Premedical and Health Professions

For Spring Entrants considering a career in the health professions:

You may major in any subject at Mount Holyoke and still pursue a career in the health professions, whether in public health, medicine, physical therapy, nursing, pharmacy, or any other specialty.  Each career requires a certain set of prerequisite courses to be completed at the undergraduate level.  For careers in clinical medicine (that is, all of the above specalties except public health), you will need a strong background in the sciences and mathematics, as well as a demonstrated ability to write and speak English clearly and with precision.  As a rule, the different specialites have very similar requirements for first- and second-year college courses, and diverge after that point.

The course requirements for medical school and veterinary school are the most stringent of all of the specialties, so the advice given here is based on those requirements.  Medical and veterinary schools require two years (four semesters) of chemistry and one year (two semesters) each of physics, biology, mathematics, and English.  We strongly urge you to take no more than two of those courses in any one semester, especially early in your college career. 

Good choices for Spring entrants interested in a career in the health professions include English and/or calculus, both of which are taught in the Spring.  It is in your interest to get started in chemistry as early as possible, but the first introductory course in chemistry (Chem 101) is taught only once a year, in the fall.  Plan to take it next fall.  Of course, if you have AP credit or can take chemistry before arriving at Mount Holyoke, check with our Chemistry department to see if you would be eligible to place out of Chem 101 and go directly into Chem 201 this spring.

Once you are on campus, look for an orientation session for students interested in the health professions, and be sure to add your name to the prehealth email list maintained by the Career Development Center.  You can also familiarize yourself with the many specialties in health and the courses required, learn more about the faculty on the Committee on the Career Development Center's Web site about Health Professions, and see how Mount Holyoke supports students interested in the health professions.