Frequently Asked Questions

• Pre-Medicine (Pre-Medinice, Pre-Dentistry, Pre-Veterinary, Pre-Podiatry, Pre-Optometry and Pre-Pharmacy) 

• Pre-Physician Assistant (PA)

• Pre-Physical Therapy (PT)

• Pre-Occupational Therapy (OT) 

• Pre-Athletic Training (AT)

• Health Professions (Pre-Genetic Counseling, Pre-Healthcare Administration, etc.) 

Please contact the Robbins College Academic Advisors or the Health Science Studies Faculty to learn more about the HSS major.

Yes, academic advisors are a crucial component to graduation and retention. HSS students should consult an academic advisor before dropping/withdrawing from a course. 

Professional school is the higher education term used to categorize advanced-degree schools, such as medical, dental, physical therapy, physician assistant, anesthesiology assistant, podiatry, pharmacy, or optometry schools. 

The course HED 1350 Dimensions of Health Science Studies will initially expose HSS majors to the steps to apply to professional school.

Baylor University's Pre-Health Studies Office (located in BSB B.111) supports professional school application. To review frequently asked questions and podcasts about pre-health particulars, visit the Pre-Health Studies Office's FAQ website.

Another great way to learn about applying to professional school, is to join a pre-health organization. 

Due to the importance of demonstrating mastery and understanding of foundational coursework for graduate schools, HSS requires students to maintain a minimum cumulative GPE (CGPA) to remain in good standing with the HSS major. 

Transfer students must have a cumulative GPA corresponding to the minimum requirements for each concentration.

Students whose cumulative GPA falls below the minimum requirement in any semester will be placed on probation for one semester. Students whose cumulative GPA falls below the required minimum for their concentration for a second consecutive semester will be dismissed from the concentration and must select another major or alternative concentration for which they do have the minimum cumulative GPA. Students will not be permitted to re-enter a concentration once dismissed.   

HSS students who do not successfully complete BIO 1305/1105 and BIO 1306/1106 with a "C" or better in two attempts will be dismissed from their concentration and must select another major. 

Current Health Science Studies students who self-select to change their major during a semester in which their cumulative GPA falls below the minimum requirement for their concentration at the end of the semester will be considered dismissed from the Health Science Studies major and will not be permitted to return. 

Because the HSS 4-year degree plan (MAP) is a suggested sequence of courses for a specific concentration, students can view the framework necessary to achieve graduation in four years; however, they may adjust as needed for their individualized pathway.  

Students in the Pre-Med/Pre-Dent concentration may find it overwhelming to enroll in two sciences (BIO & CHE) and a math (Calculus) in their first semester. In this case, HSS recommends the student move the Calculus requirement to a future semester. 

Should the student decide to spread out their science course work over four years, they may not be prepared to apply to medical school within the “traditional” timeframe—which would be the summer after junior year. Spreading science coursework over four years might delay application to medical school—to after Baylor graduation. 

Baylor's Health Science Studies program prepares students for application to professional school in a number of ways:

Preparation to become a competitive applicant to professional school will be enhanced in HED 1350 Dimensions of Health Science Studies with opportunities to review 27 healthcare careers, craft a career/alternate career path flow chart, earn certifications in HIPAA, BBP, and PPE, draft a personal statement essay, and research professional schools to determine entrance requirements. 

The HHPR restricted electives are opportunities for HSS students to further their understanding about clinical assessment, stress management, maternal/infant health, healthcare ethics, and service, leadership, and wellness. 

The HHPR academic clinical internship allows students to gain real-world exposure to their professional goals while earning 3 hours of required course credit. Students will shadow/observe in an approved setting for 150 supervised clock hours. This internship may be completed in a fall, spring, or summer semester. 

HSS offers unique study abroad opportunities to immerse students in delivering gratuitous medical care to vulnerable populations in the countries of Costa Rica and Belize. In addition, HSS offers competitive Signature Experiences in border medicine, research techniques, dentistry, orthopedics, and direct primary care. 

The supportive area electives may serve as additional electives for students to gain their prerequisite courses required by specific schools. 

In most cases, professional schools do not accept pass/fail grades for prerequisite courses. Students should check with professional schools to determine individual requirements, as each school has unique admission criteria.  

