Bethel offers many opportunities to prepare for careers in health professions, including pre-med options. Various undergraduate and graduate majors provide students with the skills and knowledge they need to pursue careers in medicine, nursing, dentistry, physician assistant, physical therapy, pharmacy, and other healthcare fields.

With a long-standing tradition of solid pre-med and healthcare programs, our graduates gain admission into well-known professional schools that launch them into meaningful careers.

Preparing for Health Professions

Many health professions require additional training beyond an undergraduate degree. Professional healthcare programs often look for students from a broad range of majors and backgrounds, but all require a specific set of prerequisite college courses. Look into the courses included in the 4-year plans of each major, talk with the professors in your area of interest, and choose a major that is a good fit for you. Many of our students pursue fields such as majors in applied health sciences, biological sciences, chemistry, applied physics, psychology, or nursing. Other majors may also be a good fit for you and prerequisite courses can be added as electives within many majors.

Be sure to check the requirements of any professional schools you plan on applying to for specific information about admissions requirements.

Graduate Opportunities at Bethel

Bethel offers a variety of graduate opportunities within the healthcare field.

The Medical Sciences (M.S.) program is equivalent to the first year of medical school, providing a competitive edge for students going into a variety of health professional programs, including medical, dental, pharmacy, and physician assistant.

The Nurse-Midwifery (M.S.) program offers the credentials to provide healthcare to women of all ages, including primary care as well as prenatal, birth, newborn, and gynecological care.

The Physician Assistant (M.S.) program combines excellent medical training with the development of critical thinking skills and compassionate medical care. This program requires a secondary application from Bethel undergraduates. Any candidate meeting all application requirements with a bachelor's degree or master's degree from Bethel University will be granted an interview.   

Bethel also offers robust pre-professional preparation for many different healthcare graduate programs (see list below) at medical schools and graduate institutions elsewhere.

Healthcare Careers

Bethel's pre-med and pre-health professions program offers pathways to a variety of healthcare careers, including:

• Athletic Training
• Chiropractic Medicine
• Dentistry
• Medicine
• Nursing
• Occupational Therapy
• Optometry
• Osteopathic Medicine
• Pharmacy
• Physical Therapy
• Physician Assistant
• Podiatry
• Veterinary Medicine

Christianity and Health Professions

The pre-medicine and pre-health professions program at Bethel is committed to seeing Christians enter the medical field as skilled and knowledgeable professionals. Preparing dedicated future clinicians is an important part of Bethel’s mission to be a positive influence on the world. Our graduates are rooted in a compassion that grows from their commitment to Christ and his teachings, meaning they see their occupation as bigger than themselves and are fully dedicated to their calling as health professionals. 

Get Involved

There are many opportunities to get involved in the health sciences at Bethel. Our pre-med and pre-health professional program advisors can help you navigate your choices as you consider future service as a health professional. You can also contact the department chairs of the departments offering pre-med and pre-health professional majors.

Want to get involved in an academic club on campus? Check out the following:

• Academic Clubs homepage
• Applied Health Sciences Club
• Pre-Med Club (pre-med-club@bethel.edu)