Health Professions
Students pursuing full four year degree programs as premedical
or predental preparation normally earn the Bachelor of Science degree
with a major in either biology or chemistry, but they are free to follow
any degree program provided they complete the specific premedical or
predental requirements.
Students should familiarize themselves with the general
admission requirements of the profession which they aspire to enter
in addition to those of specific schools of their choice. The Coordinator
of Pre-Health Professions Studies, Dr. Gwendolyn Kinebrew of the Biology
Department, is available for individual advising. In addition, general
meetings are held each year to provide information for each class level.
Faculty advisors in the biological and physical sciences are also available
to act in an educational and advising capacity. Students are encouraged
to avail themselves of these resources.
The Health Professions Advisory Committee is the university agent which
recommends students to medical and dental schools. The committee, rather
than individual faculty members, issues letters of recommendation. The
recommendation of the committee is based not only on academic performance
but also on factors such as integrity, industry, maturity, judgment,
and social development.
Post-baccalaureate students who have not received their
undergraduate degree from John Carroll may use the Health Professions
Advisory Committee as the source for their letter of recommendation
if they so choose. Normally such students should have completed 24 semester
hours of course work at John Carroll, which may include the semester
in which they interview before the committee.
Current admission practices of health professional schools
suggest student qualifications considerably higher than the minimum
C average required for graduation. Normally, therefore, a letter of
evaluation will be written only for applicants to medical school who
have achieved a grade point average of 3.0 overall and 3.0 in science
courses (biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics), and for applicants
to dental school who have achieved a grade point average of 2.75 overall
and 2.75 in science courses (biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics).
Medicine
The requirements of medical schools are summarized in Admission Requirements
of American Medical Colleges, published annually by the Association
of American Medical Colleges. Applicants for medical school must take
the Medical College Admission Test. Since this test is usually taken
in late spring of the junior year, premedical students should have completed
or be completing the basic requirements for medical school by that time.
Those requirements are generally one year each of general chemistry,
organic chemistry, physics, biology, and math. They are usually fulfilled
at John Carroll by taking CH 141-144
and 221-224; PH
125, 125L, 126,
and 126L; BL
155-158; and MT 135-136 (MT
228 may be substituted for MT
136). A bachelor’s degree is almost invariably required.
John Carroll also participates in two special programs for premedical
students: (1) the Dual Admission Program is an early-decision program
for high school students in conjunction with the University of Cincinnati
College of Medicine and must be applied to during the early part of
the senior year in high school; (2) the MEDStart Program, offered with
the Medical College of Ohio, is an early-decision program for John Carroll
first-semester juniors. Details of these programs are available on the
JCU website (/prehealth) or from the coordinator of pre-health professions
studies.
Dentistry
The Council on Dental Education of the American Dental Association lists
the minimum educational requirements for admission to a dental school
as follows: (1) Students must successfully complete two full years of
study in an accredited liberal arts college. (2) In most states, the
basic requirements of predental education are the same as those of premedical
education noted above. Those requirements are generally one year each
of general chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, biology, and math.
They are usually fulfilled at John Carroll by taking CH
141-144 and 221-224, PH
125, 125L, 126,
126L, BL
155-158, and MT 135-136. (3)
Students must complete a minimum of 64 credit hours from liberal or
general education courses, such as English, mathematics, philosophy,
and religious studies, which give breadth to their educational background.
Applicants must take the Dental Aptitude Test. This test is usually
taken in late spring of the junior year, by which time the basic predental
requirements should be completed. Although students with only two or
three years of undergraduate education are occasionally admitted to
schools of dentistry, that is the exception rather than the rule.
In addition to medicine and dentistry, there are a number of occupations
available in the health-care delivery area that are in the process of
expanding. Students are encouraged to explore and consider such fields
as podiatry, physical therapy, occupational therapy, pharmacy, nursing,
optometry, veterinary medicine, and physician assistant. Most of these
occupations require a baccalaureate degree with additional education
at the graduate level. Information and advising are available from the
coordinator of pre-health professions studies.
