University of North Alabama

Students interested in studying architecture may obtain up to two years of basic coursework at the University before transferring to a school offering a degree program in architecture. Architecture is a profession combining both rational and intuitive thinking skills. As such, a student should exhibit abilities to understand and appreciate technical knowledge, social insight, and the discipline of artistic creativity. Interested students should contact the Department of Visual Arts and Design for program information.

Dentistry schools will almost always require the completion of a Bachelor’s degree prior to admission; as part of that undergraduate study, pre-dentistry students must take a particular set of dentistry school admissions prerequisite courses. Dentistry schools do not require any specific undergraduate major, only the successful completion of those admissions prerequisite courses; note, though, that some majors will already include most or all of those courses while other majors will not (i.e., the admissions prerequisites will have to be taken as general elective hours).

Pre-dentistry students must also take the Dental Admission Test (DAT), and will need dentistry shadowing hours (these should mostly be done in a general dentistry setting) as well as a record of volunteer and community outreach work. Work experience in clinical settings is also highly valued as part of a competitive dentistry school application. Consultation with the Pre-Health Professions Advisor is essential to ensure that pre-dentistry students have the required admissions prerequisite coursework for application and have attained the high GPA, DAT score, and other extracurricular activities necessary to be a competitive applicant for admission. Pre-dentistry students also must demonstrate strong perceptual ability, spatial reasoning, and manual dexterity; these can be developed through additional elective coursework or hobbies (such as playing a musical instrument)

Typical¹ minimum required admissions prerequisite & DAT preparation courses:

• Introductory Biology for Biology majors with lab (2 semesters; UNA courses are BI 111 + BI 112)
• General (Inorganic) Chemistry with lab (2 semesters; UNA courses are CH 111/111L + CH 112/112L)
• Organic Chemistry with lab (2 semesters; UNA courses are CH 311/311L + CH 312/312L)
• Biochemistry (1 or 2 semesters; UNA courses are BI 441 or CH 331 + CH 431)
• General Physics with lab (2 semesters; UNA courses are PH 241 + PH 242)
• At least a semester of general or introductory psychology or sociology
• Mathematics (variable but usually precalculus math and upper-level statistics or biostatistics will be necessary)
• Additional coursework (e.g., English Composition) which will be covered by UNA’s General Education requirements

¹Specific admissions prerequisites can vary from school to school, so it is essential for students to consult the admissions websites for any schools they may be interested in applying to for exact details

Admission to accredited schools of law requires from three to four years of college preparatory work, with preference given to applicants with a bachelor’s degree even where the degree itself is not a requirement for admission. Law schools are not specific as to preparatory coursework, but applicants will be expected to present a broad preparation, a good scholastic record, and acceptable scores on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), which should be taken nine months prior to the term for which admission is sought. For students planning to prepare for law, suggested programs include those leading to a Bachelor of Arts degree or Bachelor of Science degree with a major emphasizing fields such as history, political science, or English, or those leading to a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the College of Business and Technology. The minor in Legal Studies allows students to focus their study toward their interest in the law while recognizing the inter-disciplinary character of the American Bar Association’s statement on undergraduate education. The minor can easily be paired with just about any major at UNA. In addition to the three required courses, the students are able to select electives within law-related fields such as business, criminal law, and civil law, among others. The minor provides a mentoring environment likely to lead to a higher rate of success on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), better preparation for law school in terms of writing and legal reasoning, and a clearer understanding for admittance to a law school. For details on prelaw requirements and programs the student should consult the Department of Politics, Justice, Law, and Philosophy.

Major: No specific major required, but political science, history, English, and business are some of the more common majors.

See Legal Studies Minor

Medical schools (both allopathic, or M.D.-granting, and osteopathic, or D.O.-granting) will almost always require the completion of a Bachelor’s degree prior to admission; as part of that undergraduate study, pre-medicine students must take a particular set of medical school admissions prerequisite courses. Medical schools do not require any specific undergraduate major, only the successful completion of those admissions prerequisite courses; note, though, that some majors will already include most or all of those courses while other majors will not (i.e., the admissions prerequisites will have to be taken as general elective hours). Either type of medical school (allopathic or osteopathic) will provide the same training in modern medicine, preparing you for a career as a physician, however there are some key differences between the two that prospective pre-med students must educate themselves on.

