2019-2020 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog
Pre-Professional Studies
For additional information about opportunities your college offers, please refer to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section in this catalog.
Allopathic medical (M.D.), osteopathic medical (D.O.), pharmacy, and dental schools seek students who are not only prepared for the rigors of the professional school classroom, but who are also able to interact with patients in a sincere and understanding manner. Most schools require a relatively common core of science courses (one year of biology and/or biomedical sciences, one year each of inorganic and organic chemistry, biochemistry, and one year of physics). Because these courses are part of the requirements for a number of majors at Grand Valley, no one specific major is recommended for premedical, predental, and prepharmacy students. Most premedical students at Grand Valley since 1980 have been biomedical sciences, biology, or chemistry majors. However, any major is possible as long as the student meets the science core requirements. Students should consult individual school bulletins for specific additional requirements.
Students are encouraged to decide on a major as soon as possible in their undergraduate career and to contact the pre-professional program advisor or the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Academic Advising Center (616) 331-8585 to ensure that all necessary information is available to them.
Medical and dental schools and many pharmacy schools require applicants to take a standardized admissions exam. Students normally take the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT), the Dental Admissions Test (DAT), or the Pharmacy College Admissions Test (PCAT) in the spring of their junior year. Since these exams vary in their application deadlines, please see an advisor for more information. Students should plan their course scheduling so that they have met all required science courses before taking these tests.
For more specific information, please refer to the sections on biology, biomedical sciences, and chemistry. Information on a specific pharmacy dual-degree program is listed separately; please refer to the pharmacy dual-degree section.