Pre-Health Professions  {SF State Bulletin 2015 - 2016}

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Pre-Health Professions

 

College of Extended Learning

 

College of Science and Engineering

Dean: Keith Bowman

 

Health Professions Advising Committee

HH 219
415-338-2410
Web Site: http://www.cel.sfsu.edu/pre-health/
E-mail: hpac@sfsu.edu
Committee Chair: Robert Ramirez
Certificate Program Coordinator: Robert Ramirez

 

Programs

Certificate in Pre-Health Professions

Pre-Nursing Certificate

 

 

Program Scope

The goal of the Pre-Health Professions certificate is to guide participants through the entire preparation and application process so that they will be competitive applicants to graduate health profession schools. This program is designed for students who: 1) have already earned a BA/BS/BFA degree, 2) lack most or all pre-requisite course work, or need to improve their undergraduate GPA in order to become a competitive applicant to graduate school 3) plan to apply to allopathic medicine, osteopathic medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, optometry, physical therapy or veterinary medicine schools.

 

In this certificate program, cohorts of about 60 students take prerequisite biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics course work, as well as auxiliary course work in the form of discussion sections, a Health Professions Colloquium, and a year long clinical exposure activity. Elective course work is available for those needing preliminary and/or more advanced courses. The program has two components: A Career Changer Track (CCT) for those concentrating on prerequisite courses and an Academic Enhancer Track (AET) for those concentrating on upper-division science electives. The CCT is a 2 year, 6 semester (summer 1, fall 1, spring 1, summer 2, fall 2, spring 2) continuous program that begins in early June. CCT course work consists mainly of major’s level, introductory science lectures, labs and discussion sections; these classes are prerequisites for admission to graduate health profession schools. Most CCTs take a few major level, upper-division Biology electives as well. The AET is a continuous 1 – 6 semester program that accepts 15 – 25 students each semester (summer, fall and spring). AET course work consists mainly of major’s level, upper-division Biology lectures. The program is supervised by a director; a faculty committee writes a letter of evaluation that may be submitted with the student's health profession school application.

 

Pre-Health Professions Certificate

Admission Requirements and Application Procedure

Applicants must have graduated from a regionally accredited institution of higher learning with a baccalaureate or higher degree. Applicants are required to have a GPA of at least 2.5 for their Bachelor’s degree or for their last 60 semester units or 90 quarter units of course work. Students whose primary language is not English must earn a minimum score of 550 on the paper version of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), a minimum score of 213 on the computer-based version or a minimum score of 70 on the internet-based version. However, because higher TOEFL scores are needed to succeed in the program, students with low qualifying scores may be referred to San Francisco State University’s American Language Institute for preliminary course work.

 

Applicants must complete and submit an online application. The application should be submitted with the supporting documents, which include unofficial transcripts, a personal statement, a current résumé or curriculum vitae, and two letters of reference. Students who consider themselves economically and/or educationally disadvantaged should indicate this in the application. Official transcripts from all universities at which course work was taken must be submitted. A non-refundable $55 fee is charged for processing the application.

 

Fees are $550 per unit of course work. The entire 57 unit program costs $31,350. Optional course work taken at SF State during participation in the certificate program will be charged at the same rate. Tuition is due by the beginning of each semester. Financial aid can be arranged through our Financial Aid Office.

 

A small number of transfer students in the CCT are accepted for entry in the first fall semester. Such transfers must have already completed General Chemistry I and Calculus with a grade of B or above. Fall entry is particularly suitable for those graduating in mid-June from universities using the quarter system.

 

Pre-Health Professions Certificate — 57 - 65 units

Courses are 3 units unless otherwise indicated.

First Semester - Summer (11 units)

Second Semester - Fall (11 - 12 units)

Third Semester - Spring (12 - 13 units)

Fourth Semester - Summer (10 units)

Fifth Semester - Fall (11 units)

Sixth Semester - Spring (2 units)

 

Post-Baccalaureate and Undergraduate Study in Pre-Health Professions

The undergraduate pre-health professional programs are not academic majors, and they do not by themselves lead to a certificate, baccalaureate, or graduate degree. However, these programs may be included as part of a recognized academic major. Official requirements of all majors and programs are published in this Bulletin.

