Pre-Professional Health Advising
Director: Sharon Babcock
Assistant Director: Katie Fisher
Phone: (540) 568-6652
Email: pph@jmu.edu
Pre-Professional Health Advising Website
Pre-professional health (PPH) advising offers programs and services for undergraduate students who are preparing for professional health careers that require masters or doctoral education. Grounded in our mission to support the next generation of health professionals by committing to student centered development, PPH offers structured programs, academic guidance, and developmental advising to help students build competitive and well-informed pathways to graduate professional schools.
PPH minors outline the courses, activities, experiences and competencies associated with successful admission to graduate professional programs. PPH advisors work collaboratively with students to support academic planning, facilitate career-related exploration and informed decision-making, and guide development of competitive applications to graduate professional programs. Application advising and evaluation services are offered to current students and alumni.
Health profession programs use a holistic review, evaluating the breadth and depth of undergraduate preparation. PPH students are encouraged to choose a major aligned with their interests and strengths. Competitive applicants must demonstrate excellence in academic accomplishments, prerequisite completion, meaningful clinical and service experiences, career exploration, and preparation for standardized exams. Quality letters of recommendation are also a critical component of the application process, therefore PPH students are encouraged to establish mentoring relationships with faculty, clinicians and supervisors.
Incoming first-year and transfer students can declare a PPH program without departmental review. Requests from current students to declare a PPH minor are reviewed prior to assigning an advisor. For minors with specific admission standards, those standards must be met before a declaration request is approved.