Academic Preparation for Allied Health Professions

Undergraduate Course Requirements & Academic Advice

Whether you’re considering nursing, physician assistant (PA), physical therapy or occupational therapy, public health, pharmacy, speech-language pathology, genetic counseling, or another health profession, thoughtful academic planning is one of the best ways to prepare for graduate study or careers.

There is no single set of prerequisite courses for all health professions. Requirements vary considerably by discipline, and from one program to another. Some programs emphasize direct patient care experience, while others place greater weight on research, public health, communication, or leadership.

To be competitive for the health profession you are considering, applicants should demonstrate an ability to handle a science-intensive curriculum and a love of learning through in-depth study of a particular area or areas of interest. Besides avoiding overloading on courses and engaging in too many extracurricular activities, health professions students should avoid dropping below the expected four courses per semester (at least 4 credits). All science courses should be completed with a grade of C or higher.

Talking over your course selections with both your Academic Advisor and the Health Professions and Life Sciences Career Advisor can help you to pace yourself well and develop a flexible four-year timeline.

While at Wesleyan, it’s a good idea to plan your courses well in advance so that you have an opportunity to:

• explore healthcare as a classroom topic
• take courses at a comfortable pace
• make the most of what Wesleyan offers by meeting educational expectations
• maximize your chances for doing well academically each semester

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Although every profession has different expectations, most successful applicants:

• Maintain a strong academic record throughout college
• Complete prerequisite science courses before applying to graduate programs or jobs
• Gain meaningful clinical, volunteer, research, or community health experience
• Develop strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Seek leadership opportunities and sustained service experiences
• Build relationships with faculty and supervisors who can write strong letters of recommendation
• Meet regularly with the Health Professions & Life Sciences Career Advisor to discuss plans.

A Note on Majors

Though STEM majors may seem the most natural for someone who is interested in healthcare, specific majors are not usually required for post graduate programs or particular careers. That said, many health professional graduate programs do require that applicants take specific courses in order to demonstrate the requisite foundational knowledge to apply.

Your choice of major should be based on a variety of factors—ideally including your preferred area of study, and what you do well in, rather than merely what you think health professional schools or hiring managers want to see.

Regardless of career, you will always need to work at balancing the personal and the professional aspects of your life. Many health professionals find pursuits in the arts especially rewarding. It is okay to take courses for no other reason than the fact that they intrinsically appeal to you. You should choose your courses with these considerations in mind, and give yourself the opportunity to develop as a whole person.

As a healthcare worker, you may want to work in a Spanish-speaking community; if so, a Spanish major or minor could be a great advantage. Perhaps you will want to prepare yourself for some of the tougher ethical questions that may arise, and therefore choose Philosophy, Religion, or Science in Society as your major. An Economics major can help you when you confront the variety of market forces that affect health care practice and research. Point being, taking full advantage of Wesleyan’s liberal arts curriculum when deciding on your major can open up doors to healthcare careers in surprising ways.

You can always check the Health Studies Cluster to find interesting courses to supplement your pre-health professional career.

A Note on Timing

Many applicants to health professional graduate programs opt to take at least one or more Growth Years after completing their undergraduate degree and before matriculating to their chosen program of study.

Having all four undergraduate years and then taking additional time to explore and prepare offers many advantages, for instance that you are able to complete the required courses at a reasonable pace. In addition, you are likely to be a stronger candidate because of your additional clinical, volunteer, employment, or academic experience, and be more sure of your choice in a healthcare field.

Many graduates use their Growth Years to work in academic, clinical, or public health research, patient care (often certified as an EMT, CNA, or medical assistant), medical scribes, or teaching and learning with non-profits.

If you are considering applying to post-graduate health professional programs or continuing your education after Wesleyan, there may be particular courses that are required.

Keep in mind the most reliable information comes directly from each profession’s official resources—for example the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, American Academy of Physician Associates, Association of Nurse Practitioners, American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine, etc.

In some graduate programs, Advanced Placement courses taken in high school or “test-out” departmental exemption will not excuse you from course requirements. For example, if a student places out of the first introductory science course of a two-part series, schools often still expect the student to take at least one additional higher level course in that discipline.

