The Health Careers Committee provides students with access to current information on many health careers. Interested students should contact the chair of the Health Careers Committee during their first semester at Suffolk. A student run Health Careers Club exists to foster interaction among students with health careers interests. Interested students should contact the club through the Department of Biology.

Pre-Dental

Most dental schools set as a minimum requirement for admission the inclusion of one year of general chemistry and one year of organic chemistry, one year of biology, one year of physics, and one year of English composition.

While some dental schools set 60 semester hours as the minimum quantity requirement, the crowded condition of the professional schools allows them to be more selective in their admissions; in practice, students with three complete years of college work, or more frequently with a bachelor’s degree, are given preference.

The applicant may be required to present himself or herself for an interview before his or her admission status is determined. Suffolk University permits students admitted to accredited dental schools to fulfill senior year requirements by successful completion of first year dental studies.

Pre-Medical

The admission requirements for medical schools throughout the country are being liberalized, but the changes are not uniform, and the rates of change are not the same. The trend is toward less emphasis on science courses that tend to be repetitious and more upon the humanities and social science subjects. Students are being encouraged to attain in a broad liberal arts background as well as basic education in the sciences.

Nevertheless, nearly all medical colleges still require the inclusion of one year of general chemistry and one year of organic chemistry, one year of physics, one year of biology, one year of English composition, and one year of English literature in pre-medical preparation. Some medical schools also require knowledge of the behavioral sciences.

Catalogues of some medical schools indicate that an applicant will be approved for admission after three years of college work. Since, however, the number of applicants far exceeds the number of students to be admitted, the pre-medical students with a bachelor’s degree and promise of success as a doctor are selected. Suffolk University permits students admitted to accredited medical schools to fulfill senior year requirements by successful completion of first year medical studies.

Pre-Optometry

Colleges of optometry, like other professional schools, base their admission standards on the academic records of their applicants. The requirements for admission to the schools and colleges of optometry are not identical. Typically, the requirements include courses in English, mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology or zoology. Some schools and colleges have varied requirements in psychology, the social sciences, literature, philosophy, and foreign languages.

The pre-optometry requirements for almost all accredited colleges of optometry represent a minimum of two academic years of study. It is recommended that Suffolk University students who plan to study optometry pursue a commonly required freshman year in which they include in their programs the Seminar for Freshmen, First-Year English, Introductory Mathematics, General Biology, and Inorganic Chemistry. In their sophomore year, pre-optometry students should study General Physics, Calculus, Second-Year English, Logic, Speech, and courses from the Humanities or Social Sciences. The student should be acquainted with the requirements of the optometry college he or she expects to attend.

Pre-Veterinary

The minimum academic requirements for admission to a school of veterinary medicine parallel those of dental and medical schools. However, since there are far fewer veterinary colleges than medical or dental schools, the opportunities are more limited. Consequently, the customary requirement for admission is the completion of the baccalaureate. In addition, most veterinary schools are state universities which give priority for admission to residents of the state. Some veterinary schools require a course in “Animal Husbandry” or “Experience on a Farm” as a prerequisite to admission. Suffolk University does not offer these courses, but they may sometimes be obtained at another institution during the summer. Prospective students should apprise themselves of the specific requirements of the various veterinary schools as early in their undergraduate program as possible. Suffolk University permits students admitted to accredited veterinary schools to fulfill senior year requirements by successful completion of first year veterinary studies.

Health Careers Committee

The committee’s primary responsibility is to write recommendations for qualified Suffolk University students seeking admission to professional schools in preparation for careers in medicine, veterinary medicine, and dentistry. As far as recommendations to such professional schools are concerned, only the Health Careers Committee represents Suffolk University. For further information, contact Dr. Eric Dewar (Biology Department).