TCU offers a curriculum to prepare students for admission
to programs leading to doctoral degrees in the following health professions:
Dentistry (D.D.S.), Allopathic Medicine (M.D.), Optometry (O.D.), Osteopathic
Medicine (D.O.), Podiatric Medicine (D.P.M.), and Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.).
The Pre-Health Professions program also offers advising
services to students interested in other health fields (e.g., physical
therapy, occupational therapy).
Health Professions Advisory Committee (HPAC) consists of faculty members
who teach courses normally taken by students pursuing the above professional goals
and presently includes Professors Tim Barth, Psychology; Doug Ingram, Physics;
David Minter, Chemistry; Andrew Paquet, Biology; and Phil Hartman, Biology, Chairman.
Ruth Eakin, the administrative assistant to the program, is housed in SWR M16.
The duties of the committee are to advise students on their
curriculum, to provide counseling regarding the health professions, and to evaluate,
both for the student and for the professional schools, the student's suitability
for entering the profession. The committee offers "mock" interviews and will
write a committee-based letter of evaluation for those students who submit the
appropriate biographical materials.
Curriculum: Health profession schools prefer applicants
who have completed a four-year curriculum leading to a B.A. or B.S. degree.
Generally, no particular majors are preferred although certain courses are required
or suggested as described below. Students uncertain as to their prospective
major should start out in the curriculum for the combination B.S. degree (see
below).
Required and Suggested Courses: Although each professional
program has its own list of required and suggested courses, those shown below
will meet the requirements of the vast majority. Students should check the current
requirements of schools to which they intend to apply before they begin their
junior year at TCU to insure that new or unusual requirements can be met before
graduation.
Pass/No Credit Option. Courses required by professional
schools for admission should not be taken on the Pass/No Credit basis.
General Requirements:
Biology: 10504, 10514
Chemistry: 10113, 10123, 10122 (or 10114 and 10124), 30123, 30122, 30133
Math: 10052, 10053 (if not completed in high school)
Physics: 10153, 10151, 10163, 10161
Other: University Curriculum Requirements and requirements
of the major/minor
Required: Two advanced Biology courses as listed under
General Suggestions with BIOL 30303, 40123, 40133, 40503 and 50133 especially
recommended.
Suggested: ART 10133, 20243
Additional Pre-medical Courses
Required: Biology (same as pre-dental), MATH 10524, CHEM 30132
Suggested: None
Additional Pre-optometry Courses
Required: BIOL 20204-20214 or 30404, 30303, 40404; MATH 10524; PSYC 10213, 30503;
CHEM 50133
Suggested: None
Additional Pre-pharmacy Courses
Required: BIOL 30303, 30404; MATH 10524 and 10043.
Additional Pre-podiatric Courses
Required: Same as premed.
Additional Pre-veterinary Courses
Required: BIOL 30303, 30603, 40123, 40253, 50133; MATH 10524; ENGL one literature
course plus 30223 (or SPCO 20103); RAMA 30703.
Suggested: MATH 10043
Aptitude Tests: Most professional schools require aptitude tests to have
been taken at the time of application. Generally, these should be taken
15-17 months before contemplated admission; i.e., in the spring of the
junior year for 4-year students or in the sophomore year for 3-year students (see
below). Information on these exams is available in the Pre-Health Professions
office SWR-M16: The Dental Aptitude Test (DAT), the Medical College Aptitude Test
(MCAT), the Optometry Aptitude Test (OAT).
Health Care Ethics
Minor
(See Health Care Ethics)
Combination B.S. Degree Program (The "Three-Year
Program")
A few highly qualified pre-health professions students
may be accepted by the professional school after the completion of a three-year
college curriculum. TCU offers the B.S. combination degree program for these
students. The student must complete a minimum of 94 semester hours including
the prescribed courses, the UCR, and aptitude tests listed above. The last 45
hours of the 94 must be taken at TCU. The B.S. combination degree will be awarded
after successful completion of the first year of professional school. Students
uncertain as to their plans or major should start out in this program. Students
must declare their interest in this program (i.e., file a degree plan)
prior to application to a professional school. A typical curriculum that meets
all these requirements is outlined below.
Typical Combination B.S. Degree Program for Pre-Health
Professions Students 1
semester hours
FRESHMAN YEAR
BIOL 10504, 10514
8
CHEM 10113,10123,10122
8
Writing Workshop, other UCR
6
MATH 10052**, 10053 and 10524
7-9
Physical Education or ROTC
2
total
31-33
SOPHOMORE YEAR
BIOL 30603
3
CHEM 30123, 30122, 30133, 30132
10
PHYS 10151, 10153, 10161, 10163
8
UCR
2*
total
33
APTITUDE TEST should be taken at this point
JUNIOR YEAR
BIOL
7-9*
UCR
15*
Electives or Additional Requirements
6-9*
Total
29-32
* See Required and Suggested courses for permissible variations and
other specific courses.
**Students who have had trigonometry and coordinate geometry in high
school may go directly into MATH 10524 if required by chosen field.
Alpha Epsilon Delta. The program sponsors
the Texas Zeta Chapter of Alpha Epsilon Delta, the national honor society for
pre-professional health science students.
Scholarships. The M.D. Anderson Foundation of
Houston sponsors several scholarships for pre-health profession students who are
at least sophomores, have a GPA above 3.0, are in the top third of their class,
have a record of service to TCU, the community, or the profession, and have demonstrated
a high motivation toward a career in medicine and dentistry. Applications are
available from the Financial Aid Office with June 15 and December 15 deadlines.
