Academics: Pre-Professional Programs

Pre-Professional programs

Calvin's pre-professional programs prepare students for admission to post-baccalaureate professional schools—medical school, dental schools, veterinary schools, physician’s assistant programs, physical therapy schools, pharmacy schools, occupational therapy programs and optometry schools.

Each pre-professional program has an advisor and many faculty knowledgeable about professional schools. These faculty members will work with you to plan for your professional future.

Pre-Medicine

• Calvin College aims to prepare women and men to serve in a profession that needs compassionate and wise healers. Academic excellence, state-of-the-art facilities, research opportunities, and caring, supportive faculty and staff who know you as an individual all create an environment for success at Calvin.
• To maximize application information, a pre-medicine committee uniquely develops each recommendation for a medical or dental school.
• Contact Calvin's pre-med advisor, Peter Tigchelaar.

» Learn more about pre-med and pre-dentistry.

Pre-Dentistry

• Since 2000, approximately 90% of Calvin's pre-dents have been accepted into dental schools.
• To maximize application information, a pre-dentistry committee uniquely develops each recommendation for a medical or dental school.
• Contact Calvin's pre-dent advisor, Peter Tigchelaar.

» Learn more about pre-med and pre-dentistry.

Pre-Veterinary

• One to four Calvin graduates apply to colleges of veterinary medicine each year.
• Requirements for veterinary schools are similar to human medical schools.
• A recent Calvin grad received a full-ride scholarship to the veterinary school at Michigan State University.
• Each pre-vet student works with Peter Tigchelaar, the pre-vet advisor, to develop an individualized program of study.

Pre-Optometry

• While the pre-optometry program at Calvin College is small, graduating 1 or 2 students a year, it is highly successful. In the past ten years all pre-optometry graduates of Calvin have been accepted to optometry school.
• Contact Calvin's pre-optometry advisor, John Ubels

» Learn more about the pre-optometry program

Pre-Pharmacy

• Would you like to play a vital role in the health care system as a pharmacist?
• Pharmacist responsibilities include a range of care for patients, from dispensing medications to monitoring patient health and progress to maximize their response to the medication.
• You can take courses at Calvin that are prerequisites for acceptance to pharmacy school.
• Contact Calvin's pre-pharmacy advisor, John Ubels

» Learn more about the pre-pharmacy program

Pre-Physician assistant

• If you are interested in medicine but not set on a specific career path, you might want to consider working as a physician assistant (PA). Employment opportunities are excellent, and the demand for PA services is expected to increase.
• As a physician assistant, you will be trained and licensed to practice medicine under the supervision of a licensed physician. Job duties include recording medical histories, performing physical examinations, performing diagnoses, counseling patients, ordering and interpreting laboratory tests, assisting in surgery, setting fractures, and writing orders for prescription drugs.
• Contact Calvin's pre-PA advisor, Rich Nyhof

» Learn more about the pre-physician assistant program.

Pre-Physical therapy

• Physical therapists are specialists in evaluating and treating the body through therapeutic interventions to alleviate pain; to maintain, improve, or restore function; to prevent dysfunction; and to maintain health.
• Calvin College has an articulation agreements with Dow College for the Health Professions at Central Michigan University and Andrews University where Calvin students can continue their professional graduate degrees in physical therapy.
• Contact Calvin's pre-PT advisor, Rich Nyhof

» Learn more about the pre-physical therapy program

Pre-Occupational therapy

• Occupational therapists help people of all ages who suffer some degree of disability (e.g. congenital, emotional, post-traumatic, or post-surgical) to perform the tasks of everyday living.
• Calvin College has a 3-2 combined curriculum program with the Program in Occupation Therapy, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri
• Contact Calvin's pre-OT advisor, Rich Nyhof

» Learn more about the pre-occupational therapy program

Did you know?

Our biology curriculum is changing. Get your questions answered and see how you may be affected.

Pre-Med Grad Receives Athletic Honors

Cara Van Woerkom '09, pre-med, biology minor, has been named ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American.

Clinical Neuroanatomy

During the month of January students spent three hours each day learning about the anatomy of the brain and spinal cord.

The biology interim course, Clinical Neuroanatomy was a great introduction to the rigors of medical school for the seven pre-med students in the class.

"Most of these students will go on and study these things in more detail, but they’ll already have the big picture in front of them,” said biology professor Pete Tigchelaar.