Course Catalog 2012-2013
Denison's commitment to the liberal arts, the strength of our pre-professional advising, and the success of our graduates have made Denison well-known by professional schools ranging from medicine and business to law and engineering. Whether you earn a bachelor's degree at Denison and then go on to a professional school or combine three years of study here with several at another university, a Denison education will contribute significantly to the attainment of your professional goals. Please note that Denison financial aid can be applied only during the student's time at Denison. Interested students should discuss other financial aid opportunities with partnering institutions.
Career Exploration and Development, along with faculty, provides a strong and knowledgeable advising system. Denison has earned the respect of deans of professional and graduate schools who have come to recognize the value of the liberal arts education received at Denison.
Medical, dental and veterinary school admissions decisions are based on performance on nationally-sponsored admissions tests (Medical College Admissions Test, Dental Admission Test, Graduate Record Examination) and on academic achievement in both science and non-science courses. Students whose test and grade profiles are strong enjoy a high rate of acceptance by medical, dental and veterinary schools in their state of residence and by selective schools throughout the country.
Most of our undergraduates who are considering the health professions bolster their preparations and gain an overview of several related fields by conducting an internship in a hospital or clinical setting.
In 1984, Denison established a "3-4" program with Case Western Reserve Dental School. Once a student has received the acceptance letter from Denison's Admissions Office (usually mid-March), they must make contact with Case Western Dental School to schedule a conditional admissions interview with Case Western's Dental School. Case Western would like to conclude all interviews by April of each year; thus, "conditionally admitting" the Denison student to the 3-4 program. If the student performs satisfactorily in both liberal arts and in science courses, he/she will receive official acceptance to the Case Dental School. Following three years of study at Denison, the student moves directly into dental school. Students will receive a bachelor's degree from Denison and a Doctor of Dental Surgery from Case. Students can only apply for the 3-4 program once they have been admitted to Denison and have completed a conditional admissions interview with Case Western Dental School by April of the students' senior year of high school. (Again, CWRU usually completes these interviews by early April). Students need to request the CWRU dental school application form from CWRU. The Admissions office will forward the Denison application to CWRU.
Denison graduates are successful in gaining admission to law schools across the country. Students' performance on the Law School Admission Test and their academic records are the major determining factors in the admissions decision. The acceptance rate of Denison graduates is consistently well-above the national average.
Representatives from a number of schools regularly visit the campus. Attending career panels, programs and completing internships in legal settings helps students make informed career decisions.
A broad-based undergraduate program in the liberal arts is one of the most satisfactory preparations for graduate study in business administration and management, and large numbers of Denison graduates continue their studies in programs across the country. Although the current national trend is to encourage students to work several years between their undergraduate and M.B.A. programs, Denison students can receive advice on preparing for business school.
With a long-standing tradition of strength in science and pre-engineering, Denison offers two plans to prepare for an engineering career. In the first, students receive a bachelor's degree after four years at Denison with a major in natural sciences or mathematical sciences, followed by two years of graduate work at another institution leading to a master's degree in engineering. Denison students regularly have been accepted to graduate engineering programs at leading universities.
The second plan is a "3-2" program in which students study three or four years at Denison and two at an affiliated engineering school and receive two bachelor's degrees. Denison is affiliated in such dual-degree programs with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Washington University (St. Louis), and Columbia University. Students interested in these plans should contact the 3-2 Engineering Advisor, in care of Denison Physics Department, at their earliest opportunity. The required math and science courses typically include: Calculus I, Calculus II, Calculus III, Differential Equations, the introductory Physics Department sequence (Physics 125-7 or equivalent), Modern Physics, General Chemistry I and II, and Computer Science 171. Additional courses may be required, depending on the chosen field of engineering.
Denison offers a cooperative program with Duke University in the areas of Environmental Management and Forestry. You can earn the bachelor's degree from Denison and the master's in either Environmental Management or Forestry from Duke after spending three years at Denison and two years at Duke's School of the Environment. The major program emphases at Duke are resource economics and policy, water and air resources, forest resource management, resource ecology and ecotoxicology and environmental chemistry. An undergraduate major at Denison in natural or social science or pre-professional emphasis in business or engineering is good preparation for the Duke programs, but any undergraduate concentration will be considered for admission. If you are interested in this program, however, you should take at least one year each in biology, mathematical sciences, and economics at Denison. The Biology Department has more information on this program.
Denison offers a "3-2" program in cooperation with Washington University (St. Louis). For students with equivalent admission criteria, those who satisfactorily complete Denison's three-year Pre-Occupational Therapy prerequisite courses and receive three favorable recommendations including the faculty advisor's, will be given preferred consideration over the non 3-2 student for admission to the master's degree program.
Denison students who meet prerequisites may also apply on a competitive basis to other schools of Occupational Therapy.