Overview

Planning is critical for pre-health students who want to graduate with four years. The best time to make a four-year plan is now. This guide is designed to help incoming students navigate the task of setting up a basic four-year academic plan.

A peer advisor can assist with creating an academic plan for students! Please feel free to schedule an appointment or walk-in to the Pre-Health/Pre-Law Advising Center and speak with a peer advisor.

This guide is separated into four sections

• Section I: Ways to find information about required courses
• Sections II and III: Help create a four-year plan outline and begin scheduling courses into the plan
• Section IV: How to check the accuracy and comprehensiveness of the schedule

Section I: Gathering Information

All students pursuing a Bachelors degree must fulfill five requirement areas: 

• General Education Core
• Graduation Requirements
• Degree Requirements
• College Requirements
• Major Requirements

Pre-health students must also fulfill an additional set of requirements called “prerequisites” (i.e. courses that must be completed before applying to professional schools).

Planning can help applicants figure out how the prerequisites fit into their degree and ensure that they complete all of their requirements, including prerequisites, as efficiently as possible.

1. Visit the Pre-Health/Pre-Law Advising Center (PAC) website to learn about the prerequisites for the applicant's profession of interest.
   • Learn the steps in the “Path to Professional School.”
   • Research the basic admission requirements for your field.
   • Make a list of the required courses for professional schools in the field of interest.
2. Visit the Mānoa Catalog to go over the basic requirements.
   • General Education Core (Foundation & Diversification)
   • Graduation Requirements (Focus & Languages)
   • Degree Requirements (B.A., B.S., B.F.A., B.Ed., etc.)
   • College Requirements
3. Visit the College or School website (depending on major). Every program of study at the university is housed within a college or school. The college sets its own policies for withdrawals, major declarations, etc.
   • Check the Mānoa Catalog to find the website and contact information for the college or school advising office.
   • Print the program sheets for each degree/major the student is considering pursuing.
4. Visit the department website for the intended major (found on the program sheets).
   • Print out a list of the major requirements.
   • Use the Manoa Catalog to check whether courses have to be taken in a specific order.
5. Check whether the courses have prerequisites/co-requisites or placement tests.
   • Some courses, such as Math, Chemistry, and Language may require students to take an assessment test before they can register for the class.
   • The Schedule of Classes lists where and when tests are offered and whether students need to make an appointment or reserve a seat.
   • Schedule and take any necessary placement exams in advance. 

Section II: Setting Up the Template

1. Download a four-year academic planning sheet.
   • Notice that it is arranged by academic years rather than by calendar years.
2. Fill in the years next to the semester titles. Remember that calendar years begin with the spring semester of each academic year.
   • For example, if the school year begins Fall 2009, the next semester in that academic year is Spring 2010.
3. Label the applicant's application year (when to take standardized tests, application deadline, letters of recommendation, interviews).
   • For most health fields, applications are due a full year before the date of entering professional school (i.e. the summer between the applicant's junior and senior year).
   • Refer to the following downloadable handouts for more information about the application year in the field of interest.
     • Accelerated Timeline
       • Allopathic Medicine, Osteopathic Medicine, Podiatric Medicine, Dentistry, Occupational Therapy, Optometry, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, Physician Assistant, Veterinary Medicine 
     • Standard or Regular Timeline
       • Chiropractic Medicine, Communication Science and Disorders (Speech Pathology and Audiology), Dietetics, Naturopathic Medicine, Public Health

Section III: Filling Out the Template

1. Gather the lists. Applicants should have three:
   • Core Courses – including Foundation, Diversification, Focus, Language, and any college or school requirements (from the college/school website or the Catalog)
   • Pre-Health Requirements (from this website)
   • Major/Degree Requirements (from the major/department website or the Program Sheets)
2. Review the courses on the lists.
   • Look for overlapping courses. Certain courses on one list may fulfill multiple requirements 
     • For example, a biology course may satisfy a pre-health prerequisite, meet a core requirement, and fulfill a related major requirement
   • Re-check whether the courses have prerequisites. Course prerequisites determine the order in which courses must be taken. 
3. Pencil in the courses.
   • Start with math and science health prerequisites and language courses.
     • These courses must be taken in a specific order and may only be offered in certain semesters.
     • Try to take only two (2) science or math courses each semester for the first two years.
   • Pencil in the Foundation courses (FW, FS, FG), which should be taken within the first year.
   • Fill in the remaining core and major requirements.
   • Fill in any remaining health prerequisite courses.
     • It helps to spread the humanities and social sciences throughout the applicant's four years.
     • They can serve to balance course load during particularly demanding semesters.
   • Figure out whether there is room for elective courses.
     • A minimum of 120 credits are required to graduate.
     • Total up the credits in the plan and determine whether there is room for electives.
     • Check the PAC website for a list of recommended health electives. 
     • For a list of recommended pre-health courses, click here. 

