Biology Department

Introduction

The Pre-health Science concentration (designated BIOH) within the biology major
at Spring Hill College is designed to optimally prepare students for the professional
medical programs and allied health fields listed below.

Professional Medical Programs:

	Medicine – Allopathic (MD), Osteopathic (DO), and Podiatric (DPM)
	Dentistry – DDS or DMD
	Optometry – OD
	Veterinary Medicine – DVM
	Pharmacy – Pharm. D

Allied Health Fields:

	Clinical Nutrition	Physical Therapy
	Cytotechnology	Physician Assistant
	Health Administration	Radiologic Sciences
	Health Information Management	Respiratory Therapy
	Medical Technology	Surgeon’s Assistant
	Nuclear Medicine Technology

Students intending to pursue one of the allied health fields following graduation from Spring Hill should check with the schools to which they plan to apply for course requirements not met within the BIOH major.

 

Overview of the Program
Pre-health science biology is the single most popular major of new freshmen entering the college each year. Spring Hill has a long-standing tradition of providing a broad-based, academically sound background for students who desire to become health care professionals. We know first-hand what strengths, skills, and experiences students must develop in order to gain admission to the school of their choice. The excellence of our program is recognized and appreciated by the professional and graduate schools to which our students apply and are accepted.
There are three aspects of our program which set it apart from others in our region:

1. The Core Curriculum - Medical schools seek students who have a broad-based educational background rich in the humanities. Exactly the sort of coursework available to students through the college’s Core Curriculum.
2. Preparation for a Post-graduate Education - Our graduates who have entered health professional schools have confirmed the strength of their undergraduate preparation at Spring Hill. Many of the textbooks that we use in our upper division biology courses are the same texts used to teach those subjects in medical school. Often students report that subjects were taught in greater depth at Spring Hill than they were in medical school.
3. Support - Pre-health science students receive guidance and support
   from the faculty in every aspect of their pre-medical education. There are
   several group meetings held each year dealing with issues such as: the policies and procedures for applying to medical school, and preparation for the MCAT. The Directors of Admission of our state-supported schools of dentistry, medicine, and pharmacy, visit our campus each year (as does a representative from the school of medicine at LSU), and students have the opportunity to meet with these representatives individually. Typically, by the time a student makes application to the schools of their choice at the end of their junior year, they are well known by the admissions officers of those schools.