Health sciences graduate programs offered by medical, dental and physical therapy schools select students based on their intellectual abilities, motivation, understanding of the nature of a career in health care, and past academic and personal achievements. While there is no pre-health major at Regis, programs are designed with a curriculum that meets the requirements for entry into professional schools upon graduation. Regis College pre-health sciences students are encouraged to engage in coursework that fulfills their goal graduate program’s prerequisites and has a strong foundation in the sciences.
Preparing students for graduate school in the health sciences is an important part of the Regis College pre-health sciences program. Regis College students pursuing graduate-level health sciences degrees such as medicine, dentistry, physical therapy, public health and more will consult with advisors and choose an undergraduate area of study that will match their interests and goals. In addition, specific tracks are available for pre-nursing, pre-pharmacy, and pre-health and exercise students.
Pre-health sciences offers small classes that allow students to get to know their professors and acquire skills that prepare them for health science careers and admission to graduate health programs. Many of our pre-health and pre-med students become involved in research with faculty, assist in the preparation of science laboratories as teaching assistants or complete internships in health science settings.
Pre-Health Advisors
Regis has several NAAHP (National Association of Advisors of the Health Professions) member advisors and a broader committee of interested advisory faculty that are distributed through various departments in the college. These advisors help with many aspects of your pre-health career planning including coursework scheduling, exam timeline planning, finding good volunteer and internship opportunities and helping with entry essays and letters of recommendation.
For first-year students who enter knowing they want to pursue a degree in Nursing with the traditional BSN. The BSN is a four-year degree consisting of two years of pre-nursing course work and two years of upper-division nursing-specific course work. First-year students who meet the guaranteed admission requirements are automatically accepted to the professional phase of the program without further application.
All Regis College undergraduates who apply to the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) graduate program are given special consideration as Jesuit University alum. Additional consideration is given to students completing the BS in Health and Exercise Science and/or the Exercise Science Minor. Other majors that may be of interest to pre-PT students include biology, neuroscience, or psychology, but any majors are considered.
The Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) program at Regis University is offered as either a 2+4 format or 3+4 format. Applicants must complete a minimum of 72 credit hours of prerequisite course work prior to the four-year professional program and can choose to complete these prerequisites over the course of two or three years as a Pharmacy Scholar. Students can select the pre-pharmacy track within their Regis College program, and are eligible for guaranteed admission to the School of Pharmacy if certain requirements are met upon completion of their prerequisites.
Applicants do not have to earn a Bachelor's degree prior to applying to the entry-level Pharm.D. program at Regis University, however students who complete the 3+4 version of the program are eligible to earn a B.S. Foundations in Pharmacy after completing their first year of the Pharm.D. professional program.
For students interested in entering the fields of dentistry, medicine, optometry, public health or physicians assistant, advisors can assist students in understanding each major and career path, and help to combine the two into an undergradaute area of study that matches their goals.
At Regis College, it is possible for students to prepare for a wide variety of health care careers. Suggestions for success vary from discipline to discipline, and school to school; however, pre-health advisors are prepared to help students design an undergraduate experience that sets them up for personal and professional success.
A strong background in the natural sciences is needed to continue on to become a dentist. Students will also need to prepare for and take the DAT exam. Our pre-health sciences advisory team will be happy to work with pre-dental students to plan their coursework, experiential learning opportunities, exam preparation timeline and other aspects of the dental school application process.
Since optometrists are members of the primary health care team, optometric education includes a thorough study of human anatomy, general pharmacology, general pathology, sensory and perceptual psychology, biochemistry, statistics and epidemiology. Unique to the educational requirements for optometrists is the advanced study of optics, the science of light and vision, and extensive training in lens design, construction, application and fitting.
Students interested in pre-medicine will find an excellent preparatory and advising program ready to help them at Regis. Pre-medicine advising includes course scheduling, exam timeline preparation, help with essays, interview preparation and individualized meetings and direction throughout your undergraduate career and beyond.