Pre-med students must also take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), which tests a wide array of fundamental hard science (e.g., biology, chemistry, physics) and social science (e.g., psychology, sociology) concepts, and engage in a wide variety of extracurricular activities including physician job shadowing, work experience in clinical settings, and extensive volunteer and community outreach work. Consultation with the Pre-Health Professions Advisor is essential to ensure that pre-med students have the required admissions prerequisite coursework for application and have attained the high GPA, MCAT score, and other extracurricular activities necessary to be a competitive applicant for admission.

Typical¹ minimum required admissions prerequisite & MCAT preparation courses:

• Introductory Biology for Biology majors with lab (2 semesters; UNA courses are BI 111 + BI 112)
• General (Inorganic) Chemistry with lab (2 semesters; UNA courses are CH 111/111L + CH 112/112L)
• Organic Chemistry with lab (2 semesters; UNA courses are CH 311/311L + CH 312/312L)
• Biochemistry (1 or 2 semesters; UNA courses are BI 441 or CH 331 + CH 431)
• General Physics with lab (2 semesters; UNA courses are PH 241 + PH 242)
• General or introductory psychology and sociology (UNA courses are PY 201 + SO 221)
• Mathematics (variable but usually precalculus math and upper-level statistics or biostatistics will be necessary)
• Additional coursework (e.g., English Composition) which will be covered by UNA’s General Education requirements
• Pre-med students are also highly encouraged to take additional upper-level Biology courses, e.g., Genetics (UNA course BI 306) and Microbiology (UNA course BI 307) as well as a dissection-based anatomy course (e.g., UNA course BI 310, Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy)

¹Specific admissions prerequisites can vary from school to school, so it is essential for students to consult the admissions websites for any schools they may be interested in applying to for exact details

To become a physical therapist (PT), you must complete a doctoral-level degree in physical therapy (i.e., the Doctor of Physical Therapy – D.P.T.); to become an occupational therapist (OT), you must complete either a Master’s-level or a doctoral-level degree in occupational therapy (the Master’s degree is the minimum required to practice in this area but additional benefits can be gained from completing the doctoral-level degree). While most doctoral-level health professions programs are 4 years in length, the therapy areas are more likely to be 3 years in length; the OT Master’s will tend to run 2-2.5 years in length.

For application to either the Master’s- or doctoral-level therapy programs, students will need to complete (or be near completing) a Bachelor’s degree; as with other pre-health professions areas, the specific undergraduate major does not matter so long as the necessary admissions prerequisite courses are completed. Pre-therapy students may benefit specifically from coursework in kinesiology/exercise science. Once again, as with other pre-health professions areas, job shadowing (of either a PT or OT, as applicable) is necessary, and volunteer/outreach experience will be needed as well. For these programs, students will generally need to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) prior to applying for admissions.

Typical¹ minimum required admissions prerequisite courses for D.P.T. programs:

• Introductory Biology for Biology majors with lab (2 semesters; UNA courses are BI 111 + BI 112)
• Human Anatomy and Physiology with lab (2 semesters; UNA courses are BI 241 + BI 242) 
• General (Inorganic) Chemistry with lab (2 semesters; UNA courses are CH 111/111L + CH 112/112L)
• General Physics with lab (2 semesters; UNA courses are PH 241 + PH 242)
• Human Anatomy and Physiology (with lab; 2 semesters)
• At least 1 semester of psychology (general or introductory, UNA course PY 201), with possibly an additional 1-2 semesters of further psychology coursework needed
• Mathematics (variable but usually precalculus math and upper-level statistics or biostatistics will be necessary)
• Additional coursework (e.g., English Composition) which will be covered by UNA’s General Education requirements

Typical¹ minimum required admissions prerequisite courses for OT Master’s- or doctoral-level programs:

• Introductory Biology for Biology majors with lab (2 semesters; UNA courses are BI 111 + BI 112)
• Human Anatomy and Physiology with lab (2 semesters; UNA courses are BI 241 + BI 242) 
• General or introductory psychology (UNA course PY 201) plus 1-2 additional upper-level psychology courses (e.g., developmental and/or abnormal psychology)
• Additional coursework (e.g., English Composition) which will be covered by UNA’s General Education requirements

¹Specific admissions prerequisites can vary from school to school, so it is essential for students to consult the admissions websites for any schools they may be interested in applying to for exact details

Optometry schools will almost always require the completion of a Bachelor’s degree prior to admission; as part of that undergraduate study, pre-optometry students must take a particular set of dentistry school admissions prerequisite courses. Optometry schools do not require any specific undergraduate major, only the successful completion of those admissions prerequisite courses; note, though, that some majors will already include most or all of those courses while other majors will not (i.e., the admissions prerequisites will have to be taken as general elective hours).