 

Minimum preparation for health professional school includes course work in biology, chemistry, and physics. Although most undergraduates who intend to apply to a health professional school major in Biology or Chemistry, majors in the social sciences, behavioral sciences, and humanities have also been successful in gaining admission provided that these applicants have completed the prescribed course requirements (see below). It is recommended that the final choice of the undergraduate major reflect the true academic interests of the student. Academic majors with significant overlap with pre-health professional requirements include: Biology (concentrations in Cell and Molecular Biology Physiology or Microbiology and Biochemistry and Chemistry (concentration in Biochemistry). The Biochemistry major is particularly well suited for those intending to apply to pharmacy schools.

 

Minimal Science Requirements for Post-Baccalaureate Study and Undergraduates

The program listed below is recommended for admission to allopathic and osteopathic medical schools and dental schools. Pharmacy, optometry, physical therapy, physician's assistant, nursing, and veterinary medicine schools may have somewhat different requirements.

 

Post-Baccalaureate and Undergraduate Study in Pre-Health Professions — 46 - 49 units

Courses are 3 units unless otherwise indicated.

Note: Biochemistry has become a required course for application to many medical schools.

 

Additional Science Courses for Undergraduates

Beyond the above minimal requirements it is recommended that the student select other science courses in consultation with an adviser. Many health profession schools prefer more extensive preparation in biology, chemistry, and/or mathematics.

 

Courses are 3 units unless otherwise indicated.

Additional Science Courses for Undergraduates

Health profession schools prefer that students take advanced courses. Advanced science courses beyond those listed above may be considered in consultation with an advisor.

 

Pre-Nursing Certificate

General Information

The goal of the Pre-Nursing Certificate Program is to guide participants through the entire preparation and application process as competitive applicants to graduate nursing schools. The Program is suited for students who need to take nursing school prerequisites for the first time or retake such courses in order to be competitive in the admission process for nursing school. Yearly cohorts of approximately 30 students will take nursing school prerequisite courses in biology, chemistry, mathematics, communication, as well as auxiliary course work in the form of discussion sections, and a Health Professions Colloquium. Optional preliminary and/or more advanced course work in biology, chemistry, mathematics, public health, nutrition and /or psychology will be available as needed. The program begins in the early summer and runs continuously for four semesters, a period of 15 months, and is supervised by a Leadership Team that includes the Program’s Director and Co-Director. The Leadership Team writes a comprehensive Committee Letter that may be submitted with the student’s nursing school application. Federal and/or private loans may be available to students with documented financial need.

 

Admissions Requirements, Application Process and Tuition

  • Applicants must have graduated from a regionally accredited institution of higher learning with a baccalaureate or higher degree and a GPA of 2.0 or above for their most recent 60 semester units (90 quarter units) of course work. However, because of the limited number of students that can be accommodated by the Program, applicants with higher GPAs will have an advantage in being admitted.
  • Applicants must apply and be admitted to SF State through its Division of Graduate Studies. In so doing, they must complete the online Pre-Nursing Certificate These include a personal statement, official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended, a list of relevant course work and grades, a list of relevant experiences and dates and two letters of reference, at least one from a college instructor. A third letter is optional. Students who consider themselves economically and/or educationally disadvantaged must fill out a special section of the application.
  • Deadline for receipt of a complete set of application materials is February 15 for admission that summer (early June). Interview invitations are announced in mid-spring and admissions decisions are announced in late spring.
  • Students whose primary language is not English must earn a minimum score of 550 on the paper version of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or a minimum score of 213 on the computer-based version.
  • Out-of-state and international students are welcome to apply to the Program. All students pay the same tuition.

 

Written English Proficiency Requirement

Students must demonstrate an appropriate level of writing competency. This is accomplished by the student receiving a grade of B or higher in the Health Professions Colloquium, which focuses on writing personal statements and interview skills. Students who do not pass this requirement may have alternative course work specified by the Program Director.

 

Pre-Nursing Certificate Program — 27 units

Courses are 3 units unless otherwise indicated.

Semester One (Summer)

MATH 124 and SCI 230 are 10 week courses

Semester Two (Fall)

Semester Three (Spring)

Semester Four

Supplemental Courses

The following courses are not required, but are offered as optional/supplemental courses to be taken at the students’ discretion. In some cases, students may take supplemental courses in place of required courses as appropriate and in consultation with an advisor.

 

 

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