Pre-Professional Guides
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 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 |
| Total Hours | 35 | |
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-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 | |
Pre-Law
Advisor: Daniel Ringrose
Adequate preparation for entrance into an accredited law school requires a bachelor’s degree. No specific college major is required for admission to an American school of law. The Association of American Law School’s ‘’Statement of Association Policy on Pre-Legal Education’’ states that an appropriate pre-law education develops: (l) comprehension and expression in words; (2) critical understanding of the human institutions and values with which the law deals; and (3) creative power in thinking. Therefore, the pre-law program takes the form of recommended course in various disciplines and an advising service to help the student shape their program to meet specific interests. Advising is also available to aid in preparation for the LSAT and in the selection of a law school. The pre-law student should select a major field of study to demonstrate a mastery of a specific area. Traditionally, pre-law students have majored in the social science fields of economics, history, political science, or sociology. Non-social science disciplines such as criminal justice may also be selected as the major field of study. Selection of a major should be determined by the student’s interests and career plans.
Non-Degree Advising: Pre-Law
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ENGL 110 | 3 | COMM 110 | 3 |
| History | 3 | Humanities | 3 |
| Lab Science | 4 | Social Science | 3 |
| Electives | 6 | Electives | 6 |
| 16 | 15 | ||
| Sophomore | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ENGL 120 | 3 | Math | 4 |
| Humanities | 3 | Social Science | 3 |
| Lab Science | 4 | Electives | 9 |
| Electives | 6 | ||
| 16 | 16 | ||
| Junior | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| Electives1 | 16 | Electives1 | 16 |
| 16 | 16 | ||
| Senior | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| Electives1 | 16 | Electives1 | 16 |
| 16 | 16 | ||
| Total Hours: 127 | |||
- 1
For the first two years, the pre-law student is advised to take as many General Education credits as possible. In addition to fulfilling General Education requirements, this broad exposure will allow the student to discover what the student to discover what he or she finds interesting and does well in. Then the student should choose a major, minor, and a area of concentration which can be completed in the junior or senior years. The major, minor and concentration courses should hone the intellectual skills that will be required for success in law school. In short, any major, minor and concentration that enables the student to develop communication and critical thinking skills will constitute an acceptable minor for a future law school candidate.
These four-year matrices are possible with commitment, focus, and optimal conditions.
Pre-Seminary
Advisor:
The suggested curricula for pre-seminary students follows closely the curricula prepared by the American Association of Theological Schools. Such preparation should include an adequate background in English language and literature, history, philosophy, and at least one of the natural sciences. There should be proficiency in at least one foreign language. Additional courses are recommended in the areas of humanities and social sciences. A broad background in history, literature, and culture is recommended before theology and religion courses are attempted.
Students interested in more specialized areas may contact the chairperson of the Division of Social Science for a more detailed program.
Pre-Seminary
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ENGL 110 | 3 | ENGL 120 | 3 |
| History | 3 | PHIL 101 | 3 |
| Math | 4 | Social Science | 3 |
| Lab Science | 4 | History Elective | 3 |
| Social Science | 3 | ||
| 14 | 15 | ||
| Sophomore | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| COMM 110 | 3 | ENGL 231 | 3 |
| Humanities | 3 | Lab Science | 4 |
| SPAN 101, GERM 101, or FREN 101 | 3 | PHIL 201 | 3 |
| PHIL 102 | 3 | SPAN 102, GERM 201, or FREN 201 | 3 |
| ENGL 220 | 3 | ||
| 12 | 16 | ||
| Junior | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| HIST 244 | 3 | HIST 401 | 3 |
| PHIL 210 | 3 | SPAN 202, GERM 202, or FREN 202 | 3 |
| SPAN 201, GERM 201, or FREN 201 | 3 | PSY 411 | 3 |
| HIST 243 | 3 | Electives | 3 |
| Electives | 3 | Electives | 3 |
| Electives | 2 | ||
| 15 | 17 | ||
| Senior | |||
| Fall | Hours | ||
| Electives | 34 | ||
| 34 | |||
| Total Hours: 123 | |||
These four-year matrices are possible with commitment, focus, and optimal conditions.