It is the student’s responsibility to connect with professional schools to determine individual requirements, as each school has unique admission criteria.   

Most medical and dental schools do accept AP credit if the credit is displayed as course credit on the student's undergraduate transcript.  

Some students find it helpful to take introductory sciences (BIO & CHE) at Baylor University even if they have AP credit for the course. This decision can potentially improve the student's success in upper-level BIO and CHE coursework. If a student is confident in their mastery of the subject through an AP course, re-taking the course at Baylor may pose no significant advantage to success in upper-level coursework. Again, students should check with the professional schools in which they intend to apply to determine if AP credit is accepted.  

Calculus is a course students can consider taking at a community college (online, or in-person) and transfer into Baylor University.  

HSS recommends students complete their Calculus degree requirements within their first two years of undergraduate coursework. 

HSS recommends students take STA 2381 over STA 1380.  

STA 2381 should be taken at Baylor as there are few institutions that have an equivalency for Baylor’s 2381. Statistics is a part of the MCAT and DAT, so ideally students should complete Statistics prior to taking the MCAT and/or DAT.  

Do not take Physics online at any institution—take it in-person. 

If you choose to take Physics over the summer and transfer the credits into Baylor, HSS recommends you take the courses at a four-year academic institution. 

Will taking Physics at a community college negatively impact my application to medical or dental school? Maybe, maybe not. Physics is on the MCAT and DAT, so you need to learn the material. Ideally, Physics I and Physics II should be completed prior to taking the MCAT and/or DAT.  

Yes, but HSS recommends students take all of their science prerequisite coursework at a four-year academic institution as university-level coursework has the potential to be more rigorous.

Baylor allows students to transfer in a maximum of 60 hours of credit. 

IMPORTANT: Once students matriculate at Baylor, they may only transfer in 15 credit hours. 

Courses that work well for potential transfer credit include courses in the general education core curriculum. Students should use the Course Equivalency Tool or Transferology to determine if classes outside Baylor will count as course equivalency.  

Suggestions include: 

• History 

• Fine Arts 

• Calculus 

• Communications 

• General Psychology 

• General Sociology 

• Foreign Language 

Baylor University allows students to drop courses. There will be two drop deadlines in a semester. The first add/drop deadline will allow a student to remove/drop a course from their schedule with no documentation of this drop on the student’s transcript. 

If students drop a course after the first deadline and by the 50th class day in a semester, a W (withdrawal) will appear on their transcript. 

While on occasion it may be necessary for a student to withdraw from a class after the first drop deadline—due to poor performance in a class, a medical emergency, or other extenuating circumstances—class withdrawals that result in a “W” on the transcript should be kept to a minimum. The presence of more than one “W” on a transcript can be a red flag to professional schools. The student might be asked to address “Ws” in a professional school interview. The student may also use a personal essay to reflect on class withdrawals when applying to professional school.  

Which is better, a "C" or "W" on my transcript? An upward trajectory in a class will look better to a medical school than a "W." If you can earn a "C" or better in a class, do not drop the class.   

If you are a VA student, dropping a class may affect VA funding. 

Dropping/withdrawing from a class might also drop a student below 12 total credit hours which is the minimum amount of hours needed to be designated as a full-time student.  

No. If a student attempts a course at Baylor, they must re-take the course at Baylor (this includes attempted courses where a "W" is earned). If a course is retaken outside of Baylor, Baylor will not accept the transfer credit. 

If a "D" or "F" is made in a professional school prerequisite course, HSS recommends students re-take the course immediately—in the next semester. 

Professional schools require a "C" or better for all prerequisite coursework. 

Baylor University allows students to re-take any course where the course grade has been a "C-" or less, or a "W," up to three times. All attempts will be reflected on the student’s transcript; however, only the highest grade will be calculated into the student’s GPA. 

EXCEPTIONS: BIO 1305/1105 and BIO 1306/1106 only allow students two attempts to make a "C" or greater—and "Ws" count as an attempt.   

How professional schools handle course repeats varies by program. Some programs take the highest grade earned, while others will take an average of all attempts. To determine definitively, the student will need to contact the professional schools they intend to apply to and ask how course repeats are calculated.