Health Professions
Pursuing a career in the health field involves both exploration and preparation. The following website is a great place for students to learn more about the many options for a health-related career:听.
The information provided below is meant to be a听general guideline听for students preparing for the health professions.
Students are always urged to check directly with the graduate program of their interest since admission requirements vary by graduate program.
Physician Assistant
Resources
- 听(includes listing of graduate programs)
Prepairing While at Boston College
If you are a biology/biochemistry major thinking of applying to PA programs, the following is a list of Boston College Biology courses that you should consider taking.听This list may not be exhaustive; please consult the specific graduate programs to which you are applying.
- BIOL 4260听- Human Anatomy with Lab (fall)
- BIOL 4330 -听Human Physiology with Lab (spring)
- BIOL 3090 -听Microbiology with Lab (spring)
- BIOL 2300听- Biostatistics (fall/spring) or another听statistics听course
- Chemistry requirement听varies by graduate program
- Approximately 2,000 hours of hands-on听patient-care experience
听
NOTE:听Biology/Biochemistry majors will not be given permission to register for the Anatomy & Physiology sequence through the Nursing School (BIOL 1300/BIOL 1320). Instead, majors should plan to take BIOL 4260 and BIOL 4330 above.
Nursing
Resources
Prepairing While at Boston College:
Biology/biochemistry majors who are considering applying to nursing programs after graduation may wish to take the following courses.听This list may not be exhaustive; please consult the specific graduate programs to which you are applying.
- BIOL 4260听- Human Anatomy with Lab (fall)
- BIOL 4330 -听Human Physiology with Lab (spring)
- BIOL 4140 -听Microbiology with Lab (spring)
- BIOL 2300听- Biostatistics (fall/spring) or another statistics course
- Chemistry requirement听(may vary by graduate program)
- Pathophysiology听(may vary by graduate program)
- Human Development, Lifespan or Developmental Psychology
- Social Science
听
NOTE:听Biology/Biochemistry majors will not be given permission to register for the Anatomy & Physiology sequence through the Nursing School (BIOL 1300/BIOL 1320). Instead, majors should plan to take BIOL 4260 and BIOL 4330 above.
Genetic Counseling
Resources
Prepairing While at Boston College
Please consult the specific graduate program听that you are interested in, but the following are several courses to consider taking:
- One year of听General Chemistry
- One year of听Biology with Lab听
- One semester of听Genetics听(ex:听 BIOL 3190听 Genetics & Genomics; BIOL 3150听 Introduction to Genomics)
- One semester each听of听Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, Psychology and Statistics
Public Health
Resources
听
Prepairing While at Boston College
If you are a biology/biochemistry major thinking of applying to Public Health graduate programs, the following is a list of Boston College Biology courses that you should consider taking.听This list may not be exhaustive; please consult the specific graduate programs to which you are applying.
- BIOL2300: Biostatistics and/or Mathematics course (e.g. Calculus)
- Epidemiology
- Environmental Health
- Health Policy and Management
- Health Education/Behavioral Sciences (BIOL 2000: Molecules and Cells; BIOL 2010: Ecology and Evolution; CHEM 1101-1102: General Chemistry; BIOL 4140: Microbiology)
听
Activities While at Boston College:
Pharmacy
Resources
听
Prepairing While at Boston College
If you are a biology/biochemistry major thinking of applying to Pharmacy programs, the following is a list of Boston College Biology courses that you should consider taking.听This list may not be exhaustive; please consult the specific graduate programs to which you are applying.
- Biology w/lab (1 year): BIOL 2000, BIOL 2010, BIOL 2040
- General Chemistry I & II (w/labs): CHEM 1109-1110; CHEM 1111-1112
- Organic Chemistry I & II (w/labs): CHEM 2231-2233; 2232-2234
- Physics I & II (w/labs): PHYS 2100-2101
- English (1 year)
- Physiology: 听BIOL 3030 and/or BIOL4330
- Microbiology (BIOL 4140)
- MATH 1100/MATH 1101: Calculus I & II/BIOL 2300: Biostatistics
听
Frequent Additional Course Requirements
- Cell Biology (BIOL3040)
- Genetics course (BIOL3150, BIOL3190, BIOL4170)
- Immunology (BIOL4570)
- Biochemistry (BIOL4350)
Physical & Occupational Therapy
Resources
听
Prepairing While at Boston College
If you are a biology/biochemistry major thinking of applying to Physical Therapy or Occupational Therapy programs, the following is a list of Boston College Biology courses that you should consider taking.听This list may not be exhaustive; please consult the specific graduate programs to which you are applying.
Physical Therapy
- One year of Biology with lab (BIOL2000; BIOL2010 or BIOL3030; BIOL2040)
- One year of Chemistry with lab
- One year of Physics with lab
- Human Anatomy w/ lab (BIOL4260)
- Human Physiology w/ lab (BIOL4330)
- Exercise Physiology (BIOL4520)
- Psychology
- Statistics (BIOL2300 or ECON1151)
- English
听
Occupational Therapy
- Biology courses with lab
- English (1 year)
- Calculus (1 semester)
- Human Anatomy w/ lab (BIOL4260)
- Human Physiology w/ lab (BIOL4330)
- Statistics (BIOL2300 or ECON1151)
- Psychology courses (Abnormal, Child, Lifespan)
Optometry
Resources
听
Prepairing While at Boston College
If you are a biology/biochemistry major thinking of applying to Optometry programs, the following is a list of Boston College Biology courses that you should consider taking.听This list may not be exhaustive; please consult the specific graduate programs to which you are applying.
- One year of Biology with lab (BIOL2000; BIOL2010 or BIOL3030; BIOL2040)
- One year of Chemistry with lab
- One year of Physics with lab
- English (1 year)
- Calculus (MATH1100 or MATH1101)
听
Frequent Additional Course Requirements
- Anatomy and Physiology
- Organic chemistry (1 semester with lab)
- Biochemistry (BIOL4350 or CHEM4461)
- Microbiology (BIOL4140)
- Statistics (BIOL2300)
- Psychology (1 semester)
听
NOTE:听听Biology/Biochemistry majors will not be given permission to register for the Anatomy & Physiology sequence through the Nursing School (BIOL 1300/BIOL 1320).听 Instead, majors should plan to take BIOL 4260 and BIOL 4330 above.