Health care is a fast-paced, always-evolving career field. And multiple health care jobs are included on lists of the fastest-growing careers of the next decade—from nurse practitioners and home health aides to medical and health service managers and more. With such an in-demand industry, students interested in these fields need to find the best of the best health and medicine programs the country has to offer. That’s why we’ve curated this list just for you! All the colleges and universities below offer amazing health science programs in the Southern US. The best part is you can request information from these schools immediately by clicking the green “Connect me” button below each school—then they’ll reach out to you. Happy searching!
Abilene Christian University
Abilene Christian University
is a private coeducational university with a 262-acre campus in Abilene, Texas. With a total enrollment of over 5,000, the University offers a 14:1 student-faculty ratio and class sizes of fewer than 20 students. Undergraduates can pursue nearly 80 majors and take advantage of the new Center for Pre-Health Professions, which prepares students for entry into health-related professional schools in fields such as Medical, Dental, Pharmacy, Physician Assistant, Optometry, Physical Therapy, and Occupational Therapy.
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Agnes Scott College
Agnes Scott College is a private Presbyterian liberal arts college for women in Decatur, Georgia—just six miles from downtown Atlanta. More than 1,100 students can choose from 30 undergraduate majors and minors—including Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Neuroscience, Nursing, Psychology, and more—as well as 60+ clubs and organizations. The College also offers a unique SUMMIT core curriculum, which focuses on applying classroom learning to real-world experiences through hands-on opportunities.
Belmont University
Belmont University is a private interdenominational Christian university with a 77-acre campus located in southeast Nashville, Tennessee. Home to more than 8,800 students from every state and more than 33 countries, the University offers over 130 undergraduate majors—including exciting programs in Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Exercise Science, Public Health, Pharmacy, and more. Belmont health students have access to hands-on learning and professional opportunities at more than 300 health care companies and organizations due to the University’s location in the heart of Nashville.
Cabarrus College of Health Sciences
Cabarrus College of Health Sciences is a private specialized health care professions college in Concord, North Carolina. Cabarrus offers majors in Biomedical Sciences, Community Health & Wellness, Health Sciences Leadership & Development, Medical Assisting, Medical Imaging, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Surgical Technology, and Science as well as minors in Biology and Leadership & Management. The College’s state-of-the-art campus allows students to learn in an immersive, professional health care environment that provides unmatched, real-world clinical experiences.
Christian Brothers University
Christian Brothers University is a private nonprofit Catholic university in the Lasallian tradition located four miles from downtown Memphis, Tennessee. With around 1,700 students and an 11:1 student-faculty ratio, the University offers more than 70 majors and minors within four schools and one college, including programs for students interested in Pre-health, Nursing, Physician Assistant Studies, Biomedical Sciences, and more. CBU graduates enjoy impressive acceptance rates at medical, pharmacy, dental, nursing, physical therapy, and law schools.
Dallas Baptist University
Dallas Baptist University is a comprehensive Christian liberal arts institution in Dallas, Texas. DBU is home to 4,300+ students, more than 80 undergraduate majors, and a student-faculty ratio of 13:1. The University offers BA and BS degrees in Biology, Cell Biology, Health Sciences, Kinesiology, and Macrobiology as well as pre-professional preparation in Athletic Training, Chiropractics, Dental, Medicine, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Optometry, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, Physician Assistant, and Veterinary Science.
Elon University
Elon University is a selective independent university in Elon, North Carolina, with a campus that’s designated as a botanical garden. With more than 6,000 undergraduates and a 12:1 student-faculty ratio, students can major in Nursing, Physical Therapy, and Physician Assistant Studies or take advantage of accelerated pathways to a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies or a Doctor of Physical Therapy. Elon is the only school in the nation recognized in all eight U.S. News & World Report categories for “Focus on Student Success.”
Gardner-Webb University
Gardner-Webb University is a Baptist liberal arts and professional studies institution located in Boiling Springs, North Carolina. With 3,600 students and a 13:1 student-faculty ratio, undergraduates can major in Biology, Chemistry, Exercise Science, Healthcare Management, Nursing, Physician Assistant Studies, or one of six pre-professional pathways. Designated a College of Distinction, Gardner-Webb has boasted a 97% first-time PANCE pass rate and a 100% BSN NCLEX pass rate for past classes.
High Point University
High Point University is a private comprehensive institution affiliated with the United Methodist Church in High Point, North Carolina. Known as The Premier Life Skills University, HPU is rooted in the liberal arts and offers more than 60 majors and 65 minors for undergraduates, including Dentistry, Health Sciences, Pharmacy, and Nursing. With experiential learning accounting for 25% of academic hours, students are educated both inside and outside the classroom through labs, internships, research, study abroad, professional opportunities, and other real-world experiences.
Lipscomb University
Lipscomb University is a private nonprofit liberal arts university in a residential area of Nashville, Tennessee. With more than 4,600 students and a 13:1 student-faculty ratio, health and medicine students can major in Exercise Science, Nursing, Pre-med, and more or take advantage of Lipscomb’s 3+1 accelerated Pharmacy and direct-admit Nursing programs. Located in the health care capital of the US, Lipscomb boasts a 97% NCLEX pass rate, with 100% of Nursing graduates working in health care jobs.
Samford University
Samford University is a private Baptist institution that grants degrees through eight schools in Birmingham, Alabama. With more than 5,600 students, the University offers a 10:1 student-faculty ratio as well as five health professions majors, Nursing, Pre-pharmacy, and five Public Health majors through the College of Health Sciences. Named the #1 “Most Recommended University in the Nation,” Samford takes an interdisciplinary approach to complex issues in its health care programs.
University of the Incarnate Word
The University of the Incarnate Word is a private Catholic liberal arts university in San Antonio, Texas. Designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution, UIW is home to over 9,000 students from more than 60 countries as well as 90+ undergraduate academic programs, including Community Health Education, Health Sciences, Kinesiology, Nuclear Medicine Science, Vision Science, and more. With committed professors, international opportunities, and state-of-the-art facilities, UIW is a leader in developing health care graduates who are prepared to take on the world.
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville is a public comprehensive university in Louisville, Kentucky. UofL enrolls more than 23,000 students and offers undergraduate degrees in more than 50 fields of study, including Bioengineering, Biology, Dental Hygiene, Neuroscience, Nursing, Psychology, Public Health, and more. The city of Louisville also serves as a classroom for students, who benefit from easy access to STEM internships and partnerships as well as a wide range of community service opportunities.
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi is a public comprehensive land-grant university in Oxford, Mississippi—70 miles southeast of Memphis. The University’s 15 academic divisions include a major medical school; nationally recognized Schools of Accountancy, Law, and Pharmacy; and the Honors College, renowned for its academic rigor, experiential learning, and community action. The Health Professions Advising office offers unparalleled assistance to aspiring health professionals with mock one-on-one interviews and trips to professional school campuses, accounting for a medical school acceptance rate that’s 5% above the national average and a dental school acceptance rate that’s 25% above the national average.
University of Texas at Dallas
The University of Texas at Dallas is a public comprehensive university in Richardson, Texas—17 miles north of Dallas. The University draws over 30,000 students from 100+ countries who study in 147 academic programs across seven schools, including top-notch offerings in Biomedical Engineering, Neuroscience, and Healthcare Management. UT Dallas health programs are deeply rooted in cutting-edge research and hands-on learning with students working alongside leading faculty and industry professionals in state-of-the-art laboratories to gain practical experience.
Want to explore even more colleges across the US? Check out all our featured Health & Medicine School Profiles!
