Florida Southern offers a variety of pre-health professional paths. "Pre-health professional" refers to a student's plan to attend a professional school after earning a bachelor's degree. Our faculty work closely with pre-health students to ensure their courses and co-curricular activities support a competitive application.
The road to professional school is challenging and rewards intentional planning. Most health professions programs expect at least two years of prerequisite coursework and extracurricular experience, a competitive GPA, an entrance exam score, and demonstrated maturity, empathy, and leadership. Pre-health students are strongly encouraged to meet with both their academic advisor and a pre-health advisor each semester.
You may pursue any academic major while building your application. Because of the number of natural science courses these paths require, most pre-health students major in biology, chemistry, or biochemistry and molecular biology, though the College's liberal arts foundation and strong science curriculum provide an excellent background regardless of major.
“Pre-health" isn't a major. It's a plan. You'll choose an academic major, most often in the natural sciences, and build the prerequisites, clinical exposure, and advising relationships that competitive professional-school applications require. The tracks below show the most common health professions our students prepare for, from medicine and dentistry to pharmacy and beyond.
Allopathic Medicine Physicians (M.D.) and Osteopathic Medicine Physicians (D.O.) diagnose and care for patients of all ages who are ill or injured. Both are fully licensed physicians, and the two paths share most of the coursework and career options, with some differences in philosophy and approaches to patient care.
At Florida Southern, you'll complete the prerequisites that medical schools require and prepare for the MCAT, with access to research, shadowing, and medical experiences.
FSC pre-med students have been accepted to medical schools including Columbia, Cornell, Vanderbilt, UF, and UCSF.
Download the MD vs. DO Handout
Related majors: Biology; Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Chemistry
Dentists diagnose, treat, and help prevent diseases and injuries of the teeth and mouth. At FSC, you'll complete dental school prerequisites and prepare for the MCAT/DAT, with shadowing opportunities including Lakeland Volunteers in Medicine (LVIM).
FSC pre-dental students have been accepted to UF, Ohio State, Rutgers, and Maryland.
Related majors: Biology
Optometrists are primary-care doctors who diagnose and treat disorders of the eye. At FSC you'll complete optometry-school prerequisites and prepare for the OAT.
Related majors:Biology
Pharmacists ensure safe, effective medication use and advise both providers and patients. At FSC you'll complete pharmacy-school prerequisites and prepare for the PCAT, with experience in retail, hospital, and clinical settings.
FSC pre-pharmacy students have been accepted to Lake Erie College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Mercer University, University of Florida, and University of South Florida.
Related majors: Chemistry; Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Pre-Physical Therapy
Physical therapists diagnose and treat people of all ages whose conditions limit movement
and daily function. At FSC you'll complete PT-program prerequisites and shadowing-hour
requirements and prepare for the GRE.
FSC pre-physical therapy students have been accepted to Emory, Florida Southern, Stony
Brook, Temple, Tufts, University of Buffalo, Miami, USF, and Tennessee.
Related majors: Biology; Exercise Science.
Physician assistants are licensed medical providers who diagnose and treat illness
and prescribe medication across many settings.
At FSC, you'll complete PA program prerequisites and clinical-hour requirements and
prepare for the GRE.
FSC pre-physician assistant students have been accepted to Emory, USF, Nova Southeastern,
and Shenandoah.
Related majors: Biology
Podiatric physicians and surgeons diagnose and treat conditions of the foot, ankle, and related structures of the leg. At FSC you'll complete podiatry-school prerequisites and prepare for the MCAT.
LECOM Early Acceptance pathway available.
Related majors: Biology; Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Chemistry.
Veterinarians protect the health and well-being of both animals and people by diagnosing
and controlling animal diseases and treating sick and injured animals.
At FSC, you'll complete veterinary school prerequisites and prepare for the GRE, with
hands-on animal experience across Central Florida and beyond.
FSC pre-veterinary students have been accepted to Penn, Auburn, Purdue, Tufts, and
UF.
Related majors: Biology
Florida Southern also supports students preparing for additional health professions. These paths are advising-supported: you'll work with a pre-health advisor to tailor coursework and experiences to your goal.
“Florida Southern prepared me just as much as anyone coming from an Ivy League or a big public school. The path to medical school is long but FSC made sure I didn't walk it alone.”
“I experienced a tremendous amount of support as a pre-professional student. At every step, I received mentorship and opportunities that made me a stand-out grad school applicant and prepared me to enter the medical field."
The Pre-Health Professional Program (P3) is a rigorous, competitive program for students pursuing admission to health professions schools after earning their undergraduate degrees. Full participation includes a two-part application process, faculty advising through the Health Professions Advisory Committee (HPAC), a committee interview, and a Letter of Evaluation sent directly to professional schools.
Qualified students may take part in one of four FSC–LECOM Early Acceptance Programs. When program requirements are met, students are guaranteed acceptance into one of LECOM's professional programs: the LECOM College of Medicine (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine), the LECOM School of Dental Medicine, the LECOM School of Pharmacy, or the LECOM School of Podiatric Medicine.
Florida Southern's agreement with the Orlando College of Osteopathic Medicine (OCOM) offers qualified pre-medical students a guaranteed interview for possible admission to OCOM.
If you are headed toward medical, dental, veterinary, PA, optometry, podiatry, or physical therapy school, you are in the right place. Reach out any time, even if you are still deciding.
Pre-health advising does not cover nursing or pre-law; students on those paths should contact the School of Nursing and Health Sciences or the Pre-Law Minor advisor.
Department Chair, Professor of Biology
