All medical schools and other professional healthcare programs recognize the importance of a substantial education with a strong foundation in humanities and natural sciences such as biology, chemistry, mathematics, and physics. Engineering provides an exceptional background in problem-solving skills will attend medical school or an MD/Ph.D. program each year vital to working as a clinician. About 10% of our BME graduates each year will attend medical school or an MD/PhD program. Some students pursue healthcare career pathways like dentistry, audiology, podiatry, orthotics/prosthetics, and optometry.
Students interested in any pre-professional program should meet with an advisor from the Pre-Professional Advising Office. Pre-Professional Advisors can help students explore their options in health and law fields and prepare them to be competitive applicants.
Pre-Professional Courses & BME
The following displays how the recommended courses set by the Pre-Professional Advising Office for standard programs fit into the BME curriculum. Students should always check with the school(s) they are applying to determine if all the recommended courses are required for admission.
Medicine
| Requirements | Purdue Courses | BME Degree Application |
|---|---|---|
| General Biology with Lab | BIOL 23000 & BME 20500 | Required |
| Upper Level Biology with 2 hours of Lab (Genetics Recommended) | Life Science (depending on course selected) | |
| Anatomy & Physiology | BIOL 20300 & BIOL 20400 | Life Science Electives |
| General Chemistry with lab | CHM 11500 & CHM 11600 | Required |
| Organic Chemistry with lab | CHM 25500 & 25501 & 25600 & 25601 OR CHM 26100 & 26200 OR CHM 26505 & 26605 OR MCMP 20400 & 20500 | Life Science Electives if full year of lectures & labs taken |
| Biochemistry | BCHM 30700 or BCHM 56100 or CHM 33900 or CHM 43300 or MCMP 20800 | Life Science Elective if BCHM 30700 or 56100 taken |
| Physics with lab | PHYS 17200 AND PHYS 24100 & PHYS 25200 or PHYS 27200 | Required |
| English | ENGL 10600 or 10800 or SCLA 10100 AND additional course with strong writing component (ENGL 42201 commonly taken) | General Education Elective |
| Psychology | PSY 12000 | General Education Elective |
| Sociology | SOC 10000 or higher (Anthropology also acceptable) | General Education Elective |
| Statistics | Any Course – STAT 35000 or 51100 recommended for BME | Required |
Physician Assistant
| Requirements | Purdue Courses | BME Degree Application |
|---|---|---|
| Intro Biology with lab | BIOL 11000 and 11100 or (BIOL 13100 and BIOL 23100 and BIOL 23200) | N/A |
| Microbiology with lab | BIOL 22100 or (BIOL 43800 and 43900) | Life Science if BIOL 43800 taken |
| Anatomy and Physiology | BIOL 20300 and BIOL 20400 | Life Science Electives |
| General Chemistry with lab | CHM 11500 and CHM 11600 | Required |
| Organic Chemistry with lab | CHM 25500 and CHM 25501 and CHM 25600 and CHM 25601 or CHM 26100 and CHM 26200 or CHM 26505 and CHM 26605 or MCMP 20400 and MCMP 20500 | Life Science Electives if full year of lectures & labs taken |
| Biochemistry | BCHM 30700 or BCHM 56100 or CHM 33900 or CHM 43300 or MCMP 20800 | Life Science Elective if BCHM 30700 or 56100 taken |
| Psychology | PSY 12000 | General Education Elective |
| English | ENGL 10600 or ENGL 10800 or SCLA 10100 and additional course with strong writing component (ENGL 42201 commonly taken) | General Education Elective |
| Statistics | STAT 30100 or STAT 50300 or PSY 20100 or SOC 38200 | Unrestricted Elective |
| Communications | SCLA 10200 or COM 11400 or COM 21200 or COM 21700 | General Education Elective |
| Medical Terminology | HSCI 13100 | General Education Elective |
| Nutrition | NUTR 30300 or NUTR 31500 | Unrestricted Elective |
| May also need | Physics, Ethics, or other courses; additional Biology with lab may be required | Varies |
Dentistry
| Requirements | Purdue Courses | BME Degree Application |
|---|---|---|
| General Biology with lab | BIOL 23000 and Upper Level Biology with 2 hours of Lab (Genetics Recommended) | BIOL 23000 Required; Upper Level Biology in Life Science (depending on course selected) |
| Anatomy and Physiology | BIOL 20300 and BIOL 20400 | Life Science Electives |
| Microbiology | BIOL 22100 or BIOL 43800 | Life Science if BIOL 43800 taken |
| Inorganic Chemistry with lab | CHM 11500 and CHM 11600 | Required |
| Organic Chemistry with lab | CHM 25500 and CHM 25501 and CHM 25600 and CHM 25601 or CHM 26100 and CHM 26200 or CHM 26505 and CHM 26605 or MCMP 20400 and MCMP 20500 | Life Science Electives (if full year of lectures & labs taken) |
