Pre-Health Professions major (Nursing, Dental Hygiene, Surgical Tech, Respiratory Care, etc.)

Academic Advisers

AATC: Schedule appointment thru Navigate | 503-491-7315 | Room AC2253 | Advising.Questions@mhcc.edu |  Students with last name A-Cg
Layne Morell: Schedule appointment thru Navigate | 503-491-7372 | Room AC2253 | Layne.Morell@mhcc.edu | Students with last name Cf-F
David Arguello:  Schedule appointment thru Navigate | 503-491-7418 | Room AC2253 | David.Arguello@mhcc.edu | Students with last name G-J
Graham Phillips: Schedule appointment thru Navigate | 503-491-6071 | Room AC2253 | Graham.Phillips@mhcc.edu | Students with last name K-Mn
Jennifer Hare: Schedule appointment thru Navigate | 503-491-7494 | Room AC2253 | Jennifer.Hare@mhcc.edu | Students with last name Mo-P
Emma Zwaschka: Schedule appointment thru Navigate | 503-491-7227 | Room AC2253 | Emma.Zwaschka@mhcc.edu | Students with last name Q-S
Chelsea Roweder: 
Schedule appointment thru Navigate | 503-491-7644 | Room AC2253 | Chelsea.Roweder@mhcc.edu | Students with last name T-Z

Do you like helping people? Do you like the idea of a career in health care but don’t know where to start?

The AGS in Health Professions Exploration (AGSH) degree gives students the chance to explore a wide array of career options in the health care field. Many health care programs need certain courses to be taken before the student can enter the program, such as: 

Work with an adviser to plan out what courses you need if you’d like to apply for one of the programs above. Courses for each program may change from year to year. It’s the student's duty to review program information before sending an application. Earning an AGSH degree does not guarantee a student will get into any specific program(s). 

Students pursuing the AGSH can also complete some of the coursework required for MHCC's Medical Office programsBasic Healthcare certificateMedical Assistant certificate, and Mental Health, Social Work, Addiction Counseling AAS and certificates. 

Would you rather try for a career such as doctor, chiropractor, dentist, pharmacist or veterinarian? Work with an adviser to decide if the AS or AST in Biology degree is right for you.

The following examples show how a student can complete an AGSH degree while also taking pre-requisite courses for MHCC's Health Professions programs. Students should work with their MHCC adviser, and their preferred program(s), to pick the right classes. Not all courses are offered every term. Click on a course number to see what term(s) the course is typically offered. While students are welcome to start classes at MHCC in any term, many plans in the catalog are meant to start in fall term unless otherwise noted. 

  • Full time = 12 or more credits per term; takes 6 to 7 terms to complete.
  • 3/4 time = 9 to 11 credits per term; takes about 8 to 10 terms to complete.
  • Part time = 6 to 8 credits per term; takes about 11 to 13 terms to complete.

Sample Plan (full time)

Plan of Study Grid
First QuarterCredits
BI231 Human Anatomy and Physiology I (Course offered online) 4
WR121Z Composition I (Course offered online) 4
Health Professions Exploration Core 1 4
 Credits12
Second Quarter
BI232 Human Anatomy and Physiology II (Course offered online) 4
WR122Z
Composition II (Course offered online)
or Technical Writing (Course offered online)
4
Health Professions Exploration Core 2 3-4
Health / PE 1
Elective / program requirement 3-4
 Credits16-17
Third Quarter
BI233 Human Anatomy and Physiology III (Course offered online) 4
Health Professions Exploration Core 1 3-4
Oral Communication 3-4
Elective / program requirement 4
 Credits16
Fourth Quarter
Health Professions Exploration Core 1 3-4
Arts & Letters 3-4
Social Science 3-4
Elective / program requirement 4
 Credits16
Fifth Quarter
Health Professions Exploration Core 1 3-4
Arts & Letters 3-4
Social Science 3-4
Elective 4
 Credits16
Sixth Quarter
Health Professions Exploration Core 1 3-4
Electives, to reach 90 credits 10-12
 Credits15
 Total Credits91-92

 Sample Plan (part time)

Plan of Study Grid
First QuarterCredits
BI231 Human Anatomy and Physiology I (Course offered online) 4
Health Professions Exploration Core 1 3-4
 Credits8
Second Quarter
BI232 Human Anatomy and Physiology II (Course offered online) 4
Health Professions Exploration Core 2 3-4
 Credits8
Third Quarter
BI233 Human Anatomy and Physiology III (Course offered online) 4
WR121Z Composition I (Course offered online) 4
 Credits8
Fourth Quarter
WR122Z
Composition II (Course offered online)
or Technical Writing (Course offered online)
4
Health Professions Exploration Core 1 3-4
 Credits7
Fifth Quarter
Health Professions Exploration Core 1 3-4
Social Science 3-4
 Credits8
Sixth Quarter
Health Professions Exploration Core 1 3-4
Health / PE 1
Elective / program requirement 3-4
 Credits8-9
Seventh Quarter
Health Professions Exploration Core 1 3-4
Oral Communication 3-4
 Credits8
Eighth Quarter
Arts & Letters 3-4
Elective / program requirement 4
 Credits8
Ninth Quarter
Social Science 3-4
Elective / program requirement 4
 Credits8
Tenth Quarter
Arts & Letters 3-4
Elective / program requirement 4
 Credits8
Eleventh Quarter
Electives / program requirements 6-8
 Credits6
Twelfth Quarter
Electives, to reach 90 credits 6-8
 Credits6
 Total Credits91-92

Online option regularly offered

Cultural Literacy course