Can I major in Public Relations while also following the pre-med track to become a doctor

Hi Fatema,

I always try to encourage students to pursue their passions, where ever that may lead. So, I applaud you for keeping all of your interests in mind while making academic decisions. It is very possible to complete a non-science major while also completing prerequisite courses for medical school. With that being said, I strongly advise you to meet with an academic advisor at the college you attend and request assistance with completing a four year plan. This kind of degree mapping will allow you to see the full picture of what it will take to complete a Public Relations major, premedicine courses, and general education/liberal arts courses (that your school will likely require) to earn your undergraduate degree. Additionally, some colleges require students to complete a major and a minor, so you may have to make a decision about that as well. Generally speaking, premedicine courses will include a full year of biology, a full year of chemistry, a full year of organic chemistry, a full year of physics, usually a genetics course, calculus and possibly calculus II/statistics, social science (psychology/sociology), and an English course. There are slight variations with these requirements at different medical schools, but this gives you a good sense of what you should expect to complete. I hope this helps!

Fatema,
Catrina gave you some great advice. However, if you want to take PR and take Pre-Med classes in order to decide during college what career to pursue, it would best to look at the admissions requirements and level of flexibility different schools offer in terms of taking courses at differing schools within the same college. Public Relations or Communications majors will be found in the School of Arts & Sciences (Liberal Arts). The Pre-Med courses might be in a different division of the school. Some colleges and universities make it difficult to cross over and take classes of their different programs. This is especially true of schools in which you have to be admitted to one division of the school rather than the college in general. Also, some colleges may not have a strong Pre-med program such as Rutgers U in New Jersey has, for example. Or they may not offer a PR major or even classes in PR. So, best to do some detailed review of the curriculums & major offerings of the colleges you're interested in applying to. I hope this helps!

I have run into all types of people who work in PR and come from the most amazing things into the field. I can't say I am not surprised but if you do this you might be pigeonholing yourself into one type of PR so be mindful there. I would really recommend you talk to your career counselor at school. I don't think the medical schools will be that impressed by your major but that is just my opinion.