Pre-Chiropractic
Maryville University offers a 3+3 Doctor of Chiropractic Program with Logan College of Chiropractic. You’ll pursue a major of your choice (such as Biology, B.S. or Chemistry, B.S. ) and, after six years total, you’ll graduate with a bachelor’s from Maryville and a Doctor of Chiropractic from Logan. You’ll become a fully accredited practitioner of chiropractic medicine sooner, allowing you to get farther ahead in your career. There is no guaranteed admission, but Logan will waive the application fee for students pursuing the 3+3 program. Students may also apply to other chiropractic schools.
Logan College of Chiropractic requires the following from their applicants:
- minimum of 24 semester hours of life and/or physical science, 1/2 must include a lab
- cumulative GPA above 3.0
Pre-Dentistry
While no one major is prescribed for admission to Doctor of Dental Medicine programs, strong preparation in the biological and natural sciences is generally recommended, along with a solid array of courses in the liberal arts.
There is no universal curriculum recommended for applicants, but most schools want to see that you’ve completed the following courses:
Pre-Law
The Pre-Law program is for students intending to go on to law school.
Pre-Law is not a major or minor, nor is there such a thing as a law major for undergraduates. Pre-Law students complete a major/minor of their choice. Most law students majored in a field related to their legal interests. For example, science and engineering majors are often most interested in patent or environmental law and business majors are often interested in corporate law. Common areas of study for pre-law students include:
- English
- Business
- Economics
- International Studies
- Political Science
- History
- Philosophy
- Foreign Language
- Natural Sciences
- Engineering
- Math
- Communication
Electives
Regardless of their major, pre-law students are encouraged to take elective courses that will help ground them in the background of the American legal system:
- Politics
- History
- Philosophy
Students are also strongly encouraged to participate in the Honors Program, and take courses that will improve the skills that they need to succeed in law school, namely ENGL 306 - Advanced Research Writing , PHIL 230 - Logic: Inf and Methodology , and SPCH 110 - Oral Communication .
Overview
- Assigned to a second faculty adviser - your Pre-Law adviser will guide you in selecting courses that will improve the skills you need succeed in law school
- Guest speakers from law school admissions offices and from the legal practice
- The “Sophomore-Year Review,” in which you write a practice law school application and undergo a mock interview
- Tips on preparing for the all-important Law School Admissions Test (LSAT)
Pre-Engineering
Students are recommended to follow the Engineering (Dual Degree) catalog page.
The following courses are recommended for most schools:
Pre-Medicine
While no one major is prescribed for admission to Medical Doctor (M.D.) or Doctor of Osteopathy (D.O.) programs, strong preparation in the biological and natural sciences is generally recommended, along with a solid array of courses in the liberal arts.
There is no universal curriculum recommended for applicants, but most schools want to see that you’ve completed the following courses:
The American Association of Medical Colleges or the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine is a good place to start for students who would like to look at admissions requirements for a variety of schools.
Pre-Occupational Therapy
Master’s degree programs in Occupational Therapy do not require a particular undergraduate major. Instead, they require a bachelor’s degree and have a list of specific courses in psychology, science, and math that must be completed prior to application.
Although you can major in virtually any field as long as you take the required classes for application, we believe that Psychology, B.A. is uniquely suited to prepare you for the academic demands of a graduate program in Occupational Therapy. A number of psychology courses are required by different graduate OT programs throughout the region, including Introduction to Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, Child Psychology, Life-Span Development, and Statistics. As your career goal is to work directly with people, what better major is there than psychology, which is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes.
Summary of prerequisites to apply to Master’s OT programs:
*Courses with asterisks are required by fewer OT programs. Because of the variation among programs, it is important to work with an advisor to determine the exact set of prerequisites necessary to apply to a specific OT program.
Pre-Optometry
Students in the pre-optometry program will have the option of enrolling in one of three programs:
Students will complete their general education requirements, the pre-requisites for the University of Missouri-St. Louis optometry program, and most of the requirements for the bachelor degree at Maryville. Basic Science courses taken at University of Missouri-St. Louis will fulfill the requirements for the B.S. degree. The biology major (courses in biology, chemistry, physics) at Maryville totals 73 hours. The 3+4 program will count the 33 credits completed at University of Missouri-St. Louis toward the Maryville major. At least half of the required credits for the biology major must be completed at Maryville.
Pre-Pharmacy
There is no universal curriculum recommended for Doctor of Pharmacy applicants, but most pharmacy schools want to see that you’ve completed the following courses:
The Pharmacy College Application Service details the specific requirements for application to pharmacy schools. We strongly suggest that all prospective applicants take a look at this resource.
Pre-Physical Therapy
Pre-Physical Therapy is designed to make students competitive candidates for any graduate program of their choosing. Students often select Biology, B.S. or Exercise Science, B.S. (Graduate Track) as their major. While there is no specific curriculum recommended for Doctor of Physcial Therapy applicants, but most schools want to see that you’ve completed the following courses:
The Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service details the specific requirements for application to Physical Therapy schools.
Pre-Physician Assistant
While no one major is prescribed for admission to a PA program, you should build a strong foundation in biological and natural sciences. Physician assistant programs give preference to applicants who complete a rigorous course of study and demonstrate academic excellence in all course work, particularly the core biology, chemistry and physics courses. We typically recommend majoring in Biochemistry or Biology . That doesn’t mean that you’re tied to a science major, though. Liberal arts majors that develop analytical reading, writing and critical thinking abilities can have very competitive applications. Applicants must also provide competitive admissions test scores and should be able to demonstrate a long-term, growing commitment to serving others.
Regardless of the major you choose, your course load should be challenging and well-rounded. We also strongly recommend volunteering at a physician assistant clinic to gain practical experience and exposure to the profession. The ideal physician assistant has an in-depth and up-to-date knowledge of medicine, understands the nuances of society, and can communicate well.
Common Requirements
There is no universal curriculum recommended for physician assistant graduate program applicants, but most schools want to see several years of healthcare experience and that you’ve completed the following courses:
The American Academy of Physician Assistants and the Physician Assistant Education Association website list accredited programs and detail the specific requirements for application to physician assistant graduate programs. We strongly suggest that all prospective applicants take a look at these resources.
We recommend that students seeking to apply to a Physician Assistant Program begin by using the Physician Assistant Education Association website which lists accredited programs. It is important to learn early the specific application requirements for the program (or programs) in which you are interested in applying. Most programs have application deadlines between November and March of the year prior to commencing study.
Pre-Veterinary
While no one major is prescribed for admission to Doctor of Veterinary Medicine programs, strong preparation in the biological and natural sciences is generally recommended, along with a solid array of courses in the liberal arts.
There is no universal curriculum recommended for applicants, but most schools want to see that you’ve completed the following courses:
*Courses with asterisks are required by fewer Veterinary programs. Because of the variation among programs, it is important to work with an advisor to determine the exact set of prerequisites necessary to apply to a specific Veterinary program.
The Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges is a good place to start for students who would like to look at admissions requirements for a variety of schools.
