Pre-Professional Programs
Our Pre-Professional Programs offer you a strong academic foundation, advising support and experiential learning opportunities so you are more competitive for admission to professional schools.
Launch Your Path to Professional School
Turn your passion into a profession. UNC’s pre-professional programs help you build the knowledge, skills, and experiences needed to succeed in competitive fields like medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary science, law and more.
These aren’t standalone majors that you declare on their own — they’re strategic pathways that work together with your chosen degree to better prepare you for the next step after UNC: professional or graduate school.
Our Newest College: The College of Osteopathic Medicine
UNC is proud to announce the opening of the College of Osteopathic Medicine, offering you a direct pathway from undergraduate pre-health studies to medical education right on campus.
What This Means for Pre-Health Students
- Seamless transition from our undergraduate programs to medical school
- Stay in Colorado near family and friends for your entire college and medical education
- Direct pipeline programs for qualified UNC undergraduates as well as scholarship support
- Early acceptance opportunities for high-achieving undergraduate students
- Integrated research and clinical experience throughout your medical education
What is a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine?
A Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree provides comprehensive medical training with an emphasis on whole-person care, preventive medicine and the musculoskeletal system. Osteopathic physicians are fully licensed to practice medicine, prescribe medications and perform surgery in all 50 states.
Explore Your Pre-Professional Path
Pre-Health
Prepare for a career in medicine, nursing, allied health or other healthcare fields. You'll build the knowledge and hands-on experience you need to succeed in competitive health professional programs and advanced clinical roles.
Pre-Engineering
Gain problem-solving, analytical and design skills to launch careers in engineering, technology or applied sciences —or continue on to graduate school or advanced studies.
Pre-Law
Sharpen your critical thinking, research and communication skills to pursue law school, policy work or a career in advocacy and consulting.
Start Your Journey
Pre-Law
If you’re interested in law school, UNC offers a strong pre-law pathway along with opportunities to explore the legal profession through campus activities and organizations.
Here’s what you should know: like most universities, UNC doesn’t offer a standalone pre-law major or minor. Instead, you’ll choose a major that builds the skills law schools value — most pre-law students major in fields from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences or the Monfort College of Business. You can also add a Minor in Legal Studies to complement your degree.
This flexible approach lets you pursue your interests while building the critical thinking, writing and analytical skills that will set you up for success in law school.
Pre-Engineering
Interested in becoming an engineer? Our Pre-Engineering Program gives you a strong foundation in math and science during your first one to two years at UNC before you transfer to a university with an engineering degree program.
Your options after UNC:
- Transfer to an engineering school in Colorado or in another state to complete your engineering degree
- Stay at UNC and complete a BS in Physics or another science or math program
This flexible pathway lets you build essential skills close to home before pursuing your engineering goals — or discover a passion for Physics or another STEM field along the way.
Health Professions Programs
Prepare for medical school with a curriculum designed to meet MCAT requirements and gain the clinical experience medical schools are seeking.
Our Pre-Dental Program will prepare you for dental school or a specialized dental program. You’ll build a strong academic foundation, gain hands-on experience and get the preparation you need to excel on the DAT and submit competitive, successful applications.
Have you dreamed of becoming a veterinarian for most of your life? You’ll gain hands-on animal experience and build the strong scientific foundation that veterinary schools require for admission.
Interested in a career in pharmacy? In our Pre-Pharmacy Program, you’ll master the chemistry and biological sciences required for a 4-year Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program and get the preparation you need to excel on the PCAT.
At UNC, you can pursue a nursing career in our nationally ranked Nursing program as a distinct major with its own admission process and requirements.
Visit our BS in Nursing program page to learn more about how to apply and what you’ll need to get started.
Pre-Health Advising
Pre-Med/Pre-Health Professions Advising supports you as you work toward a career in medicine or healthcare. We offer guidance to UNC students who are getting ready for medical or health-related professions.
- nhsadvising@unco.edu
- 970-351-3082
- Ross Hall, 1210
Physics and Astronomy
Physics helps us understand how the world works, from the tiniest particles to the biggest parts of the universe. It gives us the tools to explore nature’s biggest questions and discover how things really work. If you’re curious about the world and love solving problems, come explore physics with us
- physicsandastronomy@unco.edu
- (970) 351-2561
- Ross Hall 0232
Political Science & International Affairs
The Department of Political Science and International Affairs offers two main college degrees: Political Science and International Affairs. We also offer a minor in Political Science for students who want to add it to another major.
- PoliticalScience.InternationalAffairs@unco.edu
- (970) 351-2707
- McKee Hall 318