Frequently Asked Questions

  • The Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences (IMS) Program has three major options:
    • Clinical Professions
    • Community Patient Care
    • Health Management, Policy, & Information
  • Although housed in the College of Medicine, the curriculum is delivered by seven (7) colleges at FSU. In addition to the College of Medicine, the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences, the College of Communication and Information, the College of Nursing, the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, and the College of Social Work are IMS Degree Program partners.
  • The IMS Program’s rigorous science core curriculum, individualized advising, experiential service learning, and developmental seminar and capstone course sequence enables its majors to reach their potential academically and personally, to determine a career path best suited for them, and to develop the skills, attitudes, and acumen to attain their career goals.
  • Information about the IMS Program can be found on our website: https://med.fsu.edu/imsDegree/home.

 

  • To educate students on the different healthcare professions through our seminars
    • Students learn about health administration and polices
    • Students learn to do research in healthcare with our senior capstone course
    • Students learn about the different health professions: Dentistry, Veterinary, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Pharmacy, Physician Assistant, Medical Doctor, etc. 
  • To help students understand where they belong in the healthcare world. This is accomplished by the required experiential learning hours our students are completing each year. 
  • To prepare students to be competitive applicants for any professional or graduate schools they will be attending. This is accomplished by our rigorous science core curriculum and individualized advising. 
  • All three majors prepare students for any of the professional health schools or graduate schools. They have the same core requirements to complete, 256 Experiential Learning hours, four seminars, a senior capstone course with a project, psychology, college algebra, pre-calculus, trigonometry, general chemistry I and II, general biology I and II, analytical chemistry, organic chemistry sequence, biochemistry, physics, six credits of approved science electives, and six credits of approved non-science electives. Plus, an additional 21 credit hours of approved electives. The electives are where the majors differ from one another. 
    • Clinical Professions major
      • This is the broadest major in the IMS Program. A student’s program-of-study in the Clinical Professions major is dependent upon the health profession the student wishes to enter. Whether it is medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, physician assistant or another field, pre-requisites, although similar, are different for each program.
      • Students choose their 33 credit hours of electives from the IMS approved science and/or non-science courses that are health related and are offered through the departments, housed in the IMS partner colleges. 
    • Community Patient Care major 
      • Prepares students to work directly with patients in a variety of venues from health clinics to nonprofit respite providers. Students have five (5) areas on which they can concentrate their studies; Medical Spanish Interpreter, Developmental Disabilities, Child Welfare Practice, Gerontology/Aging Studies, or Patient Health Navigation/Advocacy. Certificate programs are available for some of the focus areas. This major works best for students who have a specific group of population they wish to work with.
      • Students choose one of the focus elective options to pursue and complete 12 credit hours of specific courses for that focus elective option. The majority of the focus elective courses are coming from the College of Communication and Information, the College of Health and Human Sciences, the College of Nursing, and the College of Social Work. 
      • Students choose their additional 21 credit hours of electives from the IMS approved science and/or non-science courses that are health related and are offered through the diverse departments, housed in the IMS partner colleges. 
    • Health Management, Policy, & Information major
      • Prepares students for research or work in government, public health, hospital and clinic administration and management. Students have two (2) areas on which they can concentrate their studies; Health Information Technology or Public Health Administration and Policy. This major works best for students who have an interest in understanding technology in healthcare or admiration and polices related to healthcare.
      • Students choose one of the focus elective options to pursue. In the Health Information Technology option, students complete 12 credit hours of specific courses for that focus elective option. The focus elective courses and the certificate program are offered through the College of Communication and Information. Then an additional 21 credit hours of electives from the IMS approved science and/or non-science lists that are health related, and are offered through the IMS partner colleges. 
      • In the Public Health Administration and Policy focus elective option, students complete 18 credit hours of specific courses for that focus elective option. The focus elective courses are offered through the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy. Then an additional 15 credit hours of electives from the IMS approved science and/or non-science lists that are health related, and are offered through the IMS partner colleges. 
  • Experiential Learning (EL) is learning that happens outside of academics. To enter any of the health professions, volunteer, service, and clinical experience are essential. Resources are available to help locate opportunities in clinics, clinical and research training programs, community service organizations, hospitals, pharmacies, and physician’s offices for students to engage in the various ways healthcare is accessed.
  • The goal of the IMS experience is to help students understand the health care system, its challenges and issues, appreciate a patient-centric delivery system, understand the importance of a collaborative healthcare team, and confirm their dedication to serve in this field.
  • More information about the IMS Degree requirements including EL hours can be found at https://med.fsu.edu/imsdegree/degree-requirements
  • This is just one path of many to get to any Professional Health Schools. The correct path depends on each individual student and your interest. FSU offers many different options for students pursing the PA or Med school route. 
  • It is best to choose a major that will interest you and you will enjoy taking the classes for the next 4 years you are at FSU. To find a listing of all majors offered at FSU please visit the Academic Program Guide at https://www.academic-guide.fsu.edu/z-list.
  • It is best to visit the Pre-Health Advisors for advising on the requirements for each of the Professional Health Schools. More information can be found at https://med.fsu.edu/outreach/pre-health-advising-overview. 
  • No. Professional health schools do not care what a student’s major is when they graduate. In fact, there was an article in Business Insider a few years back that stated a “number of doctors were undergrad English majors” (https://www.businessinsider.com/english-major-medical-school-doctors-2017-11). 
  • Professional Health Schools are looking for:
    • Having the required prerequisites completed. The prerequisites required will vary from professional school to professional school. More information can be found at https://med.fsu.edu/outreach/pre-health-advising-overview. Any students can take the required science courses, some majors with more difficulties than others, but can still be done with any majors. 
    • High GPAs, usually 3.5 or above, especially in the Math and Science subject areas.
      • You obtain a high GPA by being in a major you are passionate about and not just because you think you should be in there.
      • When you enjoy your courses, you will be eager to learn more, attend class, and be more engaged – your GPA will show it.
    • Your resume. They want to know what else have you done outside of academics. What clinical work have you done while getting your degree? For PA schools you will need anywhere from 500 -2,000 clinical-patient-centered hours. The IMS Degree Program has this built into the curriculum as their Experiential Learning hours, but this can be accomplished with any major. 
    • Your scores on the professional exam required for admission to the Professional School.