Section IV: Verifying Your Schedule

1. Check that the courses are correctly sequenced and that the course load is reasonable.
   • Take into account study time and work time if you plan to be a working student.
   • As a rule of thumb, there should spend two hours studying outside of class for every one hour spent in class.
2. Show your academic plan to a:
   • 1) PAC peer advisor (schedule an appointment),
   • 2) major/department advisor
   • 3) school/college advisor.
   • Please refer to the Notes Section of your respective program sheet to determine who are your major/department and school/college advisors.  
   • Be sure to discuss your plans with each of them and ask them to confirm that your plan is complete and correct.

CONGRATULATIONS!

You have created your very own Four-Year Academic Plan! Keep in mind that you can always add or move courses, depending on what is offered each semester, but don’t delete any courses or credits without first talking to all three of your advisors. Finally, check in with your advisors each semester to make sure you stay on track.

Pre-Health Pre-Requisites Across the UH System

Compiled from the UH System Course Transfer Database, UHMānoa, 2017-2018 Catalog, UH Hilo Catalog 2018-2019, UH West Oahu 2018-2019 General Catalog, Hawaii Community College Catalog 2017-2018, Honolulu Community College 2017-2018 Catalog, Kapiolani Community College 2018-19 Catalog, Kauai Community College Catalog 2018-2019, Leeward Community College Catalog 2018-2019, UH Maui College’s General Catalog: 2017-2018, and Windward Community College Course Catalog 2017-2018.

The following are commonly required prerequisite courses for various health programs/schools, as found across the ten different campuses within the University of Hawaii System.  Prerequisites vary from program to program, and thus it is highly recommended that students research the prerequisites for their program(s) of interest!

Attending professional school can be daunting, so taking time after your undergraduate graduation can be pivotal for your identity development and exploration of career goals. Some common reasons why graduates take at least one gap year:

• To have a more competitive application for health professional school
• Engage in various activities such as volunteering, interning, and strengthening one's GPA or entrance exam score
• Pay down debt or take a break to travel, relax, and recharge

What opportunities do you have during a gap year?

These are some of the major types of opportunities that you can be involved in during your gap year.

• Note: that you are NOT only limited to the list below.

• Many professional health fields require prerequisite coursework that you will need to complete before attending the professional school
• As each field and school is different, please visit the webpage of the field you are interested in for a list of commonly required coursework.
• Some schools may have a sunset date
  • A timeframe where the courses will no longer be accepted by the school, (ie. courses taken more than 10 years ago) for the courses.
  • Double check with the schools you are interested in attending 

If you already have a bachelors degree but still need to take courses and wish to take them at UH Manoa, you may apply as a Post-Baccalaureate Unclassified (PBU) student.

Experience

What are Post Baccalaureate and Special Masters Programs?

Post-baccalaureate programs: typically designed for students who already have a bachelors degree in a non-science field and wish to take or retake the prerequisites courses required for their intended professional school (Medical, Pharmacy, Optometry, etc.).

• Many types of post-baccalaureate programs such as academic enhancers and career changers (described in further detail below).
• Many programs offer a post-baccalaureate ‘certificate’ upon completion of the program.

Special Masters Programs (SMPs): master's degree programs geared towards preparing students for their intended professional school by taking relevant graduate/professional school level courses.

• Some SMP curriculums consist of courses that are taken along side graduate, PhD, or professional school (medical, dental, etc.) students, allowing admissions committees to directly measure and compare students’ proficiencies at these higher levels.
• Other programs consist of courses that are strictly offered to the students in that particular SMP.

Keep in mind that various Special Masters and Post-baccalaureate programs offer linkage, where qualified students are offered guaranteed admission or interview to affiliated professional schools upon meeting certain requirements.

Which Post-Baccalaureate or Special Master's Program is right for me?