The Pre-Professional Office
The Premedical and Health Professions Office is housed within the College of Science and Technology and is located in the Dean’s Office complex in the Chain Technology Building (TEC 103). The Pre-Professional Office helps students prepare for careers in a variety of health-care fields by discussing strategies for success and offering assistance with course selection, schedule planning, and the application process.
If you are considering a career in health care, click below for more information and suggested course sequences:
| Medicine | Dentistry |
| Optometry | Pharmacy |
| Veterinary Medicine | Cytotechnology |
| Dental Hygiene | Health Informatics and Information Management |
| Occupational Therapy | Physical Therapy |
| Physician Assistant |
Click here if you would like information about joining AED, the National Health Preprofessional Honor Society.
Click here if you would like information about the Hatten Pre-Medical Externship or about the Pre-Dental Externship.
Completing a pre-professional curriculum at Southern Miss offer several advantages:
- The College of Science and Technology has exceptionally strong departments in biological sciences, chemistry & biochemistry, physics and mathematics, thus providing the background needed to do well on pre-professional admission tests including the MCAT, DAT, OAT, PCAT and GRE.
- The Pre-professional Office provides individualized help in the application process and with letters of evaluation / recommendation.
- The Pre-professional Office arranges campus visits by professionals and recruiters from a variety of professional schools and arranges field trips for students to medical centers and hospitals.
Preparation for a health-care career involves two educational phases:
1. Course work at Southern Miss (the “pre-professional” phase) and
1. Two or more years in a professional school.
For many fields, such as medicine, dentistry, and physical therapy, “pre-professional preparation” typically means a baccalaureate (bachelor’s) degree from Southern Miss followed by two or more years at a professional school. Some programs, such as pharmacy, dental hygiene, and occupational therapy, may consist of two to three years of courses at Southern Miss followed by two to four years in a professional school.
Admission to professional programs is very competitive and the application process must be initiated anywhere from several months to almost a year before the expected date of entry.
Effective July 1, 2004, Section 37-29-232 of the Mississippi Code requires that students enrolled in a healthcare professional academic program undergo fingerprinting and a criminal background check before any clinical rotation in a licensed healthcare facility may occur. The background check typically occurs after the student completes an interview at the professional school.
For more information about health-care careers in any of the Pre-professional areas contact:
Ms. Sharon Hokanson
Development Coordinator
601.266.4741
sharon.hokanson@usm.edu
Pre-Professional Office
College of Science and Technology
118 College Dr. #5165
Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001
Dr. Patricia Biesiot
Associate Dean
601.266.4883
patricia.biesiot@usm.edu
Pre-Professional Office
College of Science and Technology
118 College Dr. #5165
Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001