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  • Biology major
    • Will cover cell and molecular biology; ecology, evolution and environmental science; marine biology; plant sciences; pre-professional health science; and zoology. 
    • The pre-professional health sciences academic track meets most requirements for admission to medicine, veterinary medicine, optometry, dentistry, pharmacy, physical therapy, and physician’s assistance programs. 
    • It requires students to complete a foreign language, MAC2311 Calculus I, organic sequence, biochemistry, and physics.
    • Biology has a total of 38 credit hours in the program
  • Exercise Physiology major 
    • Prepares students for graduate study in exercise physiology, physical therapy, and other health fields including medical school, as well as positions as personal trainers and health fitness instructors with both hospital-based wellness programs and corporate fitness programs.
    • Requires students to complete courses in nutrition, metabolism of nutrients, functional anatomy and physiology, statistics, organic sequence, biochemistry, physics, and 9 credit hours of major electives.
    • Exercise Physiology is a total of 82 credit hours in the program
  • The IMS Program is not a major. However, Clinical Professions is a major within the IMS Degree Program
    • Expands and develops the solid science foundation needed to apply to medical school, dental school, physician assistant programs, and a number of other healthcare professions that require post baccalaureate training. 
    • A student’s program-of-study in the Clinical Professions major is dependent upon the health profession the student wishes to enter. 
    • It requires students to complete a series of seminars, 256 Experiential Learning hours, analytical chemistry, organic chemistry sequence, biochemistry, physics, and 33 credits of approved electives in different areas across campus that are health related courses. 
    • Clinical Professions has a total of 92 credit hours in the program.