Pre-professional Health Sciences
The Health Sciences degree is a flexible science degree requiring core courses in biology, chemistry, physics, and math while allowing multidisciplinary electives and support courses from other areas such as psychology, sociology, and humanities. This
major taps into the interdisciplinary nature of health care and medical research, preparing students for a wide variety of health-related careers.
Hands-on learning
Field experience and research is essential for entry into many professional healthcare programs. Students will have opportunities to engage in hands-on research with faculty at South Dakota Mines as well as with medical partners throughout the Black Hills
area. Shadowing health professionals and observations hours allow students an inside view of the world of health care. Rapid City is a regional center, with health care facilities and a large community of healthcare professionals to access for these
opportunities. Health science students can also participate in a variety of campus clubs, including the Future Health Science Professionals Club, American Chemical Society, and Biomedical Engineering Society. In addition, the majority of students
secure medical-related internships prior to graduation.
Recent graduates have entered the following professional schools:
- University of South Dakota School of Medicine
- University of Minnesota School of Dentistry
- University of Colorado Physical Therapy program
- USD Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy programs
- Arizona School of Health Sciences Physical Therapy program
- University of South Dakota Physician's Assistant program
- SDSU Accelerated Nursing program
- University of North Texas Health Science Center
Careers
- Medicine
- Dentistry
- Pharmacy
- Physical Therapy
- Occupational Therapy
- Chiropractic
- Optometry
- Public Health
- Psychology
- Genetic Counseling
For more details, degree requirements, and course descriptions, please see Pre-Professional Health Sciences in the South Dakota Mines course catalog.