Pre-optometry students must also take the Optometry Admission Test (OAT); a record of volunteer and community outreach work is also required, and work experience in an optometry practice setting (for example, working as an optician) is highly valued. The most competitive optometry school applicants will have strong academics (i.e., high GPA and OAT score) along with extensive optometry-related work experience.

Consultation with the Pre-Health Professions Advisor is essential to ensure that pre-optometry students have the required admissions prerequisite coursework for application and have attained the high GPA, OAT score, and other extracurricular activities necessary to be a competitive applicant for admission.

Typical¹ minimum required admissions prerequisite & OAT preparation courses:

• Introductory Biology for Biology majors with lab (2 semesters; UNA courses are BI 111 + BI 112)
• General (Inorganic) Chemistry with lab (2 semesters; UNA courses are CH 111/111L + CH 112/112L)
• Organic Chemistry with lab (2 semesters; UNA courses are CH 311/311L + CH 312/312L)
• Biochemistry (1 or 2 semesters; UNA courses are BI 441 or CH 331 + CH 431)
• General Physics with lab (2 semesters; UNA courses are PH 241 + PH 242)
• At least a semester of general or introductory psychology or sociology
• Calculus (1 semester; UNA course is MA 125) and potentially statistics
• Additional coursework (e.g., English Composition) which will be covered by UNA’s General Education requirements

¹Specific admissions prerequisites can vary from school to school, so it is essential for students to consult the admissions websites for any schools they may be interested in applying to for exact details

Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) programs may be entered into either with or without a completed Bachelor’s degree in hand. Many pharmacy schools will allow students to apply with only the specific admissions prerequisite coursework completed, which can be done in as few as two undergraduate academic years (i.e., four regular academic terms). However, students are still strongly encouraged to consider finishing their Bachelor’s degree first, as this will generally make them more competitive for admission and will also preserve more alternative options if needed.

UNA has an articulated “3+1” arrangement with Auburn University Harrison College of Pharmacy which allows for UNA undergraduate students majoring in either Biology or Chemistry to apply early, receive a guaranteed Pharm.D. admission (provided required coursework is completed and a certain GPA level maintained), then leave UNA for Auburn as early as the end of their third (junior) undergraduate year to start the Pharm.D. program; first-year Pharm.D. coursework will then be back-transferred to UNA to satisfy Biology or Chemistry Bachelor’s degree requirements (i.e., the student would earn the UNA Bachelor’s degree retroactively, after completing their first year at Auburn). Students interested in this route must consult carefully with the Pre-Health Professions Advisor about which exact Bachelor’s degree requirements must be completed before leaving UNA versus which can be covered by the back-transfer of Pharm.D. courses.

Pharm.D. admissions requirements tend to be slightly more relaxed than in some of the other pre-health areas (e.g., medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine) but it is still a competitive process. In addition to completing the necessary admissions prerequisite courses (see below), job shadowing with a pharmacist is also essential and work experience in a pharmacy setting (e.g., as a pharmacy technician) is highly valued as well. The Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) no longer exists (it was retired circa 2024), and many pharmacy schools now have no testing requirement at all (and for those that do, it will be the Graduate Record Examination – GRE).

Typical¹ minimum required admissions prerequisite courses:

• Introductory Biology for Biology majors with lab (2 semesters; UNA courses are BI 111 + BI 112)
• Human Anatomy and Physiology with lab (2 semesters; UNA courses are BI 241 + BI 242) 
• Microbiology with lab (1 semester; UNA course is BI 307)
• General (Inorganic) Chemistry with lab (2 semesters; UNA courses are CH 111/111L + CH 112/112L)
• Organic Chemistry with lab (2 semesters; UNA courses are CH 311/311L + CH 312/312L)
• Biochemistry (1 or 2 semesters; UNA courses are BI 441 or CH 331 + CH 431)
• Mathematics (Calculus, UNA course MA 125, and/or statistics or biostatistics)
• Additional coursework (e.g., English Composition) which will be covered by UNA’s General Education requirements

¹Specific admissions prerequisites can vary from school to school, so it is essential for students to consult the admissions websites for any schools they may be interested in applying to for exact details

These professions are so-called “physician extenders” that work with physicians (in a wide variety of potential specialties for PAs, with anesthesiologists specifically for CAAs). Because the PA or CAA is not the final clinical decision-maker, education and training requirements for these professions is slightly less extensive than for physicians; both PA and CAA programs will be Master’s-level and can be completed in 2.5-3 years, versus the 4+ years required for doctoral-level professions.

