Prepare for success. But first, pre-prepare. What’s the best way to prepare for a career in medicine, optometry, dentistry, or law? You prepare to prepare. Yep. And at UAB, we’ve got a variety of pre-professional tracks that will perfectly supplement your undergraduate degree and, you know, prepare you for the next phase of your education. Read below for more details.
If you want to be in health care, it’s hard to find a better place than UAB to learn your craft. We’ve got research. Teaching. A world-renowned medical center. Five hospitals on campus. That’s right—five. And that whole research thing? That’s really important to us. In fact, more than half of our pre-med students get involved in research as a freshman. So yeah, this is a great opportunity.
UAB is home to one of the top optometry schools in the nation. In fact, there are only 23 accredited schools in the U.S., and we’re one of them—and the only optometry school in the state of Alabama. We’ve got a comprehensive eye care clinic and some world-class research going on here in areas like vision therapy and dry eye syndrome. Plus, we’ve got opportunities for shadowing and volunteering. Oh, and did we mention UAB is home to Callahan Eye Hospital, one of only two Level 1 ocular trauma centers in the nation with a 24/7 eye emergency department? In other words, we’ve got a pretty darn good pre-optometry program.
Want to be a dentist? Well, UAB is a pretty great place to prepare to become one. In fact, UAB’s School of Dentistry is No. 28 in the world according to ShanghaiRanking’s 2019 Academic Ranking of World Universities. We’ve got a cutting-edge clinical practice where dental students see their own patients. Oh, and our faculty are researching some pretty cool stuff. Ever heard of the oral microbiome? It’s crazy stuff. So yeah, our pre-dental program, well, it’s not too shabby.
Pre-Health Advising
Available to Pre-Medicine, Pre-Optometry, and Pre-Dentistry students.
You’re not just taking classes here at UAB. You’re building a resume. And we’re here to help. Our pre-health advisors work with you over the course of your education to make your application to med school, dental school, or optometry school as strong as possible. This means helping you choose the best courses, connecting you with research and shadowing opportunities, and coaching you through opportunities like study abroad, service learning, student leadership, community engagement, and internships. We offer resources for entrance exam prep—and even provide mock interviews to get you ready for the admissions process.
We have a lot of law firms in Birmingham. A lot. Like, when we laugh at lawyer jokes, we’re kind of laughing at ourselves. The good news is that we have all sorts of opportunities for you if you’re pre-law at UAB. And don’t forget, with our local FBI field office and other criminal justice organizations in the city, your options are wide open.
Pre-Whatever
We’re flexible here at UAB. Want to be a veterinarian? Pharmacist? Occupational therapist? Physical therapist? Something else? A lot of times we can customize a pre-professional program around your goals. Just let us know what you want to do and let’s see what we can work out.