Our Programs
Majors
For information on all of the majors offered at the 91ÉçÇø, please view .
Pre-Health students
Selecting a Major
There is no required or preferred major for any health profession program, as admissions committees value applicants who have varied educational experiences. Therefore, students from ALL academic majors are admitted to health profession programs. Health profession programs do have required courses, but students are generally able to weave these courses into almost any degree program. We recommend that you select a major that you are passionate about, as students are more likely to excel in the academic areas that they enjoy.
Remember, even if you do select a major that is commonly selected by pre-health students, the requirements to graduate with the degree will not always match the requirements you must complete to meet admissions criteria for a specific health profession program. You will want to review the prerequisites for each program to which you are intending to apply and compare their specified prerequisites to the degree requirements of your proposed major. If there significant overlap, there will be less extra coursework you will need to take, in addition to major requirements, to meet admissions prerequisites. The less overlap, the more credits you will end up taking to meet both the degree requirements and admissions requirements (which could have serious financial consequences).
You will find majors typically fall into two categories: structured and flexible. Structured majors have a lot of degree requirements, so you need to ensure there is overlap in your major requirements and prerequisites requirements. Flexible majors have a significant number of open electives through which you can take required prerequisites.
Natural Science Options
Many students will declare a science major because the prerequisite requirements for health profession programs generally include science coursework. While these programs are more structured, since making these degrees efficient.
The most popular natural science majors for pre-health students at USF are:
- Biomedical Sciences
- Biology (specifically the Medical Biology and Animal Biology concentrations)
- Cell and Molecular Biology
- Chemistry, BA (epecially the Biochemistry/Biotechnology concentration
- Microbiology
Beyond the Natural Sciences
You are able to declare any major and be competitive for a graduate health professional program. This is accomplished by meeting with both your major advisor and a pre-health advisor while here at USF. Your major advisor reviews assists with your degree requirements to graduate from USF and a certified pre-health professions advisor ensures you are competitive for graduate health professional programs.
Review the prerequisites for each program to which you are intending to apply and compare their specified prerequisites to the degree requirements of a specific major.
Common non-science majors include: Health Sciences, Communication Sciences and Disorders w/ Language-Speech-Hearing concentration, Exercise Science, Public Health, Psychology, Sociology, Philosophy, and Anthropology.
Popular flexible majors:
- Behavioral Healthcare
- Biomedical Anthropology
- Humanities & Cultural Studies
- Philosophy
- Psychology
- Religion & Health
- Sociology
Popular structured majors*:
- Exercise Science
- Health Sciences
- Health & Nutrition
- Health & Rehab Science
- Healthcare Administration
- Public Health
Freshman Nursing Pathway & Nursing major
At USF, nursing is a limited access major. Therefore, students must be admitted directly to the major through a separate application to the College of Nursing for the Upper-Division Pathway or Accelerated Second Degree Pathway. First time in college students interested in nursing can apply for the Freshman Nursing Pathway as an intended major on their admissions application. These Freshman Nursing Pathway students will see an advisor within the USF College of Nursing for all advising needs. Students who are not admitted in the Freshman Nursing Pathway must reach out to the College of Nursing before the start of courses to determine if there are open seats and they are eligible to be admitted into the Freshman Nursing Pathway. Students with questions about the nursing degrees or admission to nursing at USF should plan to attend an information session or contact the directly.
Note: Students pursuing Medical School or Physician Assistant programs should not select nursing as their major. Nursing is not a stepping stone to another health profession, but a diverse and fruitful career on its own. Only students who wish to pursue a career as a nurse should pursue the nursing major.Selecting or Changing Your Major
At USF, students are admitted into majors upon acceptance. As long as they meet the eligibility criteria and it does not impact their degree progression, students can change their major at any point. There are no "pre" majors. Students should expect to declare their major early in their career.
Please visit the Major Declaration page for the links to each college's process for declaring a major.
Note for pre-health students: We strongly suggest making an appointment with a certified pre-health advisor to discuss major selection options for your health professional career.