Undergraduate Pre-Medical and Health Professions Programs

Preparation for medical, dental, and other health professional school can start as early as your freshman year by enrolling in our undergraduate Pre-Medical and Health Professions Program (UG-PMHPP). We are here to help you every step of the way from your first introduction to pre-requisite coursework through the application and interview process.

About the Program

The UG-PMHPP is not an academic major or degree program, but rather a multi-track post-secondary certificate program, pursued at the same time as your academic major degree program. We will provide you with opportunities that make you stand out such as:

  • Exceptional, personalized, ongoing advisement in cooperation with your major advisor
  • Hand-tailored curriculum planning and tracking consistent with professional goals
  • Application assistance to prepare for medical, dental, and other health professional schools
  • In addition to pre-requisite curriculum, seven specialized pre-health courses with "0" additional credit load
  • Learn basic patient assessment and health and safety skills, including entry-level clinical skills
  • Introductions to collaborative practice, inter-professional education, and medical terminology
  • Instruction in basic anatomy and pathophysiology
  • Instruction, guidance and assistance through the complex medical and health professional school application process

 

Program Information

A certificate program that can be taken alongside a major to prepare a student to apply to medical and health professional schools.

Degree

Certificate

INTRODUCING A NEW WORLD-CLASS MEDICAL SCHOOL

Marking a milestone in the boldest initiative of our history, Duquesne opened its new College of Medicine on Jan. 17, 2024. The medical college will welcome its inaugural class of students pursuing their doctor of osteopathic medicine degrees in July, and offers an early assurance program for qualified undergraduate first-year students interested in becoming physicians.

Learn More

Applying to Medical, Dental or other Health Professional School

The practice of medicine, regardless of discipline, requires exceptional knowledge, skills, abilities and personal attributes. A component of almost every professional school application is that the student is able to document not only academic success and exam scores, but also:

  • observation/shadowing experiences,
  • volunteer experiences, and
  • employment and research experiences.

While each discipline and program varies on which of these activities bears the greatest importance, all admissions committees will be considering your submission of these types of experiences as part of the application process. This is why every application and/or interview required during the application process requires students to not only relate those experiences or opportunities, but also describe specifically what was learned or the value of those experiences in preparing the student to be qualified to enter professional school.

Gaining admission to a medical, dental or other health professional school is dependent on a variety of factors, unique to each disciplined and institution, that generally include meeting or exceeding the following standard criteria:

  • QPA/GPA (Overall, Math/Science, Science and "other" coursework)
  • Types and levels of courses taken, as well as course withdrawals and repeats
  • Professional exam scores and relationship to expected rankings
  • Activities, shadowing, volunteer, and work experience
  • Scholarly activities and research involvement
  • Letters of recommendation/evaluation and relationship of those evaluators to the applicant
  • Ability of applicant to articulate and communicate in both written and oral situations
  • How the student's goal/aspirations match the school/program's mission
  • Demonstration of both intra and interpersonal skills and abilities

Early Application Options

Early Assurance and Preferred Admission Review Programs

Current PMHPP students have the following opportunities for Early Assurance Programs or Preferred Admissions Review Program:

These programs are applied to after the student is enrolled at Duquesne University and a student enrolled in the PMHPP, and are not freshman admit programs. More information is available through the PMHPP.

Admission requirements are subject to change at the discretion of medical programs listed above and are outside the control of the Pre-Medical and Health Professions Programs. These are competitive programs, and an interview and/or acceptance cannot be guaranteed. Final acceptance to these programs is the sole discretion of the medical or health professional program.