Welcome to Pre-Professional Studies at EMU

The Pre-Professional program at EMU is an advising system overlaid onto an academic major. This advising system provides guidance in the special requirements of application to medical, veterinary, podiatry, optometry, chiropractic and physician's assistant programs. Students should be aware that all of these professional programs are very competitive and require academic and professional excellence for admittance.

Choosing an Academic Major:

Although the University has major codes for Pre-Medicine/Osteopathy and Pre-Optometry/Podiatry, these codes do not lead to a Bachelor of Science degree. By the second year of study, a degree-conferring academic major should be selected along with the pre-professional designation. Because medical schools accept a wide variety of academic majors, the choice of major is largely an individual one. Most students choose majors in Biology or Biochemistry because of their interest in science and the overlap between those majors and the courses required for entry into medical school. Some students choose majors in Sports Medicine, Athletic Training or Exercise Science because of their interest in those majors and the potential for employment with a B.S. degree. Other students choose majors in the Humanities, Physical or Social Sciences, or Allied Health Sciences. Regardless of their major, all students must begin to integrate the required pre-requisite courses into their program of study during the first year in order to be able to take qualifying exams (e.g. MCAT, OAT, etc.) in a timely manner and be in a position to apply to professional school prior to graduation. The Pre-Med Advisor can assist you in making a decision regarding your major.

Accessing the Advising System: 

Access to the pre-professional advisors is by appointment through the Biology Department Office. Appointments are 30 minutes in length and can be scheduled by either visiting the office at 316 Mark Jefferson or by calling 734-487-4242 during business hours. Please bring a copy of your most recent academic record (through my.emich) with you if you want to discuss coursework or graduation/application timetables. Please be sure to call the Biology Office should you need to cancel an appointment. Students are encouraged to meet with the advisor each semester.

Electronic Resources:

In addition to the resources on this site (see links along the left-hand side of this page), all pre-professional students should join the "EMU premed" group on my.emich (go to groups, and then advising). This site contains additional information concerning pre-professional clubs and advising alerts. This is also the surest way of keeping informed of important developments, speakers and events. Email mangell@emich.edu for more information.