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Pre-Professional Programs

Explore Pre-Professional Programs for Undergraduates at Case Western Reserve University

At Case Western Reserve University, some students arrive already knowing exactly where they're headed. If that's you, we've built programs designed to match your drive.

Our Pre-Professional Scholars Program offers conditional admission to CWRU's medical or dental schools—giving you a clear, structured path to your graduate degree from day one. And if your ambitions lie elsewhere, our specialized tracks span a wide range of fields, from engineering to humanities, each built to ensure you graduate with purpose and direction.

Decided from the start? We'll make sure you're ready for what's next.

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Pre-Professional Scholars Program (PPSP)

The Pre-Professional Scholars Program (PPSP) grants undergraduate admission and conditional admission to Case Western Reserve's School of Medicine or School of Dental Medicine.

Admission to PPSP is highly competitive. Outstanding students who are not selected for the program are still considered for undergraduate admission to Case Western Reserve; many choose to enroll in the first-year class.

Note: PPSP is an application plan for first-year students and differs from our combined graduate study programs; we offer a number of combined degree programs to which you can apply after admission.

Eight-year Medicine Program

The average Pre-Professional Scholar in Medicine candidate:

  • Pursues a challenging course of study in high school
  • Presents academic credentials that rank among our most competitive applicants for admission
  • Engages in meaningful volunteering and shadowing experiences to gain exposure to medicine
  • Is a recognized leader in their school and community
  • Participates in a range of extracurricular activities
  • Demonstrates care and concern for others

As a Pre-Professional Scholar in Medicine, you must complete your bachelor's degree before beginning professional studies. If you complete your undergraduate degree requirements in fewer than four years, you are required to pursue other significant experiences to enhance your professional and/or personal development, such as:

  • Research
  • Study abroad
  • Additional undergraduate coursework
  • Graduate coursework

Seven-year Dental Program

As an interested student in our dental program, you must take the Dental Admission Test (DAT) and earn an average score of 18 or higher on both the academic and perceptual ability sections. You also must complete the prerequisite courses for dental medicine school.

Apply to the Pre-Professional Scholars Program

To apply to the Pre-Professional Scholars Program, select Regular Decision or Early Decision I as your preferred admission plan. Later in the application, you can indicate your interest in applying for PPSP.

If you apply Regular Decision and are not selected as a PPSP finalist, you can be considered under the Regular Decision admission plan.

If you apply as a PPSP candidate under Early Decision I, you commit to attending Case Western Reserve if admitted to the undergraduate program—regardless of whether you are selected as a finalist for PPSP. You must make this commitment before you would know about your status with PPSP.

Apply to the program.
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Pre-Professional Tracks

Pre-professional tracks complement the university's 100+ majors and minors and ensure your academics and extracurriculars best prepare you for your next step. (Or, if you want to start a dual-degree program, see our combined graduate study program options.)

Pre-Medicine

Top hospitals within walking distance of campus drive advanced research and raise the bar for patient care. Our campus neighborhood teems with laboratory or clinical learning opportunities, no matter your major: You can shadow a pediatrician at Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, work on fertility research at Cleveland Clinic's Center for Reproductive Medicine, volunteer at the Free Medical Clinic of Greater Cleveland, get emergency-room experience at MetroHealth Medical Center or work with veterans at Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, just to name a few options.

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Teachers, Mentors, Support Team

Your instructors act as mentors and advisors throughout your undergraduate career. They'll help you find internships and research opportunities suited to your strengths and interests. Their support also means compelling recommendation letters to support your medical school applications.

The Research Advantage

Work at the cutting edge of the sciences with our faculty members, who welcome undergraduate students on their research teams. Co-author a paper or design and carry out an independent research project—all with guidance from a faculty member invested in your success.

On to Medical School

Over the past several years, hundreds of our undergraduate students have started at medical schools such as:

  • Case Western Reserve University
  • Duke University
  • University of Michigan
  • New York University
  • Northwestern University
  • University of Pittsburgh
  • Vanderbilt University
  • Washington University in St. Louis

Request Pre-Med Information

Pre-Law

Prepare for a law career and get familiar with a top-ranked law school before your undergraduate years are even over. Pre-law students gain extra advantages: Cleveland is home to one of the country's top legal and business centers, the site of four of the nation's top 50 law firms and has a plethora of Fortune 500 company headquarters.

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Learn From Experts

Undergraduate students routinely take law school courses as upper­-division electives. Plus, a number of CWRU undergraduate faculty also teach in the CWRU School of Law. Along with small class sizes, this means that law professors and advisors will know you well enough to write strong letters of recommendation that distinguish you from the pack of law school applicants nationwide.

Real Results

Our pre-law students enroll in some of the country's top law schools, including:

  • Case Western Reserve University
  • University of Virginia
  • Northwestern University
  • Yale University
  • University of Pennsylvania
  • Ohio State University
  • Stanford University 

Request Pre-Law Information

Music Teacher Education

The curriculum in Music Education prepares students for careers as band, orchestra, choir and general music teachers. Graduates are eligible for the Multi-Age PK-12 License in Music in Ohio. Over 40 states have a reciprocity agreement with Ohio for the Music Education License.

The teacher licensure program at Case Western Reserve University is accredited by the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce and the Ohio Department of Higher Education. The teacher education unit is nationally accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).

The CWRU Orchestra practicing.

Find your future at CWRU.

Ready to move forward? Start your application today.

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