Admissions Requirement

Although a minimum of 90 undergraduate semester hours is needed for admission, almost all students have earned degrees before matriculation. Eight semester hours each in general biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, and physics are generally considered as minimum preparation. Prerequisite course work from community colleges is strongly discouraged because of the difficulty in adequately assessing the quality of that preparation. If a prerequisite course is completed at a community college, student must take subsequent courses in that discipline at a four-year college or university in the United States or Canada.

      Eight semester hours of vertebrate zoology or general biology
Eight semester hours of general physics
Eight semester hours of general chemistry
Eight semester hours of organic chemistry

Biology. Courses should provide a broad survey of the animal kingdom, an awareness of animal types and their classifications, and a view of man in nature. Such information is usually covered in one year of general biology. A laboratory course which provides opportunity for dissection is desirable.

Chemistry. The student should have a working knowledge of chemical principles and basic quantitative and physiochemical concepts of the properties of chemical elements and ions, and the relationship of chemical properties to structure and function. It is important that the student’s experience includes adequate time in the laboratory and familiarity with quantitative techniques.

Physics. Knowledge of the fundamental principles of electricity, electromagnetic radiation, sound, heat, mechanics, and optics is valuable and can usually be obtained in a one-year course in general physics.

It is the responsibility of the applicant to determine that the required courses have been completed by the time of application.