CSUF Linkage with Western University Doctor of Osteopathic (DO) Program

For 37 years, Western University of Health Sciences has had a special mission: Educating tomorrow’s health-care professionals with a combination of scientific excellence and a humanistic, compassionate approach to patient care.

WesternU is one of the largest graduate schools for the health professions in California. Alumni rank among the top leaders in health care and medicine throughout the country and the world. The University is home to more than 3,600 students in nine health sciences colleges and 21 degree programs. All of the health care programs have professional accreditations, and the University is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) see patients, prescribe medications, perform surgeries, and deliver babies in hospitals, medical centers, and offices across the United States and overseas. Whether they are primary care providers or specialists, DOs use all the standard tools of modern medicine, but also have additional therapeutic modalities with which to care for their patients.

Eligibility

Since eligibility criteria for linkage programs tend to be more extensive than for traditional applicants, applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements in order to apply for a CSUF linkage program with WesternU DO Program:

  1. Undergraduate students must have completed Bio 151, 252, Chem 120A, 120B and typically Math 115, 130 or 150A, before applying to the CSUF Linkage Program with WesternU DO Program.
    1. In some cases equivalent classes from other institutions may be accepted.
  2. CSUF Pre-Health Professions Certificate applicants are eligible for consideration once they have completed a full semester of classes in the PHPC program.
  3. Applicants must have at least one academic year remaining as matriculated students following acceptance into the program.
  4. Applicants must contribute to the mission of the linkage program for the specific college.

Requirements

For consideration into a linkage program, students must complete BOTH the WesternU DO Program Requirements and CSUF Linkage Program Requirements.

CSUF Linkage Program Requirements

The criteria for final acceptance to WesternU/Optometry shall be as follows:

  1. Submit completed CSUF Linkage Program Application by the deadline.
  2. Support of the Health Professions Committee at CSUF.
  3. Recommendation (following interview) of Admissions Committee at WesternU. Maintain overall science GPA of 3.3.
  4. MCATs total 24 or above (no score below 8) must be completed by January of the intended matriculation year.


Requirements to apply to the DO Program at Western University

  1. Minimum grades of B+ in science classes. 
  2. At least 8 hours of shadowing a DO. 
  3. Undergraduates should have an overall GPA of 3.3. 
  4. Essay regarding interest in the DO program at WesternU

Applying to the CSUF Linkage Program

CSUF Linkage Program Application

Supplementary Materials

  1. Letters of Evaluation
  2. Transcript or TDA showing course grades through Fall 2014

All application materials should be mailed to

CSUF Linkage Programs
University Hall 223
800 N. State College Blvd.
Fullerton, CA 92834-6848

Or emailed to

hpadvising@fullerton.edu

Acceptance into the CSUF Linkage Program is provisional upon completion of all requirements which include but are not limited to:

  1. Applicants must submit a centralized application (AACOMAS, AACPMAS, PHARMCAS, OPTOMCAS) on or before the schools’ closing date.
  2. For the DO linkages, MCAT must be completed by January of the year you wish to matriculate.
  3. All courses on the study plan must be completed by the end of Spring 2022  with no grades below B and an overall GPA of 3.6 PHPC students
  4. A grade or B or below, a grade of Incomplete or Fail or a semester GPA below 3.6 will be grounds for review and potentially revoking of the acceptance into the Linkage Program.
  5. Appropriate and required involvement in community and clinical activities.
  6. All additional requirements as indicated in contract letter.

For More Information about WesternU, Visit

For More Information About Applying for the Linkage Program

Visit the FAQs
Contact the Health Professions Advising Office