What Are the Pre-Professional Health Concentrations at Harris College?

The pre-professional health concentrations at Harris College are Pre-OT, Pre-PA, Pre-PT, and Pre-Med. They are not standalone majors. Instead, they are built on top of the college's Movement Science and Applied Health Sciences degrees, adding preparation for competitive application to professional health professions programs. If you are choosing an undergraduate path that leads toward occupational therapy, physician associate, physical therapy, or medical school, these concentrations are the relevant option to compare.

How the Concentrations Are Structured

The concentrations sit within the Department of Kinesiology at Harris College, one of the college's academic units. Students complete a Movement Science or Applied Health Sciences degree and select a pre-professional concentration alongside it.

The college describes the underlying degrees as providing essential health care knowledge and skills while building professional capabilities employers look for: critical thinking, problem solving, leadership, information literacy, and information management. The stated outcome is that students leave prepared for competitive application to professional health professions programs.

Who These Concentrations Fit

These concentrations suit students who:

• Want a health-focused undergraduate degree rather than a general science major
• Already have a target professional program in mind (OT, PA, PT, or medicine)
• Want their degree coursework to align with professional program expectations rather than adding pre-health requirements on the side

They are less suited to students who are undecided about a health career, since the concentration signals a specific professional direction. Students aiming at other health fields should look at the college's other academic units instead, such as Communication Sciences & Disorders, Health Sciences & Public Health, Nursing, Nurse Anesthesia, Occupational Therapy, Physician Associate Studies, Social Work, or the Ph.D. in Health Sciences.

What to Verify Before Choosing

The site confirms the four concentrations and their purpose but does not publish admission requirements, prerequisite course lists, or application timelines for the professional programs themselves. Before committing, confirm directly with Harris College:

• Which specific courses each concentration requires beyond the base degree
• Whether the concentration appears on the transcript or functions as advising guidance
• How the college supports the application process, including letters and clinical exposure

The page also notes that the college's research spans health care education, behavioral intervention and wellness, health care disparities tied to social determinants of health, and clinical practice — useful context if undergraduate research experience matters to your professional school plans.

Where to Start

Use the Majors & Programs section of the Harris College site to open the Movement Science and Applied Health Sciences degree pages, then review the Pre-Professional Health Concentrations page linked from there. Compare the four concentrations against your target program's prerequisites, and contact the college with any course-specific questions before enrolling.