Pre-Professional Guides
The Department of Biology offers a variety of programs that enable the student to obtain pre-professional training prior to entering a professional school. Where possible the coursework taken at the University has been approved by the universities at Fargo and Grand Forks as equivalent to their pre-professional programs.
Pre-Chiropractic
Listed below are the Minot State University courses that satisfy the 60-credit requirement of all accredited colleges of chiropractic in the United States. Students need to play a major role in researching chiropractic programs they wish to apply to for specific curricular requirements not listed here.
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| Concepts of Anatomy and Physiology | ||
| Introductory Microbiology | ||
| Anatomy and Physiology I | ||
| BIOL 150 | General Biology I | 4 |
| HMS 208 | Medical Terminology | 2 |
| CHEM 121 | General Chemistry I | 5 |
| CHEM 122 | General Chemistry II | 5 |
| CHEM 341 & CHEM 342 | Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry II | 10 |
| PHYS 211 & PHYS 212 | College Physics I and College Physics II | 8 |
| ENGL 110 & ENGL 120 | College Composition I and College Composition II | 6 |
| PSY 111 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| HUM 251 | Humanities | 3 |
| HUM 252 | Humanities | 3 |
| HUM 253 | Humanities | 3 |
| SOC 110 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
| Total Hours | 59 | |
Pre-Dental Hygiene
Advisor: Dr. Rachel Schomaker
Although a dental hygiene program will be offered through Dakota College in Minot, ND, in the near future, the only dental hygiene program currently operating in North Dakota is offered at the ND State College of Science at Wahpeton. Dental hygiene is a two-year program with limited admissions. Admission is typically highly competitive. For consideration, the applicant must have at least one semester of chemistry and one of anatomy in college and a GPA of at least 2.5. Students interested in admission to the program at NDSCS may take the following courses at Minot State:
| Required for admission to the program: | ||
| ENGL 110 | College Composition I | 3 |
| BIOL 220 | Anatomy and Physiology I | 4 |
| BIOL 221 | Anatomy and Physiology II | 4 |
| CHEM 118 | General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry | 4 |
| Also recommended: | ||
A second semester of chemistry covering principles of organic chemistry and biochemistry is desirable and can be fulfilled with the following courses: | ||
| Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry | ||
| Biochemistry I | ||
| MATH 210 | Elementary Statistics | 4 |
| Optional: | ||
| BIOL 202 | Introductory Microbiology | 4 |
| General Education courses: | ||
| ENGL 120 | College Composition II | 3 |
| COMM 110 | Fundamentals of Public Speaking | 3 |
| PSY 111 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| SOC 110 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
| and any humanities elective | ||
| Total Hours | 35 | |
Pre-Medicine
Advisors: Dr. Alexandra Deufel (for Biology Majors), Dr. Robert Crackel (for Chemistry Majors)
Pre-med is not a major, it is a program of study which prepares a student to apply to medical school. Although some medical schools require only three years of undergraduate work, the majority prefer that the entering student have a bachelor’s degree. The University of North Dakota (UND) Medical School (and most others) does not specify a particular academic major prospective students should pursue, but requires a particular core of coursework is completed. Prospective university medical students are strongly urged to declare a major area of study and to pursue a degree program at the baccalaureate level. The philosophy of education, required pre-medicine courses, and systems of training vary among the medical schools. All recognize the desirability of a broad education, a good foundation in the natural sciences (mathematics, chemistry, biology, physics), highly developed communication skills, and a solid background in the social sciences and humanities. At the UND School of Medicine the suggested minimum preparatory coursework includes:
| BIOL 150 & BIOL 151 | General Biology I and General Biology II | 8 |
| CHEM 121 & CHEM 122 | General Chemistry I and General Chemistry II | 10 |
| CHEM 341 & CHEM 342 | Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry II | 10 |
| CHEM 481 & CHEM 482 | Biochemistry I and Biochemistry II | 6 |
| ENGL 110 & ENGL 120 | College Composition I and College Composition II | 6 |
| MATH 103 | College Algebra | 4 |
| PHYS 211 & PHYS 212 | College Physics I and College Physics II | 8 |
| PSY 111 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| SOC 110 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
| One or two upper level Biology courses emphasizing concepts applicable to human biology. | ||
| An upper level intensive-writing course | ||
Pre-Dentistry
Advisor: Dr. Alexandra Deufel
