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USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences

PRE-HEALTH

Progressive degree program

PRE-LAW

pre-graduate School

Graduate School Preparation

Pre-Health


Planning to enter a career in the healthcare professions? You can declare a pre-professional emphasis in one of our many pre-health areas. Pre-health is the umbrella term that encompasses all pre-health professions including medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, physical therapy, occupational therapy, physician assistance, veterinary medicine, nursing, and more. Any student can declare a pre-professional emphasis. Because a pre-professional emphasis is not a major, you can have any major and declare any pre-professional emphasis, but you should be mindful of what that means for your curriculum. Choosing a pre-health emphasis gives you access to specialized academic advisement and resources through our Office of Pre-Health Advisement.

The Office of Pre-Health Advisement exists to serve all current students, alumni, and post-baccalaureates of USC who are interested in pursuing a career within the health professions. Our pre-health advisors are committed to providing an array of student-centered advisement services and support tools tailored to meet the individual needs, interests, and goals of pre-health students. Advisors value a sense of community, meaningful relationships with students, staff, and faculty, academic excellence, leadership, wellness, and learning through community service, clinical exposure, laboratory research, and campus organizations.

The Office of Pre-Health Advisement offers one-on-one advisement appointments to address the following:



Pre-health curriculum planning

Major and minor selection

Health professions admission and application process

Personal statement review

Clinical, research, and volunteer programs and opportunities

Pre-health student organizations

Personal support

Plus many other workshops and events


Pre-Law


If you’re thinking about attending law school someday, you can add a pre-law emphasis to your existing areas of study. Choosing a pre-law emphasis gives you access to specialized advisement and resources through our Office of Pre-Law Advisement.

Pre-law advisors specialize in assisting current USC students craft an undergraduate academic program designed to lead to admission to a U.S. law school and assist alumni on an as-needed basis regarding their candidacy. Pre-law advisors aid in all aspects of the law school application process, including:



Annual law school fair

Law school personal statement & resume review

Pre-law workshops such as:
  • Law as a career
  • How to write an effective personal statement
  • How to request appropriate letters of recommendation
  • One-on-one advising


Pre-Graduate School


If you’re considering graduate school (not in healthcare or law), you can add a pre-grad designation. This gives you access to our pre-graduate school advising resources.

Pre-grad advising offers a variety of advising services to guide students through the academic and administrative processes necessary to achieve their goals of earning a graduate degree. Through advising appointments, the pre-grad advisors support students on an individualized basis. Services and resources include:



Annual graduate school fair

Test prep for GRE or GMAT through a partnership with Princeton Review

Workshops such as:
  • The ins and outs of the application process
  • Writing the personal statement, C.V. or resume
  • Funding graduate school
  • Requesting letters of recommendation


Progressive Degree Programs


The progressive degree program enables USC undergraduate students to begin work on a USC master’s degree while finishing up the requirements for their USC bachelor’s degree. This usually allows students to earn both a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in a total of five years. Students are eligible to apply as they near completion of 64-semester units.

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