Pre-professional Curricula

Health Fields

Professional programs in health fields are offered at institutions such as the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver, with prerequisite course work available at UCCS. Pre-professional degrees are not offered at UCCS; thus, students should complete a degree in an area of interest to them and include appropriate prerequisite course work for the desired professional program.

Students interested in a professional program in a health field should notify an advisor in the Student Success Center as soon as possible to ensure completion of all required course work. Completion of prerequisite course work at UCCS does not guarantee acceptance into a professional school. Students are urged to get information from the professional programs of their choice, since the requirements often differ slightly for each school. Additionally, more stringent residency requirements are common for professional programs, and many professional programs are very selective due to enrollment limitations.

Admission to a professional program normally requires evidence of academic achievement and letters of recommendation documenting both academic and nonacademic qualifications. Each of the professional programs has many more applicants than it can accommodate, so no student should count on acceptance. Students are strongly urged to select undergraduate courses that provide the opportunity to apply to a number of different professional programs, as well as provide alternatives outside the health science fields. In particular, students should choose appropriate chemistry courses because courses are available at several levels of complexity.

Several pre-professional programs are based on the assumption that the student will be enrolled in the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences for only two or three years. However, it is recommended that students select a major and courses that provide the potential for graduation from the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences.

Because of the complexities involved in planning, the student is urged to consult the pre-professional advisor early in his or her college career. Professor Jon Pigage is the current faculty advisor for all of the pre-professional health fields. Students should contact the Student Success Center for the appropriate pre-health professions academic advisor.

With the exception of Pre-Veterinary Medicine, the course requirements stated in the following sections are for the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center programs for application to the 2010-2011 entering class with UCCS prerequisite course work. As mentioned previously, other schools may have slightly different requirements, and students are advised to check the catalogues of all schools to which they may apply, as requirements continually change. Students should consult a Letters, Arts, and Sciences academic advisor for additional information regarding required and recommended course work for the current application year or for information regarding transfer courses from previous schools.

Other Professional Programs

Pre-Journalism
Pre-Law
Teacher Education