From medical school to engineering to law, pre-professional tracks in our undergraduate programs prepare you for a professional degree. A pre-professional track is a series of courses taken in addition to the required curriculum in your major that ensures you'll be ready for the next step in your professional career.
We are here to further the opportunities of students interested in Health Professions by providing individual guidance to any student, regardless of their major.
Pre-Health students major in a variety of disciplines and may decide to pursue study in a variety of fields after graduation, including, but not limited to: medical, dental, veterinary, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and nursing.
Meet with your success coach for major discernment, field of study and degree planning, application and personal statements. Meet with a career coach for understanding and navigating graduate school process. Meet with your faculty advisor to talk about course content, degree progression, and career or pre-health exploration.
The pre-engineering coursework provides a strong foundation in science, mathematics, and engineering.
St. Edward's also offers ESTEEM: Notre Dame, an innovative 11-month entrepreneurship master's program through our sister school, Notre Dame.
These educational pathways are attractive not only to our students, but to the engineering faculty at our partner institutions as well as prospective employers for the program graduates. With a solid liberal arts foundation, students who proceed through these dual degree programs are well-prepared for their engineering coursework and careers. In particular, the St. Edward's curriculum helps students to develop outstanding communication skills in multiple media, strong problem-solving skills through challenging courses, and a solid grounding through an understanding of the broader societal context that is developed via the Holy Cross approach to higher education and through the humanities and social science courses that are part of our general education curriculum.
The Pre-Law Advising Program helps students develop the communicative, analytical, and methodological skills important to the legal profession. The American Bar Association does not recommend any particular undergraduate majors, as students are admitted to law school from almost every academic discipline.
Many students choose to major in subjects considered to be traditional preparation for law school, such as history, English, communications, business, or political science. We recommend students explore a broad liberal arts education to prepare for law school, graduate school, or employment in the public or private sector.
Meet with your success coach for major discernment, field of study and degree planning, application and personal statements. Meet with a career coach for understanding and navigating graduate school process. Meet with your faculty advisor to talk about course content, degree progression, and career or pre-law exploration.
The Health Professions Advisory Committee (HPAC) mentors Pre-Health students on several levels. The committee works closely with the Director of Career and Professional Development to provide guidance for strategically becoming a competitive applicant, as well as guidance for the application and interview process. Many Pre-Health professional programs strongly encourage students to receive an evaluation from their institution's HPAC. Students may acquire a letter of evaluation from HPAC to accompany their application. Students typically begin their application process for professional school in their junior year. However, national trends indicate that students are delaying their application to professional school until their senior year of college or later, after they have gained firsthand experience in their field of interest.
The following health professions will be considered for evaluation: Medical, Dental, Veterinary, Physician Assistant, Optometry, and Pharmacy. If you are not applying to any of the preceding fields, there is no need to complete an application.
Please note: the minimum qualifications for acceptance into HPAC are truly the minimum standards expected for acceptance into a professional program. These minimums are far below the average level seen in candidates who successfully matriculate into their chosen program. Strong candidates will exceed these minimum requirements.
To be considered for a letter of evaluation from HPAC, students must meet the following requirements:
Current HPAC members cannot provide this evaluation. Letters will only be accepted via PDF for the Fall 2023 application cycle. PDF letters must be emailed directly from the letter writer to kgoldey@stedwards.edu.
Letter writers should refer to page 2 of the AAMC Letter Writing Guidelines and pay special attention to the competencies listed (Thinking & Reasoning, Science, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal).
We encourage you to start working on the essays immediately in a Microsoft Word document, which can be pasted into the application. Keep in mind that this is an evaluative process, and a completed application does not guarantee interviews or a letter of evaluation.
Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that all members of the Health Professions Advisory Committee are mandatory Title IX reporters. As such, we will be required to report to St. Edward's University any information in your application materials regarding sexual harassment, sexual assault, stalking, dating/relationship or domestic violence, or hate crimes based on gender or gender expression.
Please keep in mind that this disclaimer will also apply to your committee interviews if selected to interview.
Alumni seeking an evaluation from HPAC will be considered according to these guidelines:
Have you previously completed the HPAC evaluation process, including application and interviews with the committee?
Are you an alum who did not apply for an evaluation from HPAC when you were a student?
Involvement in the St. Edward's pre-health community is strongly encouraged and can strengthen your preparedness for health professions programs. Resources for becoming involved include: