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Academic Programs

Pre-Professional Programs

PROFESSIONAL SCHOOLS ARE LOOKING FOR STUDENTS who have performed strongly in their undergraduate majors. Denison provides solid academic preparation. Our 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. Denison has maintained advising services and has joined numerous cooperative educational programs. 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 and our advising programs can contribute significantly to the attainment of your professional goals.

The director of Career Services, Pamela Allen, along with individual faculty members, provides strong and knowledgeable advising services. They work with students in group and individual meetings from the time they express an initial interest in attending a professional school, through the application process. An important part of this advising involves helping students prepare for qualifying tests and assisting in the arrangement of internships. A detailed file of a student's recommendations can be developed. Denison has earned the respect of deans of professional and graduate schools through mutual relationship-building in the Central Association of Advisors for the Health Professions and the Midwest Association of Prelaw Advisors.

Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Science Programs

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 taking an internship in a hospital or clinical setting.

Denison does not have a pre-medical major, nor do medical schools require one. Most students choose to major in biology, chemistry or physics, although medical colleges welcome students with non-science majors as well. Prerequisites for medical school are one year (two semesters) in each of the following: biology, physics, inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, mathematics (including at least one semester of calculus) and English.

In 1984, Denison established a "3-4" program with Case Western Reserve Dental School. Students can apply for the 3-4 program only after they have been admitted to Denison and prior to the first semester of classes. If the student's subsequent academic performance is satisfactory, he or 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.

Science and non-science majors from Denison have found ready acceptance in medical programs at major universities.

Pre-Law Program

While law schools do not require a specific major, many of our pre-law students choose majors and/or minors in philosophy, political science, English, history, sociology/anthropology, religion and economics. Perhaps the most important intellectual skills to be developed are analytical thinking, logical reasoning and strong written and oral communication.

Law school admission is based primarily on the cumulative grade point average as an indication of solid academic preparation and strong scores on the Law School Admissions Test (usually taken in the fall of the senior year). Faculty evaluations and volunteer service or an internship in a legal or political environment may help to inform an admissions decision. With a strong profile and solid pre-professional advising, Denison students are accepted to fine law schools across the country.

Nursing Program

Denison offers a 3 plus 3 program toward the Master of Science in Nursing degree with Case Western Reserve University's Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing. Denison students complete the first three years of a liberal arts curriculum along with science prerequisite coursework. Students transfer to Case Western for the fourth year and complete the pre-licensure requirements for nursing. These credits transfer back to Denison to complete the Bachelor's degree. Students passing the licensure exam can begin working as nurses. Students have two years remaining to complete the Master of Science in Nursing degree from Case Western and select a specialty track in nursing at that time.

Environmental Management and Forestry Programs

Denison offers cooperative programs 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.

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 major program emphases at Duke are:

Natural Resources Program

Since the 1979-80 academic year, Denison has had a cooperative program with the School of Natural Resources at the University of Michigan to provide training for careers in the management and study of renewable natural resources. Students attend Denison for three years and then transfer to Michigan for two additional years. At the end of the first year at Michigan, the Denison bachelor's degree is conferred. Upon completion of Michigan's graduation requirements, a bachelor's degree in either forestry or natural resources is awarded.

Pre-Business Program

A broad-based undergraduate program in the liberal arts is one of the most satisfactory preparations for graduate study in business administration and management. Many of Denison's pre-business students choose to major or minor in economics, although that is certainly not a requirement. What is important is course work chosen to develop strong analytical and mathematical skills and an in-depth understanding of the dynamics of the economy.

Most of the best business and management schools across the country recommend or require that students work for several years before beginning an M.B.A. program. For that reason, few of our seniors go on directly to M.B.A. programs. Denison students get pre-M.B.A. advice and usually take the Graduate Management Admissions Test before graduating.

Denison has a signed agreement with Case Western Reserve University's Weatherhead School of Management to allow students to enroll in the Master of Science in Management degree following graduation from Denison. Recent graduates have also gone on to many other business schools.

Medical Technology Program

Denison offers the basic courses needed to enter a professional program in medical technology. The Career Services staff can help you make arrangements to take part in certified programs, such as the one at the Rochester General Hospital. Normally, you enter the professional program at the end of your junior year. After successfully completing the training program at the cooperative university or hospital, you will receive a Denison bachelor's degree and be eligible for the registry examination given by the American Society of Clinical Pathologists.

Occupational Therapy

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 adviser'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.

Engineering Program

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. Graduate schools at numerous universities have accepted Denison students and visit the campus regularly.

The second plan is a "3-2" program in which students study three years at Denison and two at an affiliated engineering school and receive two bachelor's degrees. Denison is affiliated in such programs with:

The required math and science courses typically include:

Additional courses may be required, depending on the chosen field of engineering.  For further information, contact Dr. C. Wesley Walter, Chair of the Physics and Astronomy Department.

Some Recent Denison Graduates and their Post-College Studies

Medicine

 

Optometry

Public Health

Law

 

Dentistry

 

Veterinary Science

 

Physical Therapy (DPT)

 

Nursing (Master's degree)

Attending various graduate schools from Denison's class of 2007 are:

For more information about Denison's Pre-Professional Programs, go to:

http://www.denison.edu/catalogs/preprofessional.html

or contact:

Office of Admissions
Denison University
Box H
Granville, Ohio 43023

 

Toll-Free Phone:  1 (800) DENISON
Phone:  (740) 587-6276
Fax:  (740) 587-5680
E-mail:   admissions@denison.edu