Welcome!
UMW Alumni seeking a Letter from the UMW Pre-Medical/Pre-Dental Advisory committee should contact Dr. O’Dell dodell@umw.edu before Nov 30th
UMW Pre-Health Program
The UMW Pre-Health Program offers academic and career advising to UMW students preparing for any health-related career, including the following:
| Pre-Medicine | Pre-Occupational Therapy |
| Pre-Dentistry | Pre-Pharmacy |
| Pre-Veterinary Medicine | Pre-Optometry |
| Pre-Physician Assistant | Pre-BSN Nursing |
| Pre-Physical Therapy | Pre-Public Health |
These pre-health career tracks are not majors, but rather pre-career paths that students can follow from virtually any major offered at UMW.
For a detailed list of the course requirements for each of the pre-health tracks, click on the links listed on the menu to the left.
All pre-health career tracks have 3 basic components:
Coursework: Students participating in any one of the pre-health tracks listed above are required to take a variety of science, math and non-science courses. Most of these courses overlap with general education requirements of the University. For a detailed list of the course requirements for each of the pre-health tracks listed above, click on the links listed on the menu to the left.
Clinical Experiences: All pre-health tracks require students to complete clinical experiences that expose students to the professionals and the profession to which they aspire and give them opportunities to interact with patients. UMW Pre-Health students shadow physicians, dentists, PAs, PTs, OTs, and DVMs, they work as medical scribes and at local pharmacies, volunteer at Mary Washington Hospital, earn their EMT-B license through area rescue squads, and go on international medical missions.
Community Service, Research & other extracurricular activities: Non-clinical volunteering within the community displays a student’s compassion and commitment to serving their community. Leadership roles, military service, and varsity athletics all contribute to an attractive applicant.
Pre-Health Advising Program
This is a formalized advising program designed to guide students through selection of careers and completion of requirements. The program is open to all UMW students. For more information, view the Pre-Health Brochure.
Formal Affiliations & Partnerships
UMW has a strong working relationship with all area health career programs. To date, we have established five formal affiliation programs and partnerships:
- George Washington University School of Medicine Early Acceptance Program
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) Guaranteed Admission Interview Program
- 3 + 4 Accelerated Pharmacy Program at the Shenandoah Univ School of Pharmacy
For More Information . . .
For more information regarding the UMW Pre-Health Program or for information regarding any one particular pre-health track, feel free to email the UMW Pre-Health Advisor, Deborah O’Dell at dodell@umw.edu
Information for UMW Students and Alumni
Currently enrolled UMW Students: Currently enrolled students can gain access to all program information by registering with the UMW Pre-Health Program Portal Canvas site. Any UMW student with a valid UMW network userID and password can register with the site.
New Students: Newly accepted, incoming students should click here for specific information of interest to you.
UMW Alumni: UMW alumni who are thinking about applying to a graduate school in any of the health professions, such as medical school, dental school, vet school, physician assistant program, etc. should click here for specific information of interest to you.