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Studies & Degrees in Pre-Professional Programs

Pre-professional programs belong to the higher education system of the United States. There, professions such as medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, pharmacy and law are not studied straight after secondary school. Students first take undergraduate courses at a college or university and then apply to a separate professional school. A pre-professional program, often called pre-med, pre-law, pre-dental, pre-vet or pre-pharmacy, is the combination of courses and advising that prepares an undergraduate for that application.

In most cases it is a track and not a degree in its own right. Miami University, for example, describes its Pre-Professional Studies as a self-selected course of study that prepares students for professional school within the guidelines of another major. At Hope College the health professions tracks can be paired with any major: students complete the prerequisites for their chosen profession while they meet the requirements of their degree.

What students learn

The content has two parts. The first is the set of prerequisite courses that professional schools ask for, mainly sciences for the health professions. The second is advising. According to the schools' own pages, advisers help with course selection, preparation for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), application essays, interviews and the choice of programmes to apply to. Many colleges add job shadowing, internships and undergraduate research.

The choice of major stays open. Miami University notes that its students interested in healthcare often major in Zoology, Chemistry, Microbiology or Psychology, and that popular majors for future law students include Economics, English, History and Political Science.

Qualifications and levels

A pre-professional track does not lead to a separate qualification. The student graduates with a bachelor's degree in the chosen major and then continues at a professional school. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) describes the usual routes as follows:

  • Medicine: a bachelor's degree, then a medical degree that takes an additional 4 years, followed by 3 to 9 years of internship and residency. No specific undergraduate degree is required, and applicants usually submit MCAT scores.
  • Law: usually 7 years of full-time study after high school, with 4 years of undergraduate study followed by 3 years of law school for the Juris Doctor (J.D.). Most law schools do not require a specific bachelor's degree.
  • Dentistry: most dental programmes require at least a bachelor's degree and certain science courses.
  • Pharmacy: Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) programmes typically require at least 2 years of prerequisite undergraduate courses and usually take 4 years.
  • Veterinary medicine: the veterinary programme generally takes 4 years.

Some universities offer a wider range of tracks. Tennessee Tech University lists pathways towards post-baccalaureate programmes in dentistry, health information management, medical technology, medicine, occupational therapy, optometry, pharmacy, physician assistant studies, physical therapy and veterinary medicine.

Where to study

SpainExchange lists 15 active schools with pre-professional programs, all of them in the United States, and the language of instruction is English. Examples are Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, which has a pre-health programme for admission to medical, dental and veterinary schools and a pre-law programme; Miami University in Oxford, Ohio; Hope College in Holland, Michigan; and Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville. The list also includes The Ohio State University in Columbus, Fordham University in New York, Butler University in Indianapolis and Ithaca College.

International students should keep two things in mind. First, admission to the college and admission to a professional school are separate steps, and the second one is decided years later by a different institution. Second, each professional school sets its own requirements, so it is worth asking early how it treats applicants who are not US citizens or residents.

Colleges often publish the acceptance rates of their own applicants. Hope College, for instance, states that over the past five years its pre-med students have had a 64% acceptance rate into medical school. These figures come from the schools themselves and are not calculated in the same way everywhere.

Careers

The track leads to the regulated professions for which the professional schools train: physician, dentist, veterinarian, pharmacist, lawyer and other health professions. All of them require a licence from the US state in which the graduate practises. The BLS projects employment growth from 2025 to 2035 of 4% for physicians and surgeons, 5% for lawyers, 6% for dentists, 5% for pharmacists and 9% for veterinarians. Students who decide not to continue to professional school still hold a full bachelor's degree in their major.

Frequently asked questions

Is pre-med or pre-law a major?

Usually not. At most colleges it is an advising track followed alongside a regular major; Hope College, for example, states that its health professions tracks can be paired with any major.

How long does it take to become a doctor or a lawyer in the United States?

According to the BLS, lawyers usually need 7 years of full-time study after high school. Physicians need a bachelor's degree, 4 years of medical school and 3 to 9 years of internship and residency.

Which major should a pre-professional student choose?

There is no required major. The BLS notes that no specific undergraduate degree is required for medical school and that most law schools do not require a specific bachelor's degree, although science courses are needed for the health professions.

Does a pre-professional program guarantee a place at a professional school?

No. The professional school decides on admission, and the BLS describes medical schools as highly competitive. The track provides the prerequisite courses and advising for the application.