Prehealth Career Goals & Robbins College Undergraduate Majors

The following Robbins College undergraduate degree programs are the most common majors for students pursuing admission into a Doctor of Physical Therapy program:

• Health Science Studies
• Exercise Physiology*

Some Robbins College students also pursue admission into a Doctor of Physical Therapy program through these majors:

• Health, Kinesiology, and Leisure Studies*
• Public Health*

*All Doctor of Physical Therapy prerequisite courses may not be built into the degree plan for this program, and the student may need to take additional hours and/or use elective hours to meet graduate program admission requirements.

To practice as a physical therapist in the United States, you must earn a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from a Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education-accredited physical therapist education program and pass a state licensure exam.

According to the American Physical Therapy Association, the most common prerequisites for admission into a Doctor of Physical Therapy program are:

• Anatomy / A&P 1 with lab
• Physiology / A&P 2 with lab
• Biology 1 (not botany or zoology)
• Biology 2 (not botany or zoology)
• General Chemistry 1 with lab
• General Chemistry 2 with lab
• General Physics 1 with lab
• General Physics 2 with lab
• Psychology
• Statistics

Other requirements might include:

• Minimum GPA
• Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
• Physical therapy volunteer experience and/or observation hours
• Recommendation/reference letters
• Interview
• State residency requirements
• Criminal background checks
• Technical standards and essential functions

The following Robbins College undergraduate degree programs are the most common majors for students pursuing admission into a graduate Occupational Therapy program:

• Health Science Studies
• Child and Family Studies

Some Robbins College students also pursue admission into a graduate Occupational Therapy program through these majors:

• Health, Kinesiology, and Leisure Studies*
• Public Health*

*All Occupational Therapy prerequisite courses may not be built into the degree plan for this program, and the student may need to take additional hours and/or use elective hours to meet graduate program admission requirements.

To practice as an occupational therapist in the United States, you must earn a degree from an ACOTE®-accredited occupational therapy (OT) program and pass the National Board of Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT®) examination. Both a master's degree and a doctoral degree are currently routes of entry to the profession.

Some of the common prerequisites for admission into an occupational therapy program are:

• Anatomy / A&P 1 with lab
• Physiology / A&P 2 with lab
• Biomechanics or Kinesiology
• Psychology
• Human Development
• Social Sciences
• Statistics
• Medical Terminology
• Biology with lab
• Physics

Other requirements might include:

• Minimum GPA
• Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
• Observation hours
• Recommendation/reference letters
• Interview
• State residency requirements
• Criminal background checks
• Technical standards and essential functions

The following Robbins College undergraduate degree programs are the most common majors for students pursuing admission into medical/dental school:

• Health Science Studies
• Public Health
• Nutrition Sciences

Some Robbins College students also pursue admission into medical/dental school through these majors:

• Exercise Physiology*

*All medical/dental school prerequisite courses may not be built into the degree plan for this program, and the student may need to take additional hours and/or use elective hours to meet graduate program admission requirements.

To practice as a physician in the United States, you must, generally, complete four years of medical school, complete three to seven years of residency training, and obtain a state license.

While medical school prerequisite requirements vary, they generally include:

• Biology
• Chemistry
• English
• Math
• Physics
• Psychology
• Sociology

The following Robbins College undergraduate degree programs are the most common majors for students pursuing admission into a Physician Assistant program:

• Health Science Studies
• Public Health

Some Robbins College students also pursue admission into a Physician Assistant program through these majors:

• Exercise Physiology*
• Nutrition Sciences*

*All Physician Assistant prerequisite courses may not be built into the degree plan for this program, and the student may need to take additional hours and/or use elective hours to meet graduate program admission requirements.

To practice as a Physician Assistant (PA) in the United States, you must graduate from an ARC-PA accredited entry-level PA program, pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE) administered by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA), and then become licensed in the state(s) in which you want to practice.

According to the American Academy of Physician Associates, the most common prerequisites for admission into an entry-level PA program are:

• Anatomy
• Physiology
• Biochemistry
• Biology
• Microbiology
• Chemistry
• Organic Chemistry
• English Composition/Writing
• Genetics
• Medical Terminology
• Psychology (general)
• Statistics

Many PA programs also require prior healthcare experience with hands-on patient care.

The following Robbins College undergraduate degree programs are the most common majors for students pursuing admission into a Speech-Language Pathology graduate program:

• Communication Sciences and Disorders

To practice as a Speech-Language Pathologist in the United States, you must earn your Master's degree from a CAA accredited program, take and Pass the Praxis Examination in Speech-Language Pathology, submit your application for Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP) to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), and successfully complete your Clinical Fellowship (CF) experience of at least 36 weeks and 1,260 hours.

According to ASHA, the most common prerequisites for admission into a graduate Speech-Language Pathology program are:

• Statistics
• Biological sciences
• Social/behavioral sciences
• Physical sciences

Admission to a graduate program in Speech-Language Pathology also typically requires the following:

• A minimum 3.00 grade point average (GPA)
• Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores 
• An essay and/or biosketch
• Letters of recommendation

The following Robbins College undergraduate degree programs are the most common majors for students pursuing admission into a Registered Dietitian graduate program:

• Nutrition Sciences

To practice as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist in the United States, you must complete a minimum of a master's degree granted by a college or university accredited by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency or foreign equivalent, and coursework through an Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics accredited Didactic, Coordinated, Graduate or International program; complete required supervised practice/experience through an ACEND-accredited Dietetic Internship, Coordinated Program, Graduate Program, or an Individualized Supervised Practice Pathway offered through an ACEND-accredited program; pass a national examination administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration; and meet requirements to practice in your state.

The following Robbins College undergraduate degree programs are the most common majors for students pursuing admission into a Master of Athletic Training program:

• Health Science Studies

To become a certified athletic trainer, a student must graduate with a master’s degree from a professional athletic training education program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) and pass a comprehensive test administered by the Board of Certification. Passage of the certifying examination is a requirement for licensure in most states.