Pre-Health Career Information

Can I Go To Medical School With a Degree in Biology?

Yes!

Pre-Professional Health students (often referred to as “pre-professional students”) are students who are preparing to enter a health professional program after graduating from UCF.  There are a variety of professional health programs that these students plan to attend, and to matriculate from, to succeed in their dreams of serving in the professional health field.  These programs include:

 

There are many pathways that a pre-professional student may take to succeed at UCF.  Regardless of what some believe, there is no one major that ensures a student’s success at this endeavor. In fact, any major with the appropriate courses may allow a student to achieve his/her goal.  However, due to academic strength, science majors tend to prepare pre-professional students more effectively.  Health professional programs tend to prefer students who have shown that they have the potential to handle the rigorous demands of their programs by having been exposed to a science-based curriculum.  At UCF we have a number of undergraduate programs that can serve to prepare a pre-professional student for the next step in his/her education.  These programs include:  Biology, Chemistry, Biomedical Sciences, Psychology, and Interdisciplinary Studies.

The Department of Biology has a Biology-Preprofessional track that is well designed to assist a student in gaining admission to and succeeding in a professional health program.  The program has a number of core courses that will prepare a student for the required standardized entrance examinations and will give the student a firm foundation for the scientific requirements of the health professional program.  These core courses include: Biology 1 (BSC 2010), Biology 1 Lab (BSC2010L), Biology 2 (BSC 2011), Biology 2 Lab (BSC2011L), Chemistry 1 (CHM 2045), Chemistry 2 (CHM 2046), Chemistry 2 Lab (CHM2046L), Organic Chemistry 1 (CHM 2210), Organic Chemistry 2 (CHM 2211), Organic Chemistry 2 Lab (CHM2211L), Genetics (PCB 3063), Physics 1 (PHY 2053C), Physics 2 (PHY 2054C), and Molecular Cell Biology (PCB 3023).  In addition, the Biology-Preprofessional concentration allows for studying in a number of upper division restricted electives that are extremely beneficial to the serious pre-health professional student.  Upper division restricted electives such as: Biochemistry (BCH 4053) or Medical Biochemistry (BCH4024), Epigenetics (Genetics 2 – PCB 4514), Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy (ZOO 3713C), Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy Lab (ZOO3713L)Embryology (ZOO 4603C), and General Microbiology (MCB 3020C); give the student an extensive knowledge base to get him/her off to a very good start in any health professional program.

In addition, the graduation requirements of the Biology-Preprofessional track give the student a degree of academic flexibility.  Beginning in the Fall 2021, UCF requires a minimum of 42 credit hours of 3,000 and above level courses for graduation.  The basic requirements of the Biology major require a minimum of 35 hours of 3,000 and above level courses.  If you are in the Catalog Year beginning with Fall 2021, that leaves a 7 credit hour discrepancy that a student can use in any way that he/she feels will best prepare him/her to succeed in a health professional program.  It typically is most beneficial if the student works closely with their Academic Success Coach to choose these courses.

The Department of Biology has a number of faculty who are well versed in the requirements of a health professional program and the requirements for acceptance into such programs.  These faculty have many years of experience advising pre-professional students and assisting them in reaching their goals.

The Department of Biology has a number of other resources that will also assist the pre-professional student to prepare for a professional health program and to separate themselves from other applicants.  These resources include: internships, independent studies, and research opportunities.  All of these resources demonstrate scholarly interest and academic initiative of the nature favored by professional health program admittance committees.

The Biology- Preprofessional track possesses many resources and opportunities that will benefit the pre-professional student.  The track in particular, and the degree program in general, will serve the serious student well in achieving their goal of entering into, and succeeding in, a professional health program.

 

Preparing for the New MCAT

In 2015, a new section was added to the MCAT exam: Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior. The Office of Pre-Health and Pre-Law Advising (PHPL), the College of Sciences, and Biology and other university faculty have collaborated to review the changes to the MCAT and determine which courses will help to prepare you for the new section. More information on the MCAT can be found on the Association of American Medical Colleges’ website, at https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/article/whats-mcat-exam/.

One advantage that Biology majors have in this is UCF’s 42 Upper-Level Hour Rule.  The 42 Upper-Level Hour Rule requires that undergraduates take at least 42 hours of upper level course work (i.e.; 3,000 and 4,000 level classes).  Some majors require that you do all 42 hours with them and others do not.  The Biology undergraduate requirements necessitate a minimum of 35 hours of upper level course work. That gives you 7 hours of upper level classes that you can choose at your discretion.  Certainly these could be science courses but they can also be courses that would help to prepare you for the MCAT.

Not all of the courses that will prepare you for the new MCAT are upper level courses.   Some are courses that you could select while fulfilling your GEP requirements.  By being aware of UCF’s undergraduate degree requirements and the courses that will help to prepare you for the MCAT you can strive to be ready when you choose to take this important exam.

The following courses have been evaluated to be useful courses for the new MCAT:

  1. PSY 2012 – General Psychology
  2. SYG 2000 – General Sociology
  3. SOP 3004 – Social Psychology
  4. SYO 4401 – Social Determinants of Health
  5. ZOO 4513 – Animal Behavior

Obviously the traditional pre-health professional courses such as BSC2010C, BSC2011C, CHM 2045, CHM 2046, BCH 4053, CHM 2210, CHM 2211, PHY 2053, and PHY 2054 will still be an important part of your curriculum.  They will prepare you for a health professional program and also for a degree in Biology. The point of this article is to inform you of courses that will aid you with the new MCAT that students may not have considered when preparing for previous versions of the MCAT.

 

Additional Resources

    1. Pre-Professional Advisement Office of Pre-Health and Pre-Law Advising (PHPL): The website can be found at https://academicsuccess.ucf.edu/phpladvising/.  They are located in: Career Services and Experiential Learning Building, (Memory Mall) 4123 Pictor Ln, Orlando, FL 32816
      Tel.: 407-823-0101
      Email: phpladvising@ucf.edu
      The Pre-Health and Pre-Law office will be meeting with students on a first-come, first-served basis via VIRTUAL Drop-In sessions.
    2. Pre-health Professional Organizations. There are a number of pre-health professional organizations on campus.  These are student clubs that are dedicated to helping student to prepare for, and to apply into, a career in the health professions.  They are a great way to learn what challenges await you and to prepare for them. Club events include visits to health professional programs, visits with faculty and students at professional schools, shadowing opportunities, and charity events. Some of the clubs are:

Helpful Link:

American Public Health Association: http://www.apha.org/what-is-public-health

Association of Schools & Programs of Public Health: http://www.aspph.org/discover/