The Ohio State University Professional Exploration Program (PXP) is designed to address challenges that students from under-served or historically excluded backgrounds may have faced in finding their path as a health care professional. PXP plays an integral role in fostering innovation by contributing to the cultural, intellectual, and academic diversity within the Health Sciences at Ohio State.
All students who are interested in a health professional career but have not decided on a career path can explore careers in nine different health professional schools. Participants will rotate in-person through OSU’s College of Dentistry, College of Medicine, College of Nursing, College of Optometry, College of Pharmacy, College of Public Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Speech and Hearing Science, and School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, during the 2025-2026 academic year. This program is open to applicants meeting the eligibility requirements below. All applications are welcome and will receive full and equal consideration.
This year’s PXP program, set for September 2025 through March 2026, will provide in-depth experiences in each health field on designated Saturdays (shown below). The programming is determined by each hosting college/unit, and is generally scheduled from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. but may vary. It is the responsibility of the hosting college/unit to provide free lunch, and they may or may not provide free parking. Prior to each rotation, the hosting college/unit will email the details about the day to the students.
This is a competitive program with a limited number of spaces, so be sure to apply soon!
The Ohio State PXP program has been designed to:
- Help prospective professional students learn about the range of activities that are permitted in each profession – what practitioners can do.
- Expose prospective professional students to the different specialties in each discipline.
- Expose prospective professional students to each health professional community (ex. students and faculty) and learn about the resources available to them.
- Help students understand the admissions processes and develop into competitive and successful applicants.
Ohio State PXP Schedule:
Students accepted into the program will be expected to participate fully in their exploration by attending all dates below.
- Welcome and Orientation – Saturday, September 20, 2025
- College of Nursing – Saturday, September 27, 2025
- Department of Speech and Hearing Science – Saturday, October 11, 2025
- College of Veterinary Medicine- Saturday, October 18, 2025
- College of Optometry- Saturday, October 25, 2025
- School of Health and Rehabilitation Science* – Saturday, November 8, 2025
- College of Dentistry – Saturday, January 24, 2026
- College of Public Health – Saturday, January 31, 2026
- School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences* – Saturday, February 7, 2026
- College of Pharmacy – Saturday, February 21, 2026
- College of Medicine – Saturday, February 28, 2026
- PXP Scholar Celebration – Saturday, March 7, 2026
*Because the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences offers a broad and diverse array of programs, it will have two different Saturday sessions with different focus areas.
Eligibility:
- Academic aptitude that demonstrates the potential to succeed in a professional school (cumulative GPA of 3.0 or greater, with a strong demonstrated interest in science).
- Undergraduate student currently enrolled at Ohio State University (Columbus and Regional Campuses), Capital University, Central State University, Columbus State Community College, Dennison University, Franklin University, Ohio Dominican University, Ohio Wesleyan University, Otterbein University, or Wilberforce University who is interested in pursuing a professional degree, exploring their career opportunities, and has not determined their specific health profession path.
- Students who have already determined which health profession they wish to pursue are not eligible for PXP. These students should contact specific colleges/units to identify program-specific opportunities.
- Completed application, including the information outlined below.
Application Information:
Applications will be open soon and will be due on March 22nd, 2025.
Please read the directions below carefully. The following items should be uploaded in a pdf, jpeg, or doc format with your application. Please collect all final documents before you begin the application, because you will need to complete it in one sitting. All applications will receive full and equal consideration.
- Application
- Unofficial transcript with courses and grades readily viewable. When you create this document for upload, please name it using the convention LastName_FirstName_Transcript
- Essay (250 words or less): Please describe what draws you to exploring the health sciences and how PXP fits into your current goals/plans.
Click here to begin your application
Questions about the application can be directed to us at PXPAdmin@osu.edu.
Website updated – January 21, 2025.