It is suggested that students interested in applying to dental school pursue a degree in one of the sciences and take specific courses to meet admission requirements for dental school. Students planning to seek tuition support from the state of North Dakota should notify both the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education Office and their advisor. Although specific requirements may vary, the following list of Minot State courses, based on the University of Minnesota, is typical. Students need to play a major role in researching dental school programs they wish to apply to for specific curricular requirements not listed here
| Required: | ||
| ENGL 110 & ENGL 120 | College Composition I and College Composition II | 6 |
| BIOL 150 & BIOL 151 | General Biology I and General Biology II | 8 |
| CHEM 121 & CHEM 122 | General Chemistry I and General Chemistry II | 10 |
| CHEM 341 & CHEM 342 | Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry II | 10 |
| CHEM 481 | Biochemistry I | 3 |
| or CHEM 381 | Fundamentals of Biochemistry | |
| PHYS 211 & PHYS 212 | College Physics I and College Physics II | 8 |
| MATH 103 | College Algebra | 4 |
| PSY 111 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| Suggested electives: | ||
Art (Drawing, sculpture, etc...) | ||
| Introductory Microbiology | ||
or BIOL 302 | General Microbiology | |
| Genetics | ||
| Anatomy and Physiology I and Anatomy and Physiology II | ||
| Cellular Biology | ||
| Immunology | ||
| Histology | ||
| Total Hours | 52 | |
Pre-Mortuary Science
Programs in Mortuary Science lead to careers such as funeral director, embalmer, cremationist, and mortuary science practitioner. There are a variety of 2-year and 4-year mortuary science programs around the United States. Some programs are entirely face-to-face but many at least partially online. At Minot State University, students interested in mortuary science may take a number of preparatory courses prior to enrolling in a professional mortuary or funeral science program. Two local funeral homes, Thomas Family Funeral Home and Thompson-Larson Funeral Home may provide hands-on, practical experience for students selecting pre-mortuary science. Students from Minot State pre-mortuary science track have entered programs at The University of Central Oklahoma, Arapahoe Community College, Des Moines Area Community College, and the Dallas Institute of Funeral Services. The students will work with an advisor at MSU and local funeral homes to choose a professional program, allowing a specific set of Minot State University courses may be selected that best fits their needs. Courses listed below are commonly taken before or during the mortuary science training. Credits are shown at far right.
| ENGL 110 | College Composition I | 3 |
| ENGL 120 | College Composition II | 3 |
| COMM 110 | Fundamentals of Public Speaking | 3 |
| PSY 111 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 261 | Psychology of Adjustment | 3 |
| MHA 423 | Introduction to Counseling | 3 |
| Courses in Accounting and Business Ed | 12 | |
| Courses in Health and Physical Education | 5 | |
| BIOL 220 | Anatomy and Physiology I | 4 |
| BIOL 221 | Anatomy and Physiology II | 4 |
| BIOL 202 | Introductory Microbiology | 4 |
| CHEM 121 | General Chemistry I | 5 |
| CHEM 122 | General Chemistry II | 5 |
| For licensure in North Dakota, the North Dakota Century Code requires: | ||
| Communications | 12 | |
| Social Science | 15 | |
| Natural Science | 18 | |
Pre-Occupational Therapy
Advisor: Dr. Joseph Pettit
Listed below are the suggested courses that may satisfy the pre-occupational therapy curriculum for UND.
| BIOL 150 | General Biology I | 4 |
| BIOL 208 | Medical Terminology. This course is requested by the occupational therapy program. Students may take it via correspondence from UND Continuing Education. (1-800-342-8238) | |
| BIOL 220 & BIOL 221 | Anatomy and Physiology I and Anatomy and Physiology II | 8 |
| CHEM 118 | General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry | 4 |
| COMM 110 | Fundamentals of Public Speaking | 3 |
| ENGL 110 & ENGL 120 | College Composition I and College Composition II | 6 |
| PSY 111 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 252 & PSY 352 | Child Psychology and Adolescent Psychology | 6 |
| PSY 241 | Introduction to Statistics | 4 |
| PSY 270 | Abnormal Psychology | 3 |
| SOC 110 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
| Humanities: 9 credits from three different areas | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 53 | |
Pre-Physical Therapy
Advisor: Dr. Joseph Pettit
Physical Therapy has become a six-to-seven year curriculum that results in award of a DPT (Doctor of Physical Therapy) in most programs in the United States, including the University of North Dakota. Our pre-physical therapy program has been developed to articulate with the UND program. Students typically complete a degree at Minot State University, and make application in the fall semester of their final year. Alternatively, students may complete coursework equivalent to the pre-PT track at UND. (See below) and make application prior to completing a BA degree at Minot State University.
