Pre-Professional Programs - Pre-Health and Pre-Law

University College Pre-Professional Programs offers one-on-one advising, programming and courses for all students interested in pursuing a graduate degree in legal education or admission to a professional school of health. Advisors are available by appointment or during drop-in hours and can assist students with navigating application timelines, requirements, and program prerequisites. Professional advisors and faculty advisors are available for assistance. Students are encouraged to get involved with volunteer opportunities, leadership roles in campus clubs and organizations, and take advantage of the Pre-Professional Programs’ curricular programs and workshops that are offered to enhance their candidacy for graduate programs. Students can enroll with Pre-Professional Programs electronically on our website to receive emails and newsletters about events, coursework, and other programs. For more information regarding pre-professional advising at UNCW, visit the Pre-Professional Programs website at www.uncw.edu/preprofessional or call (910) 962-3245.

Pre-Health

Students who are considering graduate programs in Chiropractic, Medicine, Dentistry, Occupational Therapy, Optometry, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, Physician Assistant, Podiatry and Veterinary Medicine are considered pre-health students.. Pre-Health is not a major and students are not required to major in science to pursue a pre-health profession. While many students pursue majors in the natural sciences, they do so because of their interest in those fields rather than strictly to prepare for graduate school. Students can choose to declare any major and remain eligible for graduate school as long as the student satisfies the prerequisite courses necessary for admission. Course recommendations are available on the Pre-Professional Programs website at http://uncw.edu/preprofessional/prehealth/index.html

Pre-Law

Students who plan to prepare for law school may select a major in any discipline that fulfills the requirements for a baccalaureate degree at UNCW. The College of Arts and Sciences offers a pre-law minor designed to prepare students with the foundational knowledge, critical thinking abilities, and other essential skills to success in the field of law.

Students should be aware of the Association of American Law Schools’ recommendation to identify basic skills and insights it believes fundamental to the later attainment of legal competence. These are (a) comprehension and expression in words; (b) critical understanding of human institutions and values with which the law deals; and (c) creative power in thinking. In order to develop these capacities, the association recommends a pre-legal education of the “broadest scope.” To accomplish these goals, UNCW offers a wide range of pre-law courses. Regardless of the major, the pre-law student should be zealous in the selection of electives that will facilitate critical understanding of economic, political, and social institutions. Additional recommendations are available on the Pre-Professional Programs website at www.uncw.edu/preprofessional/prelaw/index.html.