In addition to the courses listed below under some of the most common professions, programs may have other specific requirements, such as Biochemistry, or Social and Behavioral courses like Psychology.

Be aware that there are many myths about requirements. If you are unsure, or hear something unusual about a particular school that you are interested in, talk to the Health Professions & Life Sciences Career Advisor or contact the school admissions office directly.

Course Requirements may include

• General Biology (with lab)
• General/Organic Chemistry (with lab)
• Anatomy & Physiology I and II (with lab) — often required as standalone courses; not currently offered at Wesleyan
• Microbiology (with lab) — not currently offered at Wesleyan
• Biochemistry (required by some programs, recommended by others)
• Statistics
• Psychology

Standardized Testing

Unlike medical school, standardized testing requirements vary by program: some PA programs require the GRE, some accept the GRE or MCAT, and some require no standardized test at all. Check each program’s requirements individually.

Experiential Requirements

Direct patient care experience (PCE) hours are a defining feature of PA admissions. Most programs require a minimum ranging from roughly 500 to 2,000+ hours of hands-on, direct patient contact (not shadowing, administrative work, or research). What counts varies by program, but common qualifying roles include EMT, CNA, medical scribe, and patient care technician, while roles like pharmacy technicians or non-clinical research assistants are often explicitly excluded.

Because hour minimums and qualifying roles vary so much by program, treat any one program’s policy as an example, not a universal rule. Always confirm directly with each program you’re considering. PA shadowing hours (often 40–100) are also commonly expected, and should be tracked separately from general PCE hours.

Practical implication for course planning: because PCE hours typically need to be accumulated over a substantial period (often during or after undergrad, sometimes spanning a Growth Year or more), students should plan early to combine prerequisite coursework with clinical experience-building, not treat them as sequential steps.

For accurate, current information: check individual program pages directly, and use CASPA’s program directory to compare prerequisites, PCE requirements, and testing policies across programs.

If you’re a Wesleyan student without a nursing background, the relevant pathway is typically an accelerated second-degree BSN or a direct-entry MSN. These degrees are designed for students who already hold a bachelor’s degree in a different field. This is different from RN-to-BSN or RN-to-MSN pathways, which are for students already licensed as nurses.

Required Coursework across both accelerated BSN and direct-entry MSN programs generally include:

• Anatomy & Physiology I and II (with lab) — not currently offered at Wesleyan
• Microbiology (with lab) — not currently offered at Wesleyan
• Chemistry (check requirements regarding general vs. organic)
• Statistics
• Nutrition — not currently offered at Wesleyan
• Human Development / Lifespan Psychology

General Biology is not usually required in addition to A&P, but it can be, so you may want to consider taking the introductory band.

Competitive cumulative and science GPA expectations are generally in the 3.0+ range, though this varies by program.

Accelerated BSN vs.direct-entry MSN: the BSN route is shorter (typically 12–18 months) and less expensive, leading to a second bachelor’s degree; the direct-entry MSN is longer (typically 18–24 months) and more expensive, but awards a graduate degree and may shorten the path to advanced practice roles (nurse practitioner, nurse anesthetist, etc.) later on. Both prepare graduates to sit for the NCLEX-RN. In the case of both degrees, Growth Years are significantly less common than in other health professions.

Licensure note: regardless of which pathway you choose, eligibility to sit for the NCLEX-RN and subsequent state licensure is governed by the state board of nursing, not your nursing program. This matters if you plan to practice in a state different from where you train.

For accurate, current information: check individual program pages directly for exact prerequisite course lists, and consult the National Council of State Boards of Nursing for state-specific licensure information.

Public health (MPH/MS) prerequisites are generally less science-heavy than other fields. Quantitative coursework (statistics, and sometimes biostatistics or epidemiology exposure) matters more than specific science courses, and many programs have no hard prerequisites at all beyond a bachelor’s degree. For more information, view our Public Health careers resource.

For more information about Standardized Testing, please visit our profession-specific resource pages.