General Scope

Preprofessional programs are those in which a student completes two to four years of college as a prerequisite for admission to a school where his professional studies will begin. The length of time spent preparing as an undergraduate varies by program. However, there are two underlying elements in the coursework that do not vary. First, since admission to professional schools is highly competitive, it is vital that a student maintain high grades in his coursework. Second, preprofessional programs are career choices, not academic majors. Thus, all students typically choose a departmental major at Georgia College and work toward its completion as they also take the required preprofessional coursework.

Our preprofessional programs are divided into two categories: prebaccalaureate and baccalaureate. Prebaccalaureate programs require two to three years of preprofessional courses. Upon successful completion of the preprofessional curriculum and acceptance by a professional school, students transfer to that school to complete the baccalaureate or higher degree in the professional major. Georgia College has prebaccalaureate transfer programs in engineering, forestry & natural resources, occupational therapy, pharmacy, and physician assistant. However, it is increasingly common for a student to have completed his or her baccalaureate degree prior being successfully admitted to the latter two programs. Baccalaureate programs involve the completion of an undergraduate degree before matriculation into professional school. These programs include dentistry, law, medicine, optometry, physical therapy, and veterinary medicine.

Preprofessional advising at Georgia College is centralized, and as our University's professional advisors work to maintain a strong and current advising program. While preprofessional course requirements can be met at any accredited college or university, our advising program is designed to enhance professional school admission opportunities and facilitate a student's transfer into a professional school. The advisement structure includes a coordinator of preprofessional advising and faculty members who serve as important resources for various preprofessional program areas.