Degree Pathways

Start Your Health Care Career At UM-Flint

Do you have a passion for promoting healthy living and helping others? A career in health care may be a great fit for you. 

If you are interested in working as a doctor, physical therapist, physician assistant or in another health care field, it can be tough to know where to start, but we are here to help.

Many health care careers require further education after graduating with a bachelor’s degree. There are great options at UM-Flint for bachelor’s degree programs that will prepare you to apply to a graduate program in the health care field.

Click on each track below to read more about the career, the training needed, and great bachelor’s degree options to get you started.

Pre-Professional Health Care Pathways

If you are undecided on which path is right for you, the good news is that many health care graduate programs require similar prerequisite courses. You can get started in many different bachelor’s degree programs without choosing a specific track right away.

Which Major is Best for Me?

Students are often surprised to learn that there isn’t one major required for applying to graduate schools in health professions. Graduate schools require a bachelor’s degree but seek diverse and strong academic backgrounds. 

We encourage you to choose a bachelor’s degree program based on your interests and strengths. While you can choose any major, you will still need to take the prerequisite courses required for the graduate program you are pursuing. Prerequisites may vary depending on the graduate schools you plan to apply to. We encourage you to work with an advisor on program and course selection.

Several different programs at UM-Flint have pre-professional tracks built into the degree and include the classes usually needed for graduate programs in the field that you choose.

Natural science majors such as Biology, Human Biology and Chemistry are great options that include pre-professional tracks. There are also other great choices that you may not be as familiar with, including UM-Flint’s bachelor’s in Health Sciences, which takes a human dimensions approach to health with a public health focus.

Many pre-health professions students choose one of these majors:

Our advisors can help you choose the major that is right for you.

Explore Pre-Professional Health Pathways and Suggested Majors

Why Choose Pre-Health Professions at UM-Flint?

You will have many opportunities to engage with your professors, classmates and the community and build experiences to make you a strong candidate for graduate school.

Train in Cutting-Edge Settings

We’re proud that UM-Flint is among a handful of primarily undergraduate institutions in Michigan to have a fully functional cadaver lab.

Participate in Research as an Undergraduate Student

You’ll have the option to conduct research through the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program. UROP allows students at any education level to perform paid or volunteer research with faculty.

Network With Other Students Who Share Your Goals

Meet and learn with students who share your interests and career aspirations in a variety of clubs. Options include the Pre-Dental Club, Pre-Med Club, MCAT Preparedness Club, MAPS (Minority Association of Pre-Medical Students), Pre-Occupational Therapy Club, Pre-Physician Assistant Club and Pre-Physical Therapy Club.

Be a Strong Candidate for Graduate Programs at UM-Flint and Other Schools

We will prepare you to be a competitive candidate for graduate programs.  Our students have been accepted to graduate programs at many schools, including UM-Flint programs. UM-Flint has great options for health care graduate programs for students who want to earn both their bachelor’s and graduate degree with us, including Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Physician Assistant.