PRE-HEALTH PATHWAYS
Your path to the health field
WCSU's Pre-Health Pathways
Prepare for success in health field graduate programs
Welcome pre-health/pre-med students! This website is designed to provide you with all of the information you need to prepare for graduate programs in health fields. This site contains important information about all of the pre-health pathways (course work related to your desired graduate degrees), sample four-year plans, and an overview of the process for applying to graduate programs. In addition, you’ll find meeting announcements, volunteer opportunities, and advising times each semester.
While this site is designed to be comprehensive, we urge you to see your advisor often. It is a good idea to set up a meeting with your pre-health advisor right away so you can develop your graduate school plans from the start of your undergraduate career.
There is no “pre-health” major at WCSU, though students can designate a pre-health pathway. For many students the biology major or the chemistry major with a biology minor or biochemistry option are programs whose requirements include many, if not all, of the courses needed for admission to these schools. For most programs, however, students may major in any subject, provided they complete the pre-requisite coursework.
Admission to all of these programs is competitive. In addition to looking at GPA and performance on standardized tests (MCAT, DAT, GRE, PCAT, OAT) programs are looking for well-rounded students whose extracurricular activities demonstrate a knowledge of and interest in their desired profession.
Want To Learn More?
Would you like to receive additional information? To speak with a pre-health advisor please follow the link below.
Undergraduate Admission
APPLY TODAY ➞
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
email: admissions@wcsu.edu
phone: (203) 837-9000
Graduate Admission
APPLY TODAY ➞
Office of Graduate Admissions
email: graduateadmissions@wcsu.edu
phone: (203) 837-8243
Dr. Helena Prieto from the Department of Chemistry, Dr. Kristin Giamanco from the Department of Biology and Dr. Emily Stevens from the Department of Health Promotion and Exercise Sciences serve as pre-health professions advisors. They can help you prepare for graduate study in any of these health-related fields (and others).
You can find us at room SB163 in the Science Building!
Dr. Kristin Giamanco
Associate Professor
(203) 837-8968
giamancok@wcsu.edu
Office Hours: Tues. 2 – 4 p.m.
Dr. Giamanco advises students in the Pre-Medical, Pre-Dental, Pre-Veterinary and Pre-Optometry tracks
Pre-Medical
Pre-Medical Pathway
(42-46 credits of Math/Science Courses)
Pre-Dental
Pre-Dental Pathway
(42-46 Math/Science Credits)
Pre-Veterinary
Pre-Veterinary Pathway
(42-46 Math/Science Credits)
Pre-Optometry
Pre-Optometry Pathway
(39-43 Math/Science Credits)
Dr. Helena Prieto
Professor
(203) 837-8409
prietoj@wcsu.edu
Office Hours: Wed. 10:30 am-12:30 p.m.
Dr. Prieto advises students in the Pre-Physician’s Assistant, Pre-Pharmacy, Pre-Genetic Counseling, Pre-Podiatry and Pre-Chiropractic tracks.
Pre-Physician’s Assistant
Pre-Physician’s Assistant Pathway
(27 credits of Math/Science courses)
Pre-Pharmacy
Pre-Pharmacy Pathway
Pre-Genetic Counseling
Pre-Genetic Counseling Pathway
Pre-Podiatric
Pre-Podiatric Pathway
Pre-Chiropractic
Pre-Chiropractic Pathway
Dr. Emily Stevens
Professor
(203) 837-3903
stevense@wcsu.edu
Dr. Stevens advises students in the Pre-Physical Therapy, Pre-Occupational Therapy and Pre-Athletic Training tracks
Pre-Physical Therapy
Pre-Physical Therapy Pathway
(39-43 Math/Science courses)
Pre-Occupational Therapy
Pre-Occupational Therapy Pathway
(39-43 Math/Science courses)
Pre-Athletic Training
Pre-Athletic Training Pathway
(39-43 Math/Science courses)
PRE-HEALTH PROGRAMS
Click through the Pathway links to get an idea of the course requirements appropriate for your plans. There’s also a list of FAQs to help you understand some of the other steps along the way. There are sample four-year plans to help you understand the commitment you must make to prepare for a healthcare career. While these are helpful, be sure to talk to your advisor about the best process for you. In some cases, you may wish to take some of your courses during the summer to be sure that you have ample time to study and are able to maintain a strong GPA.
Schools where our alumni have been accepted and attended
Medical
St. George’s
American Univ. of Antigua
University of Connecticut
SABA University
University of Tennessee
Georgetown University
Campbell University
Ross University
Wake Forest University
Texas A&M
Ben Guiron University
Dental
Harvard Dental School
Tufts University
University of Connecticut
University of Buffalo
Touro University
Osteopathic Medicine
Univ. of New England
New York Institute of Tech
Touro University
Physician’s Assistant
University of Stony Brook
Univ. of Mt. Saint Vincent
Pace University
East Carolina University
University of Bridgeport
Mass College of Pharm and Health Sciences
Pharmacy
Long Island University
Uconn
Virgina Commonwealth Univ.
Optometry
Mass. College of Pharmacy
Occupational Therapy
Baypath University
Iona
Thomas Jefferson University
Sacred Heart University
New York University
George Washington University
Stony Brook University
Springfield College
Veterinary
Ohio University
University of Florida
Ohio State University
Tufts University
Athletic Training
SCSU
LeSalle University
CCSU (3+2)
Physical Therapy
Sacred Heart University
Seton Hall
American International College
Sage College
Dominican College
University of Rhode Island
Franklin Pierce University
Moravian University
Touro University Nevada
NY Medical College
Marist College
Mercy College
University of Delaware
Creighton University
Chiropractic
University of Bridgeport
Genetic Counseling
Uconn
Not sure what health-related field you want to go into?
There are many different fields within the health professions that could provide a satisfying career, some of which you might never have heard of or considered. These could include fields such as speech pathology, public health, occupational therapy, anesthesiology assistant, etc. It is important to fully explore your career options to see what would be an appropriate fit for your strengths and interests. An excellent website is www.explorehealthcareers.org which lists many different professions, describes the average salary, daily working conditions, degree or education requirements, and has links to programs. It is always good to have a few different fields in mind.
Upcoming Events
SEPT. 5
Fall 2024 Pre-Health Meet & Greet
- 3:30 p.m.
- Science Building Lobby
Interested in Becoming….
a Physician, Veterinarian, Dentist, Optometrist, Chiropractor, Physical Therapist, Physician’s Assistant, Genetic Counselor, etc.
Come and meet Pre-Health advisors Dr. Helena Prieto & Dr. Kristin Giamanco
OCT. 1
Pre-Health Panel - Interested in Medical School?
- 6:30 p.m.
- Science Building 125
Come learn about the journey to medical school from current residents at Danbury Hospital, Cayman Bickerstaff, MD and Bishoy Joseph, MD.
RSVP for pizza.
Pizza will be available around 7:15 pm
OCT. 29
Medical School vs. PA School - What you should consider
- 4:30 p.m.
- Science Building 219
Come hear from your pre-health advisors about the two paths.