Advising & FAQs

Pursuing pre-med preparation as a Human Physiology major is no different than in any other major. A good place to start is by visiting the Association of American Medical Colleges website to get an idea of what is required to be eligible for applying to any medical school in the United States.

The Health Professions Pathway Program (H3P) at GU has more specific information on pre-requisite courses and other advice for pursuing a career in medicine. In addition, you should meet with your Human Physiology faculty advisor and review additional information on how best to prepare for your medical school application.

In general, the required pre-requisite courses for applying to PA programs varies more so than other professional programs. However, the Human Physiology curriculum, along with some other courses, will prepare you very well for PA school. If PA is an interest, start by looking up the particular schools you would be interested in and look at their requirements. Importantly, you should be aware that most PA schools require over 1000 hr of practical experience in a health care setting. For more detail on this, visit the American Academy of Physician Assistants web site.

The Health Professions Pathway Program (H3P) at GU has more specific information on pre-requisite courses and other advice for pursuing a career as a PA. In addition, you should meet with your Human Physiology faculty advisor and review additional information on how best to customize your 4-year plan to prepare for applying.

In general, if you complete the BS in Human Physiology you will have all the necessary prerequisites. However, you should look up the particular schools you might apply to just to be sure. For more information, visit the Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service (PTCAS) web site.

The Health Professions Pathway Program (H3P) at GU has more specific information on pre-requisite courses and other advice for pursuing a career in physical therapy. In addition, you should meet with your Human Physiology faculty advisor and review additional information on how best to prepare for pursuing a path as a physical therapist.

In general, if you complete the BS in Human Physiology, along with a few additional courses, you will have all the necessary prerequisites. The American Occupational Therapy Association website is a great resource for finding additional information for preparing your application. And it is always a good idea to look at the requirements of specific OT programs you might be interested in applying to.

For more information regarding OT and courses to take while at Gonzaga, the Health Professions Pathway (H3P) office at GU has some great information.

Yes, many of our students pursue minors in addition to their Human Physiology courses. Minors represent a good opportunity to learn and observe the world from a different perspective. Some students choose health related minors while others choose minors in the arts or humanities. If you want to declare a minor, meet with your Human Physiology advisor about planning for and pursuing a minor.

Some common examples of minors that our Human Physiology students pursue include:

• Psychology
• Environmental Science
• Physics
• Health Equity
• Dance
• Theater
• Leadership Studies
• Business

Check the undergraduate catalogue to be sure you have completed all of the prerequisites for the course in which you are trying to enroll. Also, check Zagweb to see if the course is already full (see maximum enrollment column and compare the numerator – the number of students currently enrolled, to the denominator – class maximum). If you have met the prerequisites and the class is full, obtain a course authorization form for each course and lab you would like to add and get your advisor's signature and seek the signature and initials of the instructor for that course. An instructor may or may not give you permission to add his/her class. If you do get the instructor's permission (initials and signature) then obtain the signature of the department chair, and take the completed course authorization form to the Registrar's Office to be added to the course.

The faculty in our department are committed to making Human Physiology accessible to all students and increase the representation of both our faculty and student body.

We aim to incorporate diverse topics and perspectives into our courses and curriculum, and to provide a welcoming and inclusive environment to students of all backgrounds and identities. Our work in these areas is ongoing and we will continue the process of learning and improvement in our efforts.