College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions

BS in Health Sciences, Pre-Professional

The pre-professional track of the health sciences program prepares you for professional graduate study in fields such as medicine, dentistry, optometry, physician assistant, or pharmacy. You can pursue the degree on a full- or part-time basis, and you can enter the program as a freshman or a transfer student.

About the Major

Our health sciences program grounds you in the liberal arts with a firm foundation in the sciences, while providing a broad overview of the health care system. By majoring in health sciences, you can prepare for future study in a wide range of health care careers.

Although this is a non-clinical program, it will prepare you for graduate programs in fields such as medicine, dentistry, physician assistant, optometry, chiropractic, pharmacy, or podiatry.

The program includes three pre-professional advising seminars that review the requirements and timetables for professional school entrance, and prepare students to take admission tests and prepare for preadmission interviews.

Additional Pre-Professional Options

The University of Hartford maintains agreements with several professional schools that enable students to earn a combined BS in Health Sciences and a professional degree. See the following pages for more information on these programs:

Health Sciences at UHart

Flexible course of study helps you tailor the program to meet your long-term career goals.
Advising is frequent, focused, and individualized.
The breadth of health science courses exposes you to contemporary health care issues.
Small class sizes allow our faculty to get to know you and your career interests.
Opportunities to pursue research with faculty mentors, including participation in our research-focused annual ENHP Day.
Our honors program provides unique academic and co-curricular experiences.
Career preparation includes mock job interviews, résumé writing instruction, and practice graduate school interviews.

Degree Requirements

The pre-professional curriculum includes courses that many professional graduate programs require (a year of general biology and general chemistry, a year of organic chemistry, a year of physics, and one semester of cell biology, microbiology, and biochemistry).

Additionally, you will take courses that introduce you to a wide range of health-related topics. Examples include Educational Strategies for Healthcare Professionals, Introduction to Immunology, Introduction to Public Health, and Cardiovascular Disease.

The Health Sciences Pre-Professional program is a minimum of 123 credits. A sample of courses is listed below; view the full curriculum using the link to the course catalog:

Students will take 61-62 credits of science courses, which include:

Introductory Biology
Human Anatomy and Physiology
Genetics
Biochemistry
College Chemistry
Organic Chemistry
Algebra-based Physics

Students also complete at least 12 credits of Health Science coursework and 3 credits of Pre-Professional Seminars. Health Science courses include:

Epidemics and AIDS
Medical Terminology
Human Nutrition
Organ Tissue and Donation
Introduction to Gerontology

Electives: All students will complete an additional 9 credits of coursework. This allows students to take prerequisite courses for graduate programs to which they are applying. Examples of classes students take include:

Calculus 1
Human Development
Abnormal Psychology
Ethical Problems

Students must complete 38 credits of general education requirements. These may include:

Academic Writing
Everyday Statistics
Business and Professional Communication

Career Outlook

Health students in scrubs performing dental exam

The health-care industry is projected to add more jobs— more than 2.4 million— than any other industry from 2016 to 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. It is projected to be among the fastest-growing industries in the economy.

I knew I wanted to be a dentist, and I learned how to make myself a good candidate for dental school. The faculty were energized and office doors were always open. They laid out a path for me and were always there to help me. My preparation was perfect.”

Ben Roberts '14, who went on to graduate from the University of New England College of Dental Medicine and is now a practicing dentist

Rachel Huynh

BS in Health Sciences Pre-Professional, '21

Rachel Huynh has known since high school that she wanted to become a pharmacist. UHart's Health Sciences Pre-Professional program gave her a strong foundation for graduate school, and she was accepted to the Temple University School of Pharmacy to earn her Doctor of Pharmacy degree beginning in fall 2021. Read more

"UHart's faculty genuinely want you to succeed and they get to know each one of their students. Their support pushed me to continue pre-pharmacy and to never give up on it."

Admission Requirements

For admission into the Department of Health Sciences, 16 units of secondary subjects are expected, among which the following are strongly recommended:

English - 4 units
Social studies - 2 units
Foreign language - 2 units
Mathematics - 3 units (including one unit of algebra and trigonometry)
Science - 2 units
Other academic subjects - 3 units

Transfer Students

If you are applying as a transfer student, you will submit your application and documentation to our Office of Admission. The staff are knowledgeable about credit articulation agreements that we have with other institutions and work closely with the College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions to provide transfer students with the information they need to make a smooth transition.

Upper-level program applicants should hold the appropriate professional certification or license, and their academic records should include formal clinical study from an accredited program. If you are considering one of our pre-professional programs (pre-chiropractic, pre-optometry, pre-pharmacy, or pre-podiatry), please see the specific program page.

Applicants who have completed formal programs of study in allied health or nursing, and hold the appropriate professional certification or license, may be granted up to 60 credits toward the lower-division degree requirements.

Additional Transfer Information

Apply Now

Program Learning Outcomes

The Health Sciences program at the University of Hartford provides a liberal arts education with a concentration in the sciences to provide the foundation for success in professional healthcare practice.

Students will demonstrate effective communication skills.

Students will demonstrate proficiency in basic sciences.
Students will demonstrate a basic comprehension of the U.S. healthcare system.
Students will demonstrate a commitment to professional growth and development.

Students will demonstrate effective written communication skills.
Students will demonstrate effective oral communication skills.
Students will demonstrate proficiency in biology.
Students will demonstrate proficiency in chemistry.
Students will demonstrate proficiency in physics.
Students will concisely and accurately describe the foundation of the U.S. healthcare system.
Students will demonstrate a commitment to professional growth and development.

Program Contact

Claudia Oakes, PhD, OTR/L
Associate Professor
Coordinator, Health Sciences Program
Department of Health Sciences
860.768.5746
oakes@hartford.edu

Accreditation

The University of Hartford, inclusive of the Health Science program in the College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions, is accredited by the Board of Higher Education of the State of Connecticut and by the New England Commission of Higher Education.