Major Advising Page: Pre-Health
Pre-Health students can study abroad. There are a variety of study abroad programs that can fit within the Pre-Health focus and provide valuable experience and skills without delaying graduation. Students can take courses abroad focused on medicine, participate in research abroad, or complete a healthcare-focused international internship. It is also perfectly fine to consider programs that tap into your interests outside of healthcare!
There are many ways to study abroad as a Pre-Health student and in a globalized world, international experience gained from studying abroad is highly attractive to potential graduate/medical/professional schools and employers. Schedule an appointment with a Study Abroad Advisor and your major advisor(s) to get the process started by exploring programs that best fit with your academic plans and personal goals. We also recommend consulting with the Center for Pre-Health Advising (CPHA) to consider how your programs of interest align with your health career goals.
This resource is not major-specific and should be used in conjunction with your major advisor and CPHA.
Course considerations
Timing your study abroad program so that it fits your schedule, your major, and your health profession application requires careful planning.
- Please consult with the Center for Pre-Health Advising or email CPHA if you are considering taking pre-requisites abroad.
- Often, if you take a pre-requisite abroad, you will need to:
- Complete an advanced course in that subject at UW–Madison.
- Complete lab work at a higher level at UW–Madison.
Map your experience as a Pre-Health student
Work backward to choose the best time for you to study abroad. Consider:
- When your necessary prerequisites will be done.
- Your major/certificate requirements.
- Application timing: taking an entrance exam (MCAT, CAT, PCAT, etc.), completing an application, and potentially an interview.
- It is best to avoid being abroad during test preparation and interview periods.
- Meet with advisors early to plan your course sequencing.
For students participating in Biocore
Biocore is an honors-level introductory biology sequence spanning four semesters – typically all of sophomore and junior year. It is possible to study abroad during one of those semesters, but students will often need to pick up the remaining semesters/years of Biocore when they return.
For example, a student may study abroad during junior year and then take the junior-year Biocore courses as a senior. Depending on your major, this can cause course conflicts with some required courses in senior year and mean you finish Biocore in a different cohort of classmates than you started with.
Studying abroad during winter, spring, or summer break can be a great alternative for Biocore students. Talking with your academic advisor will be essential to studying abroad as a sophomore or junior while participating in Biocore.
Ask questions
- What classes must I complete for my major requirements and do I need to be on UW–Madison’s campus for any courses in my major?
- Which requirements might I be able to complete on my program?
- Are certain major courses only offered in a specific term?
- How many electives do I have outside my major?
- When are some good time(s) to go?
- How do my other goals (summer research experiences, preparing for medical, professional, or graduate school, taking a gap year vs. applying right away) fit in with my coursework and timeline for my program?
- What classes are offered on this program?
- How and when do I select courses for my program?
- When will I know course equivalents for my program?
- What is the class structure like on the program?
- What opportunities are available on site that might enhance my future applications for an advanced degree?
- How can I use my time on my program to learn about the healthcare system?
- Are there ways to get involved with the host community?
- How should I plan my prerequisite courses before departure?
- How will being on my program influence my testing and application timelines?
- What skills do careers related to my major require, and how might participating in a particular program help me gain those skills?
- When would be the best time to participate in a program based on my career goals?
- How will participating in a study abroad, study away, or international internship program make me stand out?
- Why do I want to participate on a program?
- What am I hoping to learn from this experience?
- What duration would help be best meet my goals?
- What are my priorities for my undergraduate education?
- Is it a semester study abroad, study away, or international internship program?
- Completing multiple majors/certificates
- Being able to attend medical school right away, graduating in four years?
- Which of these are most important if it becomes difficult to fit everything in?
- Do I intend to pursue any post-undergraduate education right away or take time off?
- How will I fund my program, and what scholarships are available?
Discover programs that are right for you
Consider what you might learn about health care in another country through a broader lens by exploring its health and social systems. As a future health care professional, having multiple perspectives on how health and health care function in larger social contexts will help you to be more effective in your career.
Some of our programs may focus more on the food system in a region or on climate; those may be just as valuable for your Pre-Health education as a program that looks at specifically formalized healthcare options.
Considerations:
- The University of Wisconsin-Madison does not offer any service trips abroad due to legal and ethical concerns. Service trips raise many legal and ethical concerns because students are often placed in situations and asked to perform tasks for which they are not trained or authorized.
- Admissions committees value international experience, but they do not expect these experiences to be tied to healthcare or direct patient care.
- Healthcare-focused programs will emphasize:
- Understanding healthcare systems,
- Facility tours or patient interactions without providing care,
- Learning the language used in that country surrounding healthcare.
- Program format: Do you want to participate in classroom-based coursework? Do a global health field experience? Participate in research? Some combination of those activities? Do you speak another language and want to get some experience practicing in a local context?
- Duration: Do you want to go during summer? A semester? Winter intersession?
Course offerings may shift slightly year by year, so you are encouraged to double-check the “Academics” tab on each program page to make sure the courses you are looking to take abroad are being offered in your term.
In this section
These opportunities are not an exhaustive list of all programs that may interest you as a Pre-Health student.
Semester and academic year programs
Argentina
Botswana
Germany
New Zealand
Philippines
CFHI Global Health Internships in the Philippines (semester and summer)
South Africa
Switzerland
Short-term programs
Argentina
CIEE Summer Community Public Health (summer)
Denmark
- DIS – Study Abroad in Scandinavia (summer)
- UW Cancer Care Across Cultures in Denmark (winter intersession)
Ecuador
Germany
India
Japan
- UW Introduction to Biological Sciences Research in Japan (summer)
- UW Wellbeing and the Art of Forest Bathing in Japan (winter intersession)
Mexico
Multiple
New Zealand
UW Crossroads of Culture and Health in New Zealand (winter intersession)
Philippines
CFHI Global Health Internships in the Philippines (semester and summer)
South Africa
Spain
UMN Internships & Spanish Language (summer)
Sweden
DIS – Study Abroad in Scandinavia (summer)
Switzerland
Tanzania
UW Health, Education & Tanzanian Culture (summer and winter intersession)
Thailand
Uganda
- UW Agriculture, Health & Nutrition in Uganda (winter intersession)
- UW Mobile Clinics & Health Care in Uganda (summer)
International Internships
International internships allow you to apply your academic skills to the real world and gain valuable professional experience abroad while earning UW–Madison course credit.
As you consider your academic and professional goals for studying abroad, explore the different internship options, including UW Signature internships, internship-focused programs, part-time internships, or applying for credit for an external internship.
Check with your academic advisor to see if earning credit for your internship abroad can fulfill a major or certificate requirement.
Internships that might be of interest to you include:
- Colombia: One Health Research Internship
- Finland: JYU Achilles Tendon Research Internship
- Guatemala: Qachuu Aloom Agroecology & Community Well-being Intern
- Kenya: Health by All Means Community Intern
Hear from students in your major
Explore student blogs and reflections to see how your peers have connected international experiences to their studies. Discover real stories about the skills, challenges, and professional insights gained through our programs.
Photo credit: Kaitlin Cassell (Mexico)
Want more information?
Dive deeper into how courses and credits work on our programs, or connect with an advisor to find the best fit for your goals.
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