Veterinary Degrees Online

Being a Pre-Health student means that you intend to go into one of the health professions, once you have completed your degree. Your undergraduate preparation involves taking the courses required by the graduate-level professional school (medical school, vet school, etc.) that you would attend after obtaining your bachelor’s degree.
Fisher students go on to become:
Physicians (M.D. and D.O.)
Physicians’ Assistants
Veterinarians
Pharmacists
Optometrists
Chiropractors
Podiatrists
Dentists
Physical Therapists
Occupational Therapists
Is there a Pre-Health or Pre-Med major at Fisher?

Fisher does not have a Pre-Health or Pre-Med major. Pre-health students at Fisher can have any academic major. Most Pre-Health students major in Biology or Chemistry, but there are currently Pre-Health students at Fisher majoring in Management, Communication/Journalism, Psychology, and Anthropology.

The undergraduate courses typically required by medical or other health professional graduate schools are:
One year of biology with lab (soon to be two years)
One year of inorganic (or general) chemistry with lab
One year of organic chemistry with lab
One year of physics with lab

NOTE: AP courses are generally not accepted by pharmacy schools and may not be accepted by other health professional schools to satisfy any of these requirements.

Other undergraduate courses that may be required or are strongly recommended:
Biochemistry
Calculus and/or statistics
One or more courses in psychology
One or more courses in English
One or more courses in the humanities or liberal arts
One or more writing-intensive courses
One or more courses in public speaking

NOTE: Fisher students will generally satisfy the English, humanities/liberal arts, writing, and public speaking requirements through completion of Fisher’s college core.

Students interested in a health profession career are urged to make contact with the Health Professions Advisor during, or even prior to, their first semester at Fisher so that they may receive personal assessment and guidance as they pursue their undergraduate studies.

Numerous activities occur each semester that assist pre-health students in selecting schools, understanding the preparation process (beyond Fisher courses), preparing for the interview, and making decisions regarding acceptances and alternatives. The advisor is also able to provide students with the opportunity to meet with and/or observe Fisher graduates who are now health professionals in the Rochester area. These alumni also come to campus to meet with interested students and answer questions about the preparation for and practice of their particular health career.
What can a student interested in the health professions expect at Fisher?
Solid academic preparation in the natural sciences and humanities
Extensive hands-on experience in the laboratory sciences
Individualized attention from faculty
An accessible health professions advisor who knows each student and advocates for students applying to health professional programs
A dynamic Career Services Department that offers workshops and individualized counseling
Independent research opportunities on and off campus
Shadowing experiences
Internship opportunities with professionals in the community
Access to databases providing information on careers in the health professions, health professional schools, internships, and summer job opportunities
Regular seminars and presentations from health care professionals and graduate and professional school admissions representatives
Mentoring with Fisher alumni and professionals in the community
Workshops on preparing for:
graduate and professional schools
preparing for the MCAT, GRE, and other graduate school exams
interviewing techniques
creating a curriculum vitae
achieving academic success
Opportunities to build strong interpersonal, communications, and leadership skills

Muskingum College has a long history of preparing students for the health professions, providing excellent preparation for students seeking to enter professional schools in such areas as medicine, osteopathic medicine, dentistry, optometry, veterinary medicine, chiropractic medicine, and physical therapy. At Muskingum, preparation for careers in healthcare is an integral part of an education that encourages intellectual, spiritual, social, and physical development in all students.

Students planning to pursue healthcare careers will:
complete requirements of an appropriate degree program such as biology, chemistry, molecular biology, or neuroscience.
complete requirements of the Liberal Arts Essentials curriculum.
complete the prerequisite course work for the appropriate graduate or professional school.

Most pre-health professions students major in chemistry, biology, molecular biology and/or neuroscience, though students can also major in any area of study, while making sure all the required courses for gaining admission to the health professional school are completed. The minimum required courses for all health science programs are basic chemistry, biology, physics and math courses. Additional upper-level biology and chemistry courses are desirable, as they will help to prepare students for some of the standardized exams (ex: MCAT for medical school, DAT for dentistry) which are part of the admissions requirements into the health professions schools. It is desirable to have this coursework completed at the end of the junior year because the standardized exams are generally taken during the summer between the junior and senior years.

Pre-health students are also encouraged to participate in related internships to gain clinical experience and/or research experience. Muskingum College provides internship opportunities through the Institution’s Muskie Fellows Program; additionally, the College maintains a database of internship activities of current and past students. This information can serve as a guide for interested students. Such activities demonstrate scholarly, in-depth and lifelong learning skills, which are valued by admissions committees of health professional schools. Clinical experience through volunteer work is also highly recommended.

At Muskingum, faculty advisors to the students interested in the health professions provide guidance and mentoring by:
Suggesting guidelines and timetables for students to successfully complete prerequisite coursework and other requirements relating to individual fields.
Advising students about extracurricular activities desirable for admission to health professions schools such as community service, shadowing experience, research internships and leadership roles.
Sponsoring guest speakers such as medical alumni, and research scientists
Assisting students with preparation of their professional school application materials, and advising them about personal essays and interviews.

Application for admission into health professional programs is made independently by each student, usually early in the fall semester of the senior year. The student consults with faculty members on the Pre-Health Committee at Muskingum about his/her intention to apply, and the committee evaluates the credentials of each student, formulates an overall letter of recommendation, and serves as a point of contact between applicants and admissions offices at the professional schools.