Pre-Professional Programs

Gain the groundwork you need to get admitted into professional schools and to succeed in your future health career through the pre-professional programs at Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio. From pre-dentistry to pre-medicine and pre-pharmacy to pre-physical therapy, Franciscan University prepares you to become a compassionate healthcare practitioner — no matter your future specialty.

Answer God’s call

Empower yourself to answer God’s call to serve in the health professions through any one of our pre-professional programs. Each area of pre-professional studies integrates Catholic faith and reason, research opportunities, and directed professional advising. Prepare for a career in:

• Chiropractic
• Dentistry
• Medicine
• Occupational Therapy
• Optometry
• Pharmacy
• Physical Therapy
• Physician’s Assistant
• Veterinary Medicine

Here are just a few other ways Franciscan’s pre-professional programs stand out from the rest:

• Financial aid and scholarships: Visit the Franciscan Office of Financial Aid for information on scholarships and financial aid to make your pre-professional studies as affordable as possible.
• Applied learning: Stand out from other pre-medicine majors on your professional school application through on-campus and nationwide research opportunities. From the National institutes of Health in Washington, D.C., to AVM Biotechnology in Seattle, Washington, you’ll work with some of the country’s leading labs. You’ll also gain hands-on experience through internships.
• Engaged and accessible Catholic faculty: Your Catholic professors at Franciscan are dedicated to helping you achieve your goals. Work alongside them on research, from studying the efficacy of adult stem cell regenerative medicine techniques to finding treatments for infectious diseases.
• Guidance for your future: Take ownership of your career path under the guidance of your pre-professional program advisor. You’ll have the tools to find the graduate program that fits you best and to submit a compelling application by the deadline.
• Pre-professional program activities: Franciscan’s pre-medicine, pre-dentistry, and other pre-professional programs provide you with year-round activities, including professional school recruiting visits, attending the Ohio Medical Education Day, and virtual advising fairs through the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions and the Ohio Health Professions Advisors.
• Be well-versed in sound Christian bioethics: Receive a Catholic faith-focused education that develops you into a professional who knows healing is not just about the body, but the whole person. Beyond technical knowledge, you’ll learn to think critically, solve problems, listen with care, communicate with compassion, and, most importantly, make sound ethical decisions.

Through the pre-professional programs at Franciscan University you’ll receive an academically strong, ethically sound Catholic education that will prepare you to achieve your goal of getting into and succeeding in medical school or another professional school.

Graduate and Professional Schools for Program Graduates   

• Biology
• Chemistry
• Dentistry
• Medicine
• Optometry
• Physical Therapy
• Veterinary Medicine

Potential Job Titles for Pre-Professional Program Graduates

• Dentist
• Medical Doctor
• Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine
• Medical Scribe
• National Institutes of Health (NIH) Research Fellow
• Occupational Therapist
• Physical Therapist
• Physician’s Assistant
• Veterinarian

View the Pre-Professional Programs on the Undergraduate Catalog