Pre-Med
College of Health
Preparing for medical school
We offer academic majors that provide unique paths to medical school.
Students can apply to medical school with any major as long as they also complete required coursework in the sciences and mathematics.
Related majors, which incorporate some of the requirements for medical school, include Kinesiology (PTAH option) and Nutrition (Nutrition Health Science option).
Our Public Health major is well suited to take the additional sciences needed for competency and approach med school from a very different background.
If you wish to identify yourself as a College of Health student interested in pursuing medicine, please complete the Pre-med Initial Interest Form.
Same science, more people
Public health degrees give students an edge when pursuing medical school
Biology isn’t the only major for future doctors. College of Health alumni share how their degrees in public health helped them stand out when applying to medical school.
In addition to coursework, several other components are important to the medical school application. Students interested in attending medical school should meet with the COH pre-med advisor toward the end of their first year (or as soon as possible) to learn about and prepare for the application process.
Please read:
By working with the pre-med advisor, students will also establish a mentoring relationship, a critical part of the process. Advising appointments can be made by calling the College of Health's Office of Student Success at 541-737-8900. The COH Pre-Med Advisor is [email protected]
Opening your med school application file
In the year you are applying to med school, or prior to having evaluation letters sent to the COH Pre-Med Advisor, you need to officially begin the process of opening your pre-med file at the Health Professions portal.
At the Health Professions Portal you will do the following
Create a new account
- Be sure to select "Pre-Medical PHHS"
- Submit current picture (head shot)
Complete student profile
- Complete the Pre-medical Student Profile for Letters of Evaluation.
- You can continue to update profile information and add letter writers’ names after completing your profile.
- Please include a non OSU email.
Submit letter writer names
- When you add the names of your evaluation letter writers in the portal, they will be sent an email with instructions and letter submission information.
- We recommend waiting until about 2-3 months before you apply to med school to submit evaluator names, unless otherwise arranged with an evaluator.
Personal statement
- You can submit a draft of your personal statement within the portal, but sending a draft as a word doc (only) directly to the pre-med advisor makes editing and review easier.
More pre-med students attracted to public health degrees
Yes, you need science, but the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) added new emphasis in psychology, psycho-social dimensions of health and medical ethics.
Our students get a more proactive mindset that is representative of a new trend in medicine in which physicians focus on prevention and caring for the health of individuals instead of only caring for the sick.
Additional pre-med resources
- Pre-med Listserv: Subscribe to the pre-med email list for information about upcoming events, application workshops, campus visits, etc.
- Minority Association of Pre-Med Students: (MAPS) is a club that strives to increase the representation and matriculation of underrepresented minority students into medical school by fostering a collaborative environment among pre-medical students and offering professional/educational opportunities for our members.
- Pre-Med Society: Join the Oregon State University chapter of the AMSA Pre-Medical Society or join on Facebook (Oregon State University pre-med Society).
- Premedical Orientation Class - BI 109: Take this class in Spring term. General information is provided about the application process, the MCAT, admissions, volunteer opportunities, etc., and various speakers are included.
- College of Science Pre-medical Information.
Pre-health professions
Allied Health professionals deliver services involving the identification, evaluation and prevention of diseases and disorders; dietary and nutrition services; and rehabilitation and health systems management.
The most common allied health careers our students are interested in are: Athletic Training, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Nursing and Physician Assistant. There are almost 100 different careers for you to pursue.
Non-COH students should visit the College of Science Pre-medicine FAQ to locate their pre-med advisor. If your college does not have a dedicated pre-med advisor, you are welcome to seek out one of those listed on the College of Science website.