Undergraduate Pre-Medical and Health Professions Certificate Program

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

What Will I Gain Through the PMHPP?

 

We Prepare You to Stand Out

What do medical and other health professional schools look for in candidates? While application requirements are unique to each school and program, most schools seek students who are top academic performers with high overall science/math and science GPAs and high professional school admissions test scores (eg, MCAT, OAT, DAT, GRE); have extensive and relevant research as well as experiential and volunteer activities; demonstrate evidence of professional competency and behavior and positive letters of recommendation.

 

Post-Secondary Certificate in Pre-Medical and Health Professions

To be eligible for a Duquesne University letter of endorsement, PMHPP Honors Cords, and designation of enrollment in the PMHPP on his/her transcript, a student must earn the PMHP Post-Secondary Certificate. This designation on a student's transcript will provide medical, dental, and other health professional schools' admission units with a way to recognize a student who has received specialized education and training consistent with those who may earn a degree/academic major in pre-medical studies at other universities. It also validates the unique intentional learning in medicine and health professional content that is not offered to any other group of students at the University.

To earn the PMHP Post-Secondary Certificate, an UG-PMHPP student must:

  • Complete a minimum of 15 credit hours of PMHPP-approved pre-medical/health professional coursework in math, science, or psychology/sociology, earned with a minimum grade of "C" or better, after being formally enrolled in the Program.
  • Take an UG-PMHPP course each of the fall/spring semesters up until the time of application to medical or health professional school, with a minimum of one full year (two UG-PMHPP courses) being required to earn the PMHP Post-Secondary Certificate.
  • Earn passing grades in all UG-PMHPP courses,
  • Meet all PMHPP academic and professional behavior retention standards,
  • Demonstrate a cumulative GPA of >3.0, cumulative math/science GPA of >3.0, and cumulative science GPA of >3.0 at the time of validation for graduation to earn the PMHP Certificate, and
  • Be in good standing at the University and within his/her respective school

PMHPP student professional expectations, behavior, and academic retention standards are described in the 2024-2025 PMHPP Handbook which is accessible to all PMHPP students on the Community Canvas site.

NOTE: Undergraduate students applying to or already enrolled in Duquesne's Pharmacy, Nursing, or Physician Assistant academic major programs are not eligible for the PMHPP to pursue these careers, because they already receive the specialized advisement and preparation services for those careers through their respective programs. Should they wish to pursue medical/health professional careers other than their major program careers, they then may apply to the PMHPP to get the additional assistance to pursue those alternate paths.

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

Undergraduate Admission Requirements

You may apply and be admitted directly into the PMHPP when you apply to the University through one of the online applications. Prospective first-year students must meet the following requirements:

  • SAT 1240 (Math + Evidence Based Reading and Writing) or 26 ACT
  • 3.5 or higher cumulative HS GPA on a 4.0 scale
  • Admitted to an academic major at the University
  • 3.75 Cumulative HS GPA on a 4.0 scale
  • Admitted to an academic major at the University

Note: It cannot be guaranteed that students choosing to apply to Duquesne via the No Exam Option will be evaluated in the same manner as students taking the exam(s) when applying to professional school in the future.

If you meet our qualifications, then you must check the Pre-Medical and Health Professions Program box as part of the online undergraduate application when applying to the University to be reviewed for admission into the program.

If you do not currently meet the first-year admission standards, don't worry, you may apply later, after at least one semester of enrollment, through the Secondary Admission process. Secondary Admission applications are accepted at the end of each semester. To apply, the application is available below under Secondary and Transfer Admissions. If you are a student at Duquesne, you should talk to your Student Success Coach about your interest and intent to apply. 

Undergraduate student retention standards are the same for all students in the PMHPP regardless of pathway for admission. A full description of this policy may be found in the PMHPP Student Handbook.

  • 3.0 Cumulative GPA and 3.0 Semester GPA
  • No grade lower than "C" in any course
  • 3.0 Cumulative and 3.0 Semester Math/Science GPA
  • 3.0 Cumulative and 3.0 Semester Science GPA
  • Consistent enrollment and passing grades in all PMHP and PBPM courses
  • Continual progress to acquire professional pre-requisites

Undergraduate students who were not previously admitted to the Undergraduate Pre-Medical and Health Professions Program (UG-PMHPP) as entering freshmen may apply and be admitted to the program through the secondary admission process.

Admission Qualifications for Current DU Undergraduate Students and Transfers:

  • Minimum Science and Math/Science GPA ≥ 3.25,
  • Minimum Cumulative (Overall) GPA ≥ 3.25,
  • No grade lower than a "C" in any science, math or psychology/social science course,
  • At least one science course (completed or in progress) at the time of application,
  • Be in good standing at the University and within their respective School,
  • Successful interview with the PMHPP if applicable

Transfer students and currently enrolled Duquesne upperclassman applicants are required to successfully complete an interview with the PMHPP during the semester of application before admission into the UG-PMHPP is granted; freshman applicants are not required to have an UG-PMHPP interview.

NOTE: Students must report all applicable grades and GPAs from all institutions where courses have been completed or are in progress.

How do I apply?

Please complete the following application materials by each term's deadline, and submit via email attachments to pmhpp@duq.edu. Please be sure to read the instructions carefully.

Deadlines for Secondary Admission applications:

  • December 1st (For spring admission)
  • May 1st (For summer admission)
  • August 1st (For fall admission); however, final admission decisions are not made until after all transcripts from all colleges/universities attended are received.

Final grades will be confirmed via an official University transcript from all schools where college coursework was completed. Students accepted into the UG-PMHPP Post-Secondary Certificate Program through this secondary admission process are eligible for all of the same services and opportunities as are those admitted through the regular freshman admission process. Admission Qualifications for Transfer and Current DU Undergraduate Students:

Non-PMHPP students who wish to receive introductory guidance with a PMHPP advisor on the best ways to proceed with their intended plans for medical, dental or other health professional careers on their own may schedule a brief appointment. PMHPP advisors, however, cannot provide extended advisement services to non-PMHPP students.

Any secondary admission student who needs less than 15 credits of math, science, or psychology/sociology coursework at the time of acceptance to the UG-PMHPP is eligible to enroll and receive some UG-PMHPP services; however, they are not eligible for the UG-PMHPP Post-Secondary Certificate or a PMHPP Letter of Endorsement.

Transfer Students to the University

The UG-PMHPP only accepts transfer students who have been formally accepted to an academic major program at the University. Once accepted, transfer students may then apply through the secondary admission process. Any deficient coursework may be required to be repeated while enrolled at Duquesne, because academic performance at all colleges/universities attended will be considered by the medical, dental, or other health professional schools to which students apply.

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.