Physician Assistant (PA) programs look for students who have a desire to study, work hard and be of service to their community. Most PA programs require applicants to have previous health care experience and some college education. The typical applicant already has a bachelor's degree and over four years of health care experience. Commonly nurses, EMTs, and paramedics apply to PA programs.
We highly encourage students to join Alpha Epsilon Delta early in their academic careers. AED meetings provide a place for pre-health sciences students to share resources, learn about different aspects of health care careers and get assistance with the continuing application process. AED meetings may feature speakers from different graduate healthcare programs such as MD, DO, PA, dentistry and more as well as skills-based workshops to develop parts of the application and prepare for interviews. AED service projects also provide opportunities for health care-related volunteer work. The Pharmacy Scholars organization on campus is also a great resource for students in the pre-pharmacy program. For more information, contact aepsilond@regis.edu.
At Regis, we are proud of the fact that we do have graduates who achieve acceptance to excellent universities, including some of the most competitive medical schools in the nation; however, Regis plays a supportive role for their student’s individual talents and, while we feel that a Regis undergraduate degree is excellent preparation, students need to “get in” on their own merits. Also, we encourage students to evaluate and apply to schools as a match for their own professional goals, rather than just based on general reputation, competitiveness or cost.
This is indeed a very frequently asked question. Please be aware however, that institutions will add these numbers up in different ways, so direct comparisons are difficult. Also, med school admissions are so competitive that every year many well qualified students are declined, so there are no guarantees. The bottom line is that students who do very well at Regis will generally also do well in the med school applicant pool.
The Regis pre-health advisors do not recommend that students apply to medical school (MD) unless they have earned at least a 3.5 undergraduate science and cumulative GPA AND an MCAT score of 26 or above. National medical school averages for matriculating applicants are 3.7 GPA and an MCAT of 32.
For students who need an extra year of preparation before continuing on to medical school, we encourage them to look into Regis College graduate programs such as the Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences program.
Choose a major that you will enjoy, in which you will do well and that will allow you to complete your prerequisite courses. Historically, the most popular pre-health sciences majors at Regis College have been biology, chemistry, biochemistry and neuroscience; however, any pre-health sciences major will work as long as you keep your goals in mind.
If an eventual career in medicine or dentistry is your goal, we encourage students to earn a more general degree with an emphasis in the sciences, rather than a specific degree in something like nursing or exercise science (which are geared toward entering nursing and PT careers respectively). We have pre-health advisory faculty in many departments to help students stay on track. Please see our pre-health advisory contacts list for more information.
No, like many other smaller, liberal arts institutions, Regis does not have a committee letter process. We feel that you will get to know your professors well enough in our small classes that our faculty will be able to write very effective and personalized individual letters of recommendation. As you go through your course work at Regis, be sure to develop good relationships with your professors as they will be important voices in support of your application.
Develop your interests and experiences in the natural sciences. Read articles, books, blogs and other resources that will encourage your scientific curiosity and awareness (e.g.The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, by Anne Fadiman).
Explore the variety of careers that are open to you by shadowing, volunteering and asking questions. First-hand experiences in clinical or research settings are an excellent way to determine your interests and talents. Do not be shy to ask about potential opportunities.
Suggestions for preparation to most graduate programs are below:
If you are unsure about which career to pursue, the following courses are required for most health science careers and are good courses to focus on while deciding on a career.
1 year Introductory Biology (BL 258/259 and BL 260/261)
1-2 years Chemistry (CH 210/211, CH 230/231, CH 250/251 and CH 420/421)
1 year Introductory Physics (PH 202A/205A and PH 202B/205B -or- PH 304A/305A and PH 304B/305B)
1 year Mathematics - usually Statistics for Sciences (MT 272) and Calculus (MT 360A or 360B)
1 year English Literature (EN 250 and EN literature elective requirement)