Pre-Medical Studies Program
Hawai’i Pacific University provides a unique setting for preparing students for the medical and health-related sciences. With students from more than 100 different countries, HPU offers students a rich learning environment where cultural diversity is highly appreciated. The Pre-Medical Studies program includes those courses required by 99% of all medical, dental, and veterinary schools.
The biochemistry curriculum is also characterized by a strong liberal arts component.Students are enriched through courses in literature, history, humanities, and the social sciences. Students learn essential communication skills through courses in communication and English composition. The Pre-Medical Studies program at HPU also offers the flexibility to include one of many minor fields of concentration, such as the minors in biology, chemistry, communication, psychology, social sciences, and writing, among others.
The pre-medical student’s exposure to the health professions is facilitated through volunteer work and internships which provide college course credit for the student’s work. With an average student-to-faculty ratio of less than 25 to 1, Hawai‘i Pacific University courses are taught by highly skilled professionals who consider teaching to be their primary responsibility. Students also receive academic mentoring by faculty members who can help them with their career choices.
In addition to preparing students for medical school, the Pre-Medical Studies program serves students interested in pursuing advanced study and careers in veterinary medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, physical and occupational therapy, as physician assistants, and other health-related professions. Also, HPU has articulation agreements for transfer programs into the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at Carroll College (Wisconsin), the Doctor of Chiropractic program at Los Angeles College of Chiropractic, and the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at Creighton University (Nebraska).
Click here for Biochemistry information.
Click here for Biology information.
Click here for Pre-Medical Studies Factsheet.
Kaplan Writing Contest Photo
From left to right: Mr. Paul Muna Aguon; Alpha Epsilon Delta National Honor Society President (Hawaii Alpha Chapter), Dr. Andrew Brittain; Interim Dean of the College of Natural Sciences, Ms. Margeaux DeMoulin; Junior Pre-Medical Studies major, Mr. Sage Yoo; Pre-Dentistry Post-Baccalaureate student, Dr. Louis Primavera; Pre-Health Professions Coordinator, Ms. Richelle Kim; Honolulu Kaplan Director. Photograph taken by Jennifer Byrne.
PRE-MEDICAL STUDIES PROGRAM
The Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry is offered through the College of Natural Sciences and is designed to prepare students for successful entry into medical school, health care training programs, and graduate studies in health-related fields.
The degree program offers students the knowledge and skills necessary for successful completion of professional entrance examinations. The program prepares students for the medical profession by providing them with a strong foundation in the sciences, and enriching their background with liberal arts courses and experiences that help them understand the clinician’s obligations to patients and society.
PRE-MEDICAL STUDIES MINOR
Admission to healthcare professional schools (medicine or one of the related health professions- dentistry, optometry, veterinary medicine, and others) is very competitive but a realistic goal for capable students who carefully plan their undergraduate degree programs. Most professional schools value multi-talented applicants who possess a strong background in the liberal arts and sciences. Hawaii Pacific University does not recommend one specific academic major for students planning to apply to healthcare professional schools. Instead, students are advised to pursue the minor in Pre-Medical Studies (available FALL 2009) in addition to their chosen major.
Currently, humanities or non-science majors may have a slight advantage in terms of medical school admissions (due to perceived versatility). However, the path of a science major to medical school is probably shorter due to the number of courses taken. A minor in Pre-Medical Studies degree would allow any major at HPU to pursue a career in medicine (or any other healthcare profession of their choice) regardless of their formally declared major program of study. The premise behind this minor program is that any HPU major will be able to initiate their studies to achieve success on their healthcare professional school qualifying examinations.
PRE-MEDICAL/PRE-HEALTH CERTIFICATE
A new certificate program within HPU’s College of Natural Sciences begins Fall semester 2009. The Pre-Medical/Pre-Health Certificate is designed for career-changing students that are looking for assistance in taking science courses (and other associated subjects) that will prepare them for the qualifying examinations for health professional schools (MCAT, DAT, OAT, GRE, etc.).
The goal of this two-year certificate program is to guide participants through the entire preparation and application process so that they will be competitive applicants to graduate health profession schools. The program is intended for students that have already earned a BA/BS/BFA degree and wish to apply to allopathic medicine, osteopathic medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, optometry, physical therapy or veterinary medicine schools (students wishing to apply to other health profession schools will also be considered). The program will be supervised by Dr. Louis Primavera, CNS’ Pre-Health Professions Coordinator. Dr. Primavera will provide a Committee Letter of Evaluation for those successfully completing the certificate requirements; the letter may be submitted with the student’s health profession school application.
PRE-MEDICAL STUDIES PROGRAM ADVISING
It is suggested that all freshman students who are interested in the field of Pre-Health Professions visit with an HPU science advisor as well as the Pre-Health Professions Coordinator. Also, students in the Pre-Medical Studies program are now being advised (by all HPU advisors) that the spring semester of their junior year should be a light course load (a maximum of two courses should be taken) so that they will be able to take the MCAT exam sometime in May or June (the exam is now computerized so that instead of two exams given each year, there are now 22) and study for a period of four to five months for 20-30 hours per week. This should allow the MCAT scores to dramatically increase. Also, all top tier students are currently being advised to take General Biology and General Chemistry (along with the associated laboratories) the freshman year.
During the sophomore year, the recommended courses are physics and organic chemistry and the associated laboratories). Due to the light course load for the junior year spring semester, the students will need to take courses during the summer(s) to stay on track for graduation.
NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY FOR THE PRE-HEALTH PROFESSIONS
HPU has a new pre-health professional national honor society called Alpha Epsilon Delta. Traditionally, this honor society works hand-in-hand with the Pre-Health Professions Coordinator and allows additional avenues for students to display leadership skills, which are highly desirable traits for medical school applicants. Scholarships and grant opportunities are also available through Alpha Epsilon Delta. New members must have a status of at least a mid-year sophomore and both the total GPA and the science GPA must be a minimum of 3.2.
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