The pre-health sciences major will provide you with a broad, interdisciplinary foundation in the sciences. It will also prepare you for entry into medical and dental careers, as well as a variety of allied health fields: nurse, physician's assistant, physical therapy, nutrition, medical technology and more.
The bachelor of science degree offers you greater depth of foundational coursework in supporting fields, additional breadth within the major and a research capstone.
Highlights
- Many health care career options require or strongly recommend a significant amount of experience prior to graduation. BIOL-220 helps students cultivate their aspirations in medical and allied health professions.
- BIOL-220 helps students cultivate their aspirations in medical and allied health professions. This course will provide insight into the different careers and explore options for gaining the necessary experience.
Career opportunities
This major offers many unique opportunities for work within natural sciences. It can be tailored for preparation to enter medical or dental school, offering relevant biology, chemistry, math and physics courses necessary for adequate preparation for entrance exams (the Medical College Admission Test, for example).
Course listing
In order to obtain a bachelor’s degree from Fresno Pacific University, students must complete at least 120 units. Along with completing all required courses in their selected area of study, general education requirements must be met by all graduates. See the general education summary in the undergraduate academic catalog for more information.
Select programs may not provide enough units for a student to graduate and therefore an emphasis and/or elective courses must be completed alongside the major. Please see below for emphases related to this area of study.
General Education Prerequisites
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 111 | General Biology: Cells and Physiology | 4 |
| CHEM 103 | General Chemistry I | 4 |
| MATH 210 | Calculus I | 4 |
Required Courses (41 Units)
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 121 | General Biology: Diversity and Ecology | 4 |
| BIOL 220 | Healthcare in the United States | 2 |
| BIOL 332 | Human Physiology | 4 |
| BIOL 340 | Microbiology | 4 |
| BIOL 370 | Bioethics | 3 |
| BIOL 450 | Genetics | 4 |
| BIOL 485PRH | Senior Seminar | 2 |
| BIOL 496 | Biological Research | 1-3 |
| CHEM 104 | General Chemistry II | 4 |
| CHEM 310 | Organic Chemistry I | 3 |
| PHYS 120 PHYS 130 | General Physics I or University Physics I | 4 |
| PHYS 121 PHYS 131 | General Physics II or University Physics II | 4 |
| MATH 311 | Statistics for the Natural Sciences | 3 |
Emphases
This program requires an emphasis
Program director
Alan Thompson, Ph.D.
Faculty
Karen Cianci, Ph.D.
Michael Kunz, Ph.D.
Krista Edmiston, Ph.D.
Andrew T. Sensenig, Ph.D.
