Pre-Health Professions Certificate*

Program of Study

Our selective program provides a robust educational foundation in basic science prerequisites necessary for competitive admission to MD/DO, PA, Pharmacy, Dental and Veterinary Professional programs. Successful applicants to this two-year program will acquire and strengthen necessary scientific background prior to admission to a health professional school.

The certificate program is reserved exclusively for post-baccalaureate students. This program has a cohort structure, with each cohort consisting of 24-48 students. Students may begin the certificate program only during the Fall semester of an academic year.

A Program Director provides information to prospective applicants and will advise applicants and students regarding strategies and paths to health careers.

Additional opportunities include:

• Health Profession-related seminars
• Information and volunteer opportunities in the health field.
• One-on-one advising and on-going academic support.
• Eligibility to register with the CSUSM University Pre-Health Club and Women in STEM Student Group.
• Workshops and seminars on how to prepare for, apply to, and interview for professional school.

Some health professional schools or standardized exams require knowledge of additional topics such as Psychology or Sociology. The Program Director will assist the student in identifying any additional courses that may be needed, which students can then take through Extended Learning* or elsewhere on a space-available basis.

*The Pre-Health Professions Certificate is offered through Extended Learning.

Program Student Learning Outcomes

1. Students will demonstrate a broad-based and integrative understanding of basic biological, chemical, and mathematical concepts that prepare them for careers in health science.
2. Students will gain an academic background that will meet the requirements for admissions to professional schools of medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, etc.

Admission Requirements:

The successful applicant will have:

• A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
•  A minimum GPA of 3.0 in the last 60 units completed for the degree.
• A score of above 50% on the Chemistry  Placement Exam (CPE), or either CHEM 101 :  Preparatory Chemistry or CHEM 105 : General, Organic, and Biochemistry for Life with a minimum  grade of C (2.0). A PHPC chemistry boot camp is offered  in the summer session for students who  need preparation in chemistry.
• Completed a pre-calculus course (MATH 125 ) with a C (2.0) or better. A student who is missing pre-calculus, can be  admitted with the condition of completing the two- week PHPC math boot camp offered in the summer, or an equivalent course from a regionally accredited institution.

Course Requirements:

• BIOL 210 - Introduction to Cellular and Molecular Biology Units: 4
• BIOL 210A - Cellular and Molecular Biology Tutorial Units: 1
• BIOL 211 - Introduction to Organismal and Population Biology Units: 4
• BIOL 211A - Organismal and Population Biology Tutorial Units: 1
• BIOL 321 - Human Physiology Units: 3
• BIOL 328 - Human Heredity Units: 3
• CHEM 150 - General Chemistry Units: 4
• CHEM 150L - General Chemistry Lab Units: 1
• CHEM 160 - General Chemistry II Units: 3
• CHEM 175 - General Chemistry Lab II - Pre-Health Units: 1
• CHEM 201 - Organic Chemistry Units: 3
• CHEM 201L - Organic Chemistry Laboratory Units: 2
• CHEM 202 - Organic Chemistry Units: 3
• CHEM 202L - Organic Chemistry Laboratory Units: 2
• CHEM 341 - General Biochemistry Units: 3
• MATH 132 - Survey of Calculus Units: 3
• MATH 242 - Introduction to Statistics Units: 3
• PHYS 101 - Introduction to Physics I Units: 4
• PHYS 102 - Introduction to Physics II Units: 4

Total (52 Units)