Pre-Med — Medicine, Physician Assistant, Dental, Pharmacy, Optometry, Veterinary, Chiropractic and more

While there is no universally recognized pre-medical, pre-dental, pre-optometry, pre-pharmacy, pre-veterinary, pre-chiropractic major anywhere, these health-related professional programs typically require a solid background in biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry and calculus-based physics.

The University of Maine at Farmington has a rich tradition of preparing its graduates to enter a variety of medical and health-related schools:

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Since additional recommended courses include genetics, cell biology, microbiology, and anatomy and physiology, most students choose to major in Biology. But almost any undergraduate major you choose at UMF will help you gain entrance into some of the finest medical schools in the nation.

The key: selecting and completing the right courses in the right sequence while you’re earning your bachelor’s degree. We will help you do this. The University of Maine at Farmington has the background and successful track record to know just what coursework the top medical and health-related schools look for.

UMF’s Pre-Professional Health Track: A Proven Record of Success

Here are some medical and health-related schools University of Maine at Farmington graduates have attended:

Internships and Other Practical Learning Opportunities

On-Campus and Off-Campus Research Opportunities

UMF Pre-Professional Health students have collaborated with UMF faculty on a number of research projects such as: sociobiology, endocrinology, genetic barcoding, medicinal chemistry, environmental monitoring and organic synthesis.

And they’ve participated in research projects off-campus at: Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston, Maine Medical Center Research Lab, Mt. Desert Island’s Jackson’s Lab, the University of Michigan, the Maine Department of Marine Research and more.

Teamwork, Inspiration and Partnering

There are generally two ways for you to fulfill the academic requirements at Farmington: choose to become a Biology major or a Pre-Professional Health Minor in combination with another major.

Here, you’ll have an academic advisor to guide you through your chosen major (whatever the major) and a pre-professional health advisor to guide you through the pre-professional health requirements: making recommendation on specific courses and other competencies and experiences. While the health career options are similar, there are subtle differences and your UMF academic advisors will help you navigate this.

Your pre-professional health advisor will also keep you informed of happenings and opportunities outside UMF, invites health professionals to come to talk with you and will hold career workshops to prepare you.

FAME (Finance Authority of Maine)

The Finance Authority of Maine (FAME), works with specific professional schools to provide loans for Maine residents:

Doctors for Maine’s Future: Scholarships to attend Tufts’ Maine Track or the University of New England for medical doctors (50% of tuition or $25K)

Maine Health Professions Loan program: For Maine students going to medical, dental or veterinary school. Need based, low interest.

Partnering with Tufts School of Medicine, Maine Medical Center and Logan University

The Tufts University School of Medicine has a special Maine Track Program where students may apply to the medical school to train and work in Maine. Preference is given to students interested in rural medicine and strong roots to Maine. Classes are held at Tufts in Boston for one year and thereafter at Maine Medical Center in Portland and other sites across Maine for clinical work. Classes are held at Tufts in Boston for one year and thereafter at Maine Medical Center in Portland and other sites across Maine for clinical work.

UMF has also been invited to participate in the Tufts Maine Track Early Assurance Program. In this, UMF Pre-professional health students who are in good academic standing at the end of their sophomore year can apply to secure a seat in the entering Tufts Medical School class two years later as part of the Maine Track program.

Participants are offered the assurance of medical school admission without the substantial investments of time and energy that other pre-med students typically make in the process of preparing for optimal scores on the MCAT exam and applying to numerous medical schools. Plus, you’re free to explore other areas of interest during the remainder of your academic career, broadening your overall college experience.

In addition, Farmington has a Chiropractic 3+3 partnership agreement with Logan University Chiropractic in Chesterfield, Missouri. The agreement offers UMF students a quicker and more affordable pathway to becoming a Doctor of Chiropractic.

Partnering with World-Renowned Medical and Research Institutions

In addition, UMF is one of a consortia of schools that partners with the world-renowned Jackson Laboratory biomedical research institution and National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center based in Bar Harbor, Maine; and the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory in Salisbury Cove, Maine.

These institutions offer student training and internships promoting bio-medical research. UMF even has an endowed paid internship at the Jackson Laboratory.

Note: There are a number of standardized entrance exams for pre-professional health careers: MCAT (medical), PCAT (pharmacy), VAT (veterinary), GRE (optometry and biomedical research), OAT (optometry) etc., and each are designed to assess your problem solving, critical thinking, writing skills, and knowledge of science concepts and principles prerequisite to the study of your chosen career.

UMF’s solid foundation in the liberal arts and its specialized upper-level sciences and mathematics courses are ideal for preparing you for these exams.

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Contact Us

Office of Admissions
University of Maine at Farmington
246 Main Street
Farmington, Maine USA 04938-1994
tel  207-778-7050
fax  207-778-8182
TYY (via Maine Relay Service) dial 711
umfadmit@maine.edu