For pre-PA students, extensive clinical work experience involving direct patient contact/care is essential to be a competitive applicant; for many such programs, 1,000+ hours of patient care work experience will be necessary. In addition, pre-PA students will need to accumulate volunteer and community outreach work, take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), and complete the necessary admissions prerequisite coursework during their time as undergraduate (note: completed Bachelor’s degrees will almost always be required for PA or CAA program admission). PA program admissions requirements can be highly variable, and so it is especially important for pre-PA students to carefully study the admissions websites for their specific programs of interest (and consult regularly with the Pre-Health Professions Advisor), but the typical minimum admissions prerequisite courses will include:

• Introductory Biology for Biology majors with lab (2 semesters; UNA courses are BI 111 + BI 112)
• Human Anatomy and Physiology with lab (2 semesters; UNA courses are BI 241 + BI 242) 
• Microbiology with lab (1 semester; UNA course is BI 307)
• General (Inorganic) Chemistry with lab (2 semesters; UNA courses are CH 111/111L + CH 112/112L)
• Organic Chemistry (either 1 or 2 semesters) and Biochemistry are sometimes required and sometimes not, however pre-PA students should strongly consider taking these courses either way
• Mathematics (variable but usually upper-level statistics or biostatistics will be necessary)
• At least 2 semesters of psychology, general psychology (UNA course PY 201) and 1 or more upper-level psychology electives (e.g., developmental and/or abnormal psychology)
• Additional coursework (e.g., English Composition) which will be covered by UNA’s General Education requirements

For the CAA route (not to be confused with nurse anesthetist – CRNA), the considerations are broadly similar but the math and/or chemistry prerequisite coursework will be more extensive (e.g., Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry will most likely be absolutely required, and Calculus-level math may also be required).

Students wishing to pursue a career in veterinary medicine should be aware at the outset that this is by far the most competitive of all the health professions areas – the number of accredited Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.) programs is very low and demand for seats in those programs is incredibly high. Pre-vet med students must maintain a very high GPA during their undergraduate career and must also accumulate extensive work experience in veterinary settings (competitive applicants most often have 2,000+ veterinary experience hours, e.g., working as a vet tech). While some D.V.M. programs will technically allow so-called early admission (i.e., you start without a completed Bachelor’s degree, having only completed the admissions prerequisite courses), almost all successful applicants will be completing their Bachelor’s degree first.

In addition to completing the relevant coursework with a very high GPA and accumulating the aforementioned high number of veterinary experience hours, pre-vet med students must also build a record of volunteer and community outreach work (ideally at least some of this being related to animal care, e.g., volunteering at a local animal shelter). Students may also need to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), however many D.V.M. programs now no longer require it (and there is no other veterinary-specific admissions test in existence).

Typical¹ minimum required admissions prerequisite courses:

• Introductory Biology for Biology majors with lab (2 semesters; UNA courses are BI 111 + BI 112)
• General (Inorganic) Chemistry with lab (2 semesters; UNA courses are CH 111/111L + CH 112/112L)
• Organic Chemistry with lab (2 semesters; UNA courses are CH 311/311L + CH 312/312L)
• Biochemistry (1 or 2 semesters; UNA courses are BI 441 or CH 331 + CH 431)
• General Physics with lab (1 or 2 semesters; UNA courses are PH 241 + PH 242)
• At least a semester of general or introductory psychology or sociology
• Mathematics (variable but usually precalculus math and upper-level statistics or biostatistics will be necessary)
• Additional coursework (e.g., English Composition) which will be covered by UNA’s General Education requirements
• Additional upper-level science electives are also often required; good options to satisfy this requirement would include Genetics (UNA course BI 306), Microbiology (UNA course BI 307), a dissection-based anatomy course (e.g., UNA course BI 310, Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy), Animal Physiology (UNA course BI 311), or Parasitology (UNA course BI 471)

¹Specific admissions prerequisites can vary from school to school, so it is essential for students to consult the admissions websites for any schools they may be interested in applying to for exact details

The University’s undergraduate courses of study and degree programs provide preparation for admission to professional or graduate schools for a number of other professional and vocational fields, including those in theology, religious education, library science, music, and others. For additional information and recommended courses of study, the student should contact the Office of the Dean of the College of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering.