This guide, created by chemistry faculty and advisors, details the FRINQ, SINQ, Upper-division Cluster, and Senior Capstones are recommended for students in the Professional Health career pathway. Students should review preprofessional requirements and more information on pre-dental, pre-medical, & other pre-health programs.
Career examples of students seeing a Chemistry Degree
These pathways require advanced professional degrees (e.g., MD, DDS, DVM); students wishing to begin these programs immediately following college graduation must complete entrance exams (e.g., MCAT, DAT, or GRE) and prepare their applications well in advance. Research, professional, and leadership experiences are important.
- chiropractic
- dental
- medical
- occupational or physical therapy
- optometry
- naturopathy
- pharmacy
- physician assistant
- veterinary medicine
Career examples of students often not seeking a Chemistry Degree
Students may complete prerequisite coursework for these pathways at PSU before transitioning to a specialized bachelor’s degree program (e.g., BSN).
- clinical laboratory science
- dental hygiene
- nursing
- radiation therapy
Freshman Inquiry Courses (FRINQ)
You are required* to take one year-long Freshman Inquiry (FRINQ) course (totaling 15 credits), which must be taken in sequence. Ideally, this course should be completed during fall, winter, and spring of your first year.
*All students entering as freshmen are required to take FRINQ, with the exception of those in the Honors Program or Liberal Studies. Transfer students are required to take FRINQ depending on the number of transfer credits they have the term they are admitted to Portland State University. If you transfer with 90+ credits, the FRINQ requirement is waived.
Pre-professional health students often choose the Life Unlimited? FRINQ theme, but depending on your interests and career pathway, you may wish to consider Design & Society, Globalization, Human/Nature, Race & Social Justice, Sustainability, or Ways of Knowing themes.
Sophomore Inquiry Courses (SINQ)
Students are required** to take three Sophomore Inquiry (SINQ) courses (totaling 12 credits), linked to three different clusters. Ideally, these courses will be completed during fall, winter, and spring of your second year.
**Transfer students are required to take SINQ depending on the number and type of transfer credits they have the term they are admitted to Portland State University. University Studies credit will be given only for Cluster courses taken from the same Cluster.
We recommend choosing SINQ courses that are linked to the upper-division (junior) clusters listed below. Choose wisely since you are only allowed to take courses for your upper-division course requirement (below) from a cluster linked to a SINQ that you have completed.
Upper-Division (Junior) Clusters
All students are required to complete three courses (totaling 12 credits) from a single upper-division/Junior cluster (one of the three you selected for SINQ). Ideally, these will be completed during fall, winter, and spring of your third year. We recommend choosing these three courses from one of the clusters below. Choose wisely to build knowledge and experience relevant to your career pathway.
Recommended Courses within Clusters (note cross-listing) (see the University Studies website for a complete list of courses within each cluster)
Freedom, Privacy, & Technology
Privacy and freedom are highly valued, and are to some extent protected by the U.S. Constitution. Recent rapid advance in science and technology, combined with compelling motives to use this technology to control and exploit aspects of human life.
- BI 346U / WS 346U Genes and Society
- PH 382U / SCI 382U Introduction to Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
- PHL 308U Elementary Ethics
- PHL 313U Life and Death Issues
- PHL 320U Critical Thinking
- PHL 355U Morality and Health Care
- SCI 359U Biopolitics
- SCI 361U Science: Power-Knowledge
- SCI 363U Ethics in Science
- SCI / WS 365U Science of Women's Bodies (crosslisted with WS 365U)
Gender and Sexualities Studies
The overall objectives of the SINQ are to introduce students to women and gender studies and sexuality studies and queer theory, including major theoretical approaches, and to enable students to create what feminists call praxis, or the application of theory to practice, through a closer look at selected topics such as sexual violence, body image, gender performance, and queer identity narratives.
- BI 346U / WS 346U Genes and Society (crosslisted with WS 346U)
- CCJ 370U Women, Crime and Justice
- CFS 390U Sex and the Family
- COMM / WS 337U Communication and Gender (crosslisted with WS 337U)
- INTL / WS 331U Women in the Middle East (crosslisted with WS 331U)
- PHE 452U Gender, Race, Class and Health
- PSY / WS 310U Psychology of Women (crosslisted with WS 310U)
- PSY 431U Psychology of Men and Masculinity
- SCI / WS 347U Science, Gender and Social Context I (crosslisted with WS 347U)
- SCI /WS 348U Science, Gender and Social Context II
- SCI 359U Biopolitics
- SCI / WS 365U The Science of Women's Bodies (crosslisted with WS 365U)
- SOC 344U Gender and Sexualities
- TUR 331U Women and Gender in Turkey
- WS 306U Global Gender Issues
- WS 330U Women of Color in the U.S.
- WS 332U Race, Class, Gender and Sexuality in the US
- WS 360U Introduction to Queer Studies
- WS 370U History of Sexualities
- WS / ENG 372U Topics in Literature: Gender and Sexuality (crosslisted with ENG 372U)
- WS 375U Topics in Sexualities Studies
Healthy People/Healthy Places
This sophomore inquiry will examine the nature and state of healthy individuals in their various environments. Topics will focus on ways to solve and prevent problems that may affect the health and wellbeing of the individual, the local environment and/or the global community.
- ANTH 325U Culture Health and Healing
- COMM 329U Intro to Health Communication
- EC 316U Introduction to Health Care Economics
- PA 312U Foundations of Community Leadership
- PAH 320U Health Ethics - Contemporary Issues
- PHE 325U Nutrition for Health
- PHE 326U Drug Education
- PHE 328U Health and Housing across the Life Course
- PHE 335U Human Sexuality
- PHE 354U Social Gerontology
- PHE 355U Consumer Health
- PHE 371 Community Nutrition
- PHE 443U Environmental Health
- PHE 444U Global Health
- PHE 446U Community Health: Principles and Practices
- PHE 452U Gender, Race, Class and Health
- SYSC 350U Indigenous and Systems Perspectives on Sustainability
- USP 317U Introduction to International Community Development
- USP 325U Community & The Built Environment
- USP 350U Concepts of Citizen Participation
- USP 424U Healthy Communities
Knowledge, Values and Rationality
The theme of the cluster is the nature of rationality and its emergence from the interplay of knowledge and values.
- BI 372U / SCI 372U Nanotechnology: Society and Sustainability
- PHE 444U Global Health
- PHL 300U Philosophical Methods and Concepts
- PHL 305U Analytic Philosophy
- PHL 307U Science and Society
- PHL 308U Elementary Ethics
- PHL 313U Life and Death Issues
- PHL 318U Philosophy of Medicine
- PHL 320U Critical Thinking
- PHL 321U Practical Epistemology
- PHL 322U Minds and Machines
- PHL 324U Introduction to Formal Logic
- PHL 325U Introduction to Formal Logic II
- PHL 351U Philosophy of International Human Rights
- PHL 352U Philosophy of International Law
- PHL 355U Morality and Health Care
- PHL 375U Food Ethics
- PS 325U Politics and the Legal Enforcement of Morals
- PSY 300U Personal Decision Making
- SCI 363U Ethics in Science
- SYSC 330U Models in Science
- SYSC 332U Darwinian Thought in Society
- SYSC 350U Indigenous and Systems Perspectives on Sustainability
- UNST 399U Experiential Pathways Cluster Course
Senior Capstone
This 6 credit Senior Capstone course is your final general education requirement and should ideally be taken during any term of your fourth year. Choose wisely to continue building knowledge and skills relevant to your career pathway, and to gain experience with critical thinking and problem solving, communication and teamwork, self-assessment and organization, and project management.
We strongly recommend choosing a capstone from the Research, Education-Youth, or Global Perspectives theme areas such as:
- Research and Society
- Research Experience for Science Majors
- Queer and Trans Youth
- Collaborations: Boys and Girls Club
- Health and Migration: Oaxaca, Mexico
- Linking the Generations
- Health and Aging in Nicaragua
- Leadership and Mentoring
- Youth In Transition
- Tutoring Adult ESL
- Learning From Persons with Disabilities: Mt Hood Camp Kiwanis
- Meditation for Global Healing
- Asset Mapping and GIS
- Knowing Our Neighbors - Knowing Ourselves