program Overview: Careers within dentistry are diverse and provide many opportunities for challenging and rewarding service. Most dentists are general practitioners, handling a variety of dental needs. You have the option to choose from a wide variety of undergraduate majors to prepare you for a dental program.  Suggested undergraduate majors include Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, and Neuroscience.

Why This program & what you’ll learn: The amount of time it takes to earn a DDS or DMD is generally 8 years of education beyond high school.  All 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories require licensing. From the time you begin college, you are assembling a complete universal application to apply to dental schools. Dental schools will review your application holistically. At CMU you will work with your pre-health academic advisor and faculty to submit a competitive application.

Program Highlights

Pre-Medicine

Program Overview: Physicians diagnose and treat injuries and illnesses in patients.  Physicians examine patients, take medical histories, prescribe medications, and order, perform, and interpret diagnostic tests. Careers within medicine are diverse and provide many opportunities for challenging and rewarding service.  Most physicians are general practitioners, handling a variety of health needs.  Other physicians practice one of the 26 specialty areas.

You have the option to choose from a wide variety of undergraduate majors to prepare you for a medical school. Suggested undergraduate majors include.  Biology, Biochemistry, Psychology, and Neuroscience.

Why This program & what you’ll learn: The common path to practicing as a physician requires 8 years of education beyond high school and 3 to 8 additional years of internship and residency.  All 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories require licensing. From the time you begin college, you are assembling a complete universal application to apply to medical schools, and they will review your application holistically. At CMU you will work with your pre-health academic advisor and faculty to submit a competitive application.

Program Highlights

Pre-Occupational Therapy

Program Overview: Occupational therapy assists people of all ages by using their daily activities to promote health and well-being. They focus on adapting the environment and tasks to fit the individual. Occupational therapists work with children with disabilities to participate fully in school and social situations, help people recovering from injury to regain skills, and providing supports for older adults experiencing physical and cognitive changes. 

At CMU, you have the option to choose from a wide variety of undergraduate majors to prepare you for a career in occupational therapy. Common undergraduate majors include Exercise Science, Psychology, Child Development, Recreational Therapy and Rehabilitation and Neuroscience.

Why This program & what you’ll learn:  Many OT programs require applicants to have a certain number of volunteer or paid experiences working with patients in an occupational therapy setting. These experiences may be an important factor in the admissions process.  At CMU, you will work with your pre-health academic advisor and faculty to plan your course schedule and to assist you in submitting a competitive application.

Program Highlights

Pre-Optometry

Program Overview: Optometrists perform eye exams to check for vision problems and diseases. They prescribe eyeglasses or contact lenses as needed. Careers within optometry are diverse and provide many opportunities for challenging and rewarding service. Most optometrists are general practitioners, handling a variety of vision needs. 

You have the option to choose from a wide variety of undergraduate majors to prepare you for an optometry program. Suggested undergraduate majors include Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry and Neuroscience.

Why This program & what you’ll learn: The Doctor of Optometry degree requires the completion of a 4-year program at an accredited school of optometry. All states require optometrists to be licensed. From the time you begin college, you will be assembling components of your application to optometry school. However, it takes more than a good GPA and OAT score to get into an optometry program. At CMU you will work with your pre-health academic advisor and faculty to plan your course schedule and to assist you in submitting a competitive application.

Program Highlights

Pre-Pharmacy

Program Overview: Pharmacists dispense prescription medications to patients and offer advice on their safe use.

Careers within the pharmaceutical field are diverse and provide many opportunities for challenging and rewarding service. There are eight specialty areas including critical care, nutrition support, oncology, pharmacotherapy, and psychiatric.

At CMU, you have the option to choose from a wide variety of undergraduate majors to prepare you for a pharmacy program. Suggested undergraduate majors include Biochemistry, Chemistry, Biology​, Psychology, and Neuroscience.

Why This program & what you’ll learn: Pharmacy programs generally take 4 years to complete. The courses offered are designed to teach you about all aspects of drug therapy. In addition to receiving classroom instruction, you will spend time working with licensed pharmacists in a variety of practice settings.  From the time you begin college, you are assembling a complete universal application to apply to pharmacy schools, and they will review your application as a whole. At CMU, you will work with your pre-health academic advisor and faculty to plan your course schedule and to assist you in submitting a competitive application.

Program Highlights

Pre-Physical Therapy

Program Overview: Physical therapists help people who have injuries or illnesses improve their movement and manage their pain. They are often an important part of rehabilitation and treatment of patients with chronic conditions or injuries. 

At CMU, you have the option to choose from a wide variety of undergraduate majors to prepare you for a DPT program. There are no major requirements so you can choose any major for physical therapy school. Common undergraduate majors include, Biology, Psychology, Child Development, Therapeutic Recreation, Neuroscience, and Exercise Science. 

Why This program & what you’ll learn: Doctor of Physical Therapy degrees (DPT) generally take 3 years to complete Many DPT programs require applicants to have a certain number of volunteer or paid experiences working with patients in a physical therapy clinic.  From the time you begin college, you are assembling a complete universal application to apply to physical therapy schools, and they will review your application holistically. At CMU you will work with your pre-health academic advisor and faculty to submit a competitive application.

Program Highlights

Pre-Physician Assistant

Program Overview: Physician assistants, also known as PAs, practice medicine under the direction of physicians and surgeons. They are formally trained to examine patients, diagnose injuries and illnesses, and provide treatment. PA education includes classroom and lab instruction in subjects like biochemistry, pathology, human anatomy, physiology, clinical pharmacology, clinical medicine, physical diagnosis, and medical ethics.

At CMU, you have the option to choose from a wide variety of undergraduate majors to prepare you for a physician assistant program.  Possible undergraduate majors include Biology, Child Development, Exercise Science, Neuroscience, Psychology, and Therapeutic Recreation.

Why This program & what you’ll learn: Physician assistant programs usually take 2 years to complete. From the time you begin college, you are assembling a complete universal application to apply to PA schools, and they will review your application thoroughly. At CMU, you will work with your pre-health academic advisor and faculty to plan your course schedule and to assist you in submitting a competitive application.

Program Highlights

Pre-Veterinary Medicine

Program Overview: Veterinarians care for the health of animals. They diagnose, treat or research medical conditions and diseases of pets, livestock, and animals in zoos, racetracks, and laboratories.

At CMU, you have the option to choose from a variety of undergraduate majors to prepare you for a veterinarian program. Suggested undergraduate majors include Biology, Biochemistry, and Chemistry.

Why This program & what you’ll learn: Prospective veterinarians must graduate with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M. or V.M.D.) degree from a 4-year program at an accredited college of veterinary medicine. From the time you begin college, you are assembling a complete universal application to apply to veterinary science schools, and they will review your application holistically. At CMU you will work with your pre-health academic advisor and faculty to submit a competitive application.

Program Highlights