As explained in the Choosing a Major section, there is currently no mechanism for a UMBC student to declare a pre-health career interest in the way that they can declare a major. As a result, the PreMedical and PreDental Advising Office cannot identify and reach out to pre-health students in the same way that academic departments do – we rely on pre-health students to initiate a connection with us. The best way for students to make sure that they are receiving communications from the PreMedical and PreDental Advising Office is to follow our myUMBC Group (click on this link to learn how).
The PreMedical and PreDental Advising Office serves current UMBC students and graduates (alumni) of UMBC’s undergraduate programs. Pre-health advising for current undergraduate students is considered Supplemental Advising, meaning that it is a secondary source of advising support for students as they plan and complete their UMBC Bachelor’s degree. The primary source of advising – including authorization for course registration for upcoming semesters – is the department that administers the declared major for the student (or the Office for Academic and Pre-Professional Advising, if the student has not declared a major). This includes students who are pursuing a second degree at UMBC while they complete their prerequisite coursework for professional school, which is common among our pre-health students whose first Bachelor’s degree was in a non-science field (e.g., English or Philosophy).
In the rare instance that a student who has already earned a Bachelor’s degree is attending UMBC to complete only specific course prerequisites, the PreMedical and PreDental Advising Office can provide primary advising support. Typically, fewer than five (5) students on campus fall into this category each year.
Pre-health students and alumni are not assigned to a particular Health Professions Advisor. Students meet with a Health Professions Advisor who specializes in working with students who are at a particular stage in their pre-health preparation journey, those stages are:
- First-Year Pre-health
- These are students who are enrolled in any of the following courses: BIOL141, BIOL142, CHEM101, CHEM102
- Students in these courses are considered “First-Year” pre-health students regardless of their UMBC Class Standing (Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior, Second Degree)
- Second-Year Pre-health
- These are students who are enrolled in any of the following courses: BIOL302, BIOL303, CHEM351, CHEM352
- Students in these courses are considered “Second-Year” pre-health students regardless of their UMBC Class Standing (Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior, Second Degree)
- Pre-Applicant Pre-health
- These are students who have completed all of the above courses, but are NOT actively in the process of applying to professional school.
- They may be enrolled in other prerequisite courses, e.g., Physics or Biochemistry.
- Non-Degree-Seeking Post-Bacc students also fall into this category
- Applicant Pre-health
- These are students who are applying to professional school in the Application Cycle that is currently in progress.
- Members of the HPEC Cohort fall into this category
Our scheduling portal is set up to connect students to the appropriate advisor based on where they are in terms of prerequisite completion and professional school applications.