The Prehealth Science Committee works directly with students interested in pursuing vocations in the healing arts. Committee members advise prehealth science students and will write letters of recommendation for students applying to graduate programs. A student interested in a prehealth science field should contact the program chair during the first week at ULV so that an academic advisor on the Prehealth Science Committee appropriate to the student’s field of interest can be assigned.

La Verne’s prehealth science programs are designed to meet the requirements for admission to all accredited health science programs in medical, dental, pharmacy, optometry, veterinary, and nursing schools. The high school program should include biology, chemistry, physics, trigonometry, and a foreign language, such as Spanish or German.

The health science student is entering a difficult and demanding program, and there are many steps to be taken in preparation for graduate study. First, a broad, well-balanced, general education background is essential. Second, although a health science student may select any college major, the prescribed courses in biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, and English must be completed. These courses are required by most graduate health science schools, and they are essential preparation for the highly competitive entrance examinations (e.g., MCAT, DAT, PCAT, etc). Competition for admission to graduate schools is increasingly keen, with the average GPA of those accepted at about 3.8. Other important factors in determining admission include interviews, admission exam results, letters of recommendation, grade trends, extracurricular activities, intensity of the academic programs, and work experience.

Information on this page is subject to change. Official program and course information is available in the University of La Verne Catalog.

Program Requirements

Suggested Prehealth Science Program for Students Majoring in Biology

Freshman year:
Code Course Title Units
BIOL 204 Plant Biology 5
BIOL 205 Animal Biology 5
CHEM 201,202 General Chemistry I, II 5,5
  English and Speech 4,4,2

Three electives (general education requirements)

Sophomore year:
Code Course Title Units
BIOL 310 Cell Biology 4
BIOL 311 Genetics 4
BIOL 312 Environmental Biology 4
CHEM 311,312 Organic Chemistry I, II 5,5
MATH 201,202 Calculus I, II 4,4

Two electives (including general education requirements)

Junior year:
Code Course Title Units
BIOL 313 Developmental Biology 4
BIOL 314 Biochemistry 5
PHYS 201,202 General Physics I, II 5,5

Four electives (including general education requirements)

Senior year
  • Fall: Appropriate screening exam-MCAT, DAT, PCAT, etc.
  • Completion of major requirements, including senior project.
  • Completion of general education requirements.
  • Comprehensive examination in Biology.

If majoring in Chemistry, Physics, or Other Field

The above schedule for Biology majors illustrates one pathway that could be followed, but if majoring in Chemistry or another demanding major, it is especially important to receive proper advising.