In addition to the pre-physical therapy coursework, students must volunteer and/or intern with a physical therapy department (60 + hours). Admission to PT programs is highly competitive. In 2011, the UND program received over 200 applications for 52 student positions. Only students with a minimum 3.60 grade point average were considered for interviews. The UND program may soon require that applicants take the GRE as part of the admissions process. Specific questions about the UND program can be submitted to Dr. Cindy From-Meland: cindy.flom.meland@UND.edu, 701-777-2831).
Listed below are the Minot State University courses that satisfy the pre-physical therapy curriculum at UND: https://und.edu/programs/pre-physical-therapy/requirements.html. Students need to play a major role in researching PT programs they wish to apply to for specific curricular requirements not listed here.
| BIOL 150 & BIOL 151 | General Biology I and General Biology II | 8 |
| BIOL 220 & BIOL 221 | Anatomy and Physiology I and Anatomy and Physiology II | 8 |
| CHEM 121 & CHEM 122 | General Chemistry I and General Chemistry II | 10 |
| COMM 110 | Fundamentals of Public Speaking | 3 |
| ENGL 110 & ENGL 120 | College Composition I and College Composition II | 6 |
| PHYS 211 & PHYS 212 | College Physics I and College Physics II | 8 |
| PSY 111 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 255 | Child and Adolescent Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 270 | Abnormal Psychology | 3 |
| SOC 110 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
| Fine Arts and Humanities: 9 credits from at least two different departments | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 64 | |
Pre-Physician Assistant
A physician assistant (PA) is licensed to practice medicine as a part of a team with a physician. The PA conducts physical exams, diagnoses and treats medical conditions, orders and interprets tests, writes prescriptions, counsels on preventative healthcare, and assists in surgery. The pre-physician assistant coursework is designed to fulfill the requirements that allow admission to the Master of Physician Assistant Studies at the University of North Dakota (UND). Admission to the UND PA program requires a baccalaureate degree (e.g., BA Biology) as well as 500 hours (1000 preferred) of direct patient care experience, showing a commitment to a career in medicine. Examples of patient care experiences are: Certified medical assistant, emergency medical technician, phlebotomist, etc.
The following lists the prerequisite coursework for admission to the UND PA program. This prerequisite coursework can be completed while earning a BA Biology degree at Minot State University.
| Required Coursework: | ||
| BIOL 202 | Introductory Microbiology | 4 |
| BIOL 220 | Anatomy and Physiology I | 4 |
| BIOL 221 | Anatomy and Physiology II | 4 |
| HMS 208 | Medical Terminology | 2 |
| HMS 215 | Principles of Pharmacology | 3 |
| BIOL 240 | Biometry | 4 |
| Take both organic chemistry courses OR take organic chemistry I and biochemistry: | 8-10 | |
| Organic Chemistry I | ||
| Organic Chemistry II | ||
| Biochemistry I | ||
| Recommended Coursework: | ||
| ENGL 120 | College Composition II | 3 |
| BIOL 215 | Genetics | 4 |
| Total Hours | 36-38 | |
Pre-Wildlife Studies
The pre-wildlife studies program is designed to satisfy the basic requirements recommended by most universities offering degree programs in fields such as ecology, wildlife management, and fisheries management. The course requirements also fulfill the requirements for the first two years in biology. The program is sufficiently broad to enable the student to transfer at the end of two years to a college or university offering specialized curricula in various fields of wildlife studies.
The biology courses which a pre-wildlife student would typically take are:
| Two semesters of Introductory Biology: | ||
| BIOL 150 | General Biology I | 4 |
| BIOL 151 | General Biology II | 4 |
| BIOL 154 | Introduction to Botany | 4 |
| BIOL 340 | Systematic Zoology | 4 |
| BIOL 347 | General Ecology | 4 |
| BIOL 448 | Systematic Botany | 4 |
| In addition to biology, the other recommended science courses are: | ||
| CHEM 121 | General Chemistry I | 5 |
| CHEM 122 | General Chemistry II | 5 |
| PHYS 211 | College Physics I | 4 |
| PHYS 212 | College Physics II | 4 |
| Total Hours | 42 | |