The PreMed and PreHealth Advising Program is a specialized advising unit operating under the Office of the Provost at Northeastern University. PreMed and PreHealth Advising exists to support undergraduate students and alumni from across the university’s global campus network, and students and alumni enrolled in the university's Postbaccalaureate Undergraduate Certificate in Premedical Studies, on their pathway to medical school, dental school, physician assistant school, podiatry school, optometry school, and veterinary school.
Academic course requirements for health professional programs may be integrated into any major at Northeastern. Health professional school admission committees generally give no preference to any particular undergraduate major. As such, students should focus on meeting the course requirements of their chosen health professional program, together with their undergraduate degree requirements, with demonstrated academic rigor and excellence. For some majors it may be necessary to complete additional credit hours of coursework, with associated tuition, to fulfill all premed/prehealth course requirements.
Common Coursework
Most health professional schools require a common set of courses; however, academic policies and course requirements are school specific.
Students should research requirements and plan a program of study as early as possible in consultation with both their academic and prehealth advisor to determine the best way to successfully complete their required coursework. Please refer to the relevant information and website(s) below, as well as official admissions guidebooks, for detailed requirements.
Students may review AP/IB credit policies and study-abroad coursework information at the PreMed and PreHealth Advising Program website.
Note: Corequisite laboratories are required for most basic science courses.
-
Biology (two semesters)
-
General chemistry (two-semester sequence or a single-semester general chemistry course)
-
Organic chemistry (two-semester sequence)
-
Physics (two-semester sequence)
-
Biochemistry (one semester; prerequisites: organic chemistry 2 and genetics and molecular biology)
-
Mathematics (one semester each of calculus and statistics)
-
Writing (two semesters of writing-based social science or humanities/English composition coursework)
-
Behavioral sciences (an introductory psychology and sociology course are recommended for MCAT preparation but typically not required for admission)
Supporting Information
PreMed and PreHealth Advising Overview
- Pre-Dental Information
- Pre-Med Information
- Pre-Optometry Information
- Pre-Physician Assistant Information
- Pre-Podiatry Information
- Pre-Veterinary Information