| Biochemistry | BCHM 30700 or BCHM 56100 or CHM 33900 or CHM 43300 or MCMP 20800 | Life Science Electives (if BCHM 30700 or BCHM 56100 taken) |
| Physics with lab | PHYS 17200 and PHYS 24100 and PHYS 25200 or PHYS 27200 | Required |
| Social Science (3 credits) | PSY 12000, ANTH 10000, SOC 10000, COM 11400 | General Education Elective |
| English | ENGL 10600 or ENGL 10800 or SCLA 10100 | General Education Elective |
| Other – Art | Course in jewelry making, sculpture, or ceramics | General Education Elective |
Veterinary Medicine
| Requirements | Purdue Courses | BME Degree Application |
|---|---|---|
| General Biology with lab | BIOL 23000 and Upper Level Biology with 2 hours of lab | BIOL 23000 Required; Upper Level Biology may be Life Science (depending on course selected) |
| Microbiology with lab | BIOL 22100 or (BIOL 43800 and BIOL 43900) | Life Science if BIOL 43800 taken |
| Genetics (lab req. at some schools) | BIOL 24100 (BIOL 24200 lab) or AGRY 32000 (AGRY 321 lab) | Life Science |
| General Chemistry with lab | CHM 11500 and CHM 11600 | Required |
| Organic Chemistry with lab | CHM 25500 and CHM 25501 and CHM 25600 and CHM 25601 or CHM 26100 and 26200 or CHM 26505 and CHM 26605 or MCMP 20400 and MCMP 20500 | Life Science Electives if full year of lectures & labs taken |
| Biochemistry | BCHM 30700 or BCHM 56100 or CHM 33900 or CHM 43300 or MCMP 20800 | Life Science Elective if BCHM 30700 or 56100 taken |
| Physics with lab | PHYS 17200 and PHYS 24100 and PHYS 25200 or PHYS 27200 | Required |
| Statistics | STAT 30100 or STAT 50300 or PSY 20100 or SOC 38200 | Unrestricted Elective |
| Communications | SCLA 10200 or COM 11400 or COM 21200 or COM 21700 | General Education Elective |
| Humanities and Social Science | Courses from Foreign Language, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Anthropology, Sociology, Psychology | General Education Elective |
| English | ENGL 10600 or ENGL 10800 or SCLA 10100 and additional course with strong writing component (ENGL 42201 commonly taken) | General Education Elective |
| Careers in Vet Med | VM 10200 | Unrestricted Elective |
| Required at some programs | Algebra, Calculus, Animal Science, Animal Nutrition (ANSC 22100), Zoology, Psychology, Technical Writing | Varies |
Occupational Therapy
| Requirements | Purdue Courses | BME Degree Application |
|---|---|---|
| Anatomy and Physiology | BIOL 20300 and BIOL 20400 | Life Science Electives |
| General Biology with lab | BIOL 11000 and BIOL 11100 or (BIOL 13100 and BIOL 23100 and BIOL 23200) | N/A |
| Physics | PHYS 22000 or equivalent | N/A |
| Social/Behavioral Science | PSY 12000 and PSY 35000 and HDFS 21000 | General Education Electives |
| English | ENGL 10600 or ENGL 10800 or SCLA 10100 | General Education Electives |
| Communications | COM 11400 | General Education Electives |
| Statistics | STAT 30100 or STAT 50300 or PSY 20100 or SOC 38200 | Unrestricted Elective |
| Other requirements at some programs | HSCI 13100; PHIL 11100; Algebra; general chemistry; kinesiology | Varies |
Physical Therapy
| Requirements | Purdue Courses | BME Degree Application |
|---|---|---|
| Anatomy and Physiology | BIOL 20300 and BIOL 20400 | Life Science Electives |
| General Biology with lab (required at some schools) | BIOL 11000 and BIOL 11100 or (BIOL 13100 and BIOL 23100 and BIOL 23200) | N/A |
| General Chemistry with lab | CHM 11500 and CHM 11600 | Required |
| Physics with lab | PHYS 17200 and PHYS 24100 and PHYS 25200 or PHYS 27200 | Required |
| Statistics | STAT 30100 or STAT 50300 or PSY 20100 or SOC 38200 | Unrestricted Elective |
| Psych/Life Span | PSY 12000 and HDFS 21000 or PSY 12000 and PSY 23500 and PSY 36700 | General Education Electives |
| Other requirements and/or recommended courses | English Composition; Exercise Science; Algebra; Medical Terminology; Social Science and Humanities courses | Varies |
General Recommendations
- Check in with a Pre-Professional Advisor every semester to ensure you’re on track with not only completing academic requirements, but also extra curriculars and volunteer experiences!
- Start thinking about what schools and programs you're interested in early.
- Work on a solid plan of study early. If you are planning on taking courses elsewhere (outside of Purdue), look up your options in the Transfer Credit Database. Include in your plan of study when you're planning on taking any major tests (MCAT, GRE, PA-CAT, etc.).
- Be aware of application deadlines! Investigate if there are fee waivers and/or early admission deadlines.