Pre-Professional Programs

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Pre-Engineering

To gain admission into the Whitacre College of Engineering, students must have the academic preparation necessary to begin an engineering degree program. Whitacre College of Engineering has partnered with Texas Tech University Advising to create the TTU Pre-Engineering Program. The program is a student retention and success initiative that provides intense academic advising and support for students as they build the requisite math skills and college-required GPA to be successful in an engineering degree program. Pre-Engineering students will enroll in normal university core curriculum and foundational math courses. For students who determine that engineering is not an appropriate choice, the advisors in University Advising are uniquely qualified to assist them in finding a course of study that is best suited to their unique talents and interests. The ultimate goal is for every student to graduate successfully from a best-fit major.

Pre-Law Studies

Students who are interested in attending law school should begin preparing long before graduation. The discipline of law is for students who are interested in combining precision in thinking, researching, and writing with a desire to work with people. While many law school graduates choose to practice in the courtroom, others leverage their newly developed skills to excel in other fields. A law education equips students for success in a law practice, public service, teaching, and business.

Through a structured four-year process, the TTU Pre-Law Program cultivates the undergraduate to become a confident and articulate law school applicant bearing exceptional qualifications. Participants focus on the three essential areas identified by law school professionals nationwide:

1. Writing and speaking with comprehension and clarity.
2. Understanding social institutions and human nature.
3. Thinking creatively and analytically.
   

To excel in these areas, students will achieve the following:

• Connect one-to-one with an academic advisor who specializes in preparing students for thechallenges of law school.
• Establish professional relationships with faculty and mentors.
• Confirm/determine a best-fit academic major.
• Pursue excellence and academic challenges.
• Explore service learning and undergraduate research opportunities.
• Develop strong time management practices.
• Identify options for financing continued education at a school of law.
• Prepare for and practice taking the LSAT exam.
• Prepare and submit law school applications.
  

Prospective law students need a four-year bachelor’s degree in the academic discipline of their choice. Law schools are generally most interested in applicants who exhibit intellectual maturity and have the foundation of a broad-based liberal arts education. They consider exceptional applicants from diverse disciplines and backgrounds, often providing programs for early admission to qualified applicants. For example, the Texas Tech University School of Law offers four such early admission programs for qualified students. (For more information see www.prelaw.ttu.edu/earlyadmit.)
The TTU Pre-Law Program works with students primarily via three initial curricular routes.

1. Undeclared/Exploratory (TTUD)
   Initially, a student can be designated as Exploratory. Through the university’s Discovery! process, students explore best-fit majors by aligning values, interests, skills, abilities. Exploratory status allows students the freedom to explore best-fit academic majors while staying on track in progress toward a degree and preparation for law school.
2. Declared Academic Major
   The TTU Pre-Law Program partners with students and academic advisors who specialize in declared majors. This combined guidance supports the pursuit of undergraduate success while also preparing students for the transition to law school. Pre-Law advisors help students navigate the larger process while tracking student progress.
3. Legal Studies Minor
   The interdisciplinary minor in legal studies formally guides and encourages the exploration of law and its influence on society. The curriculum blends challenging course options in students’ home disciplines with relevant interdisciplinary electives to facilitate an interest in and an appreciation for the beneficial application of theory and research through the vehicle of law.
   

Students looking for an extra boost toward the future should consider living together in the Pre-Law Learning Community (LC). The LC consists of two residence hall floors designated exclusively for pre-law students. Students can join the TTU Pre-Law Program at any time; for the most benefit, it is best to start as soon as possible.

Contact information: Texas Tech University Advising, 79 Holden Hall, 806.742.2189,
prelaw@ttu.edu, www.prelaw.ttu.edu

 

Legal Studies Minor

The 21-credit-hour minor consists of required courses plus three directed electives. The TTU Pre-Law Program is responsible for certifying completion of the requirements for the minor in conjunction with the standard graduation certification processes used in each college. Students must have a minimum 2.75 cumulative Texas Tech GPA to declare, and a grade of C or better is needed to complete minor requirements. In the event an approved course is only offered pass/fail, a grade of pass will fulfill the grade requirement for the minor, per university policy. A minimum of nine credits must be completed in residence at Texas Tech University. Service learning options are valued and recommended where available.

Required Coursework

With emphasis on academic and institutional engagement, utilization of resources, intellectual agility, and future application, 12 credit hours of the following coursework will be required for all students:

• COMS 3313 Persuasion¹
• ENGL 2311 Introduction to Technical Writing
• IS 1100/3100 RaiderReady*+
• 1 Hour Internship or upper-level independent study course with prior approval from the
• TTU Pre-Law Program+
• 1 Hour Seminar in the Legal Profession
• IS 4100 Strengths-Based Senior Seminar
• LIBR 1100 Introduction to Library Research
• PHIL 2310 Logic²

Elective Coursework

The remaining 9 credit hours will be divided among the three curricular learning objectives of the minor: social science, communication, and professional practice. Courses required explicitly and without alternative by a student’s declared major may not be used to fulfill elective coursework in the legal studies minor. Appropriate alternative courses will be considered. Students must select one course from each of the following areas:

Social Science

• HDFS 4343 Family Law and Public Policy
• HIST 4324 Courts and Capitalis²
• PHIL 2320 Introduction to Ethics³
• PHIL 3321 Philosophy of Law¹
• POLS 3351 The Judicial Process⁴
• POLS 3352 Constitutional Law–Powers⁴
• POLS 3353 Constitutional Law–Limitations⁴
• PSY 4305 Abnormal Psychology
• SOC 3327 Sociology of Law and Policing¹
  

Communication

• COMS 3314 Argumentation and Debate
• COMS 3332 Intercultural Communication¹,⁵
• COMS 3356 Leadership and Communication¹
• ENGL 2391 Introduction to Critical Writing³
• ENGL 3362 Rhetorical Criticism
• ENGL 3365 Professional Report Writing
• MCOM 3320 Mass Communications Law
• THA 2301 Introduction to Acting⁶

Professional Practice

• AAEC 4320 Agribusiness Law
• AHCM 4314 Quality Assurance and Risk Management
• AHCM 4318 Healthcare Law/Ethics
• ARCH 5392 Professional Practice
• BA 3302 Financial and Managerial Accounting
• BLAW Business Law (3391, 3393, or 4392)
• ECO 3326 Industrial Organization, Antitrust, and Regulation
• EDLD 5340 Educational Law
• ENGR 2392 Engineering Ethics and Its Impact on Society³
• HONS 2311 Seminar in International Affairs³
• PFP 3301 Introduction to Personal Finance¹
• PSY 4384 Forensic Psychology
• RHIM 4313 Legal Aspects of Hospitality Industry
• WE 4311 Wind Energy Law and Regulatory Issues

¹Social and Behavioral Sciences core curriculum course option
² Writing Intensive
³ Humanities core curriculum course option
⁴ Political Science core curriculum course option (with restrictions)
⁵ Multicultural requirement course option
⁶ Visual and Performing Arts core curriculum course option
* To apply, this course will always require a research-grounded, exam-quality paper that reflects upon
  the course while synthesizing and communicating the value of the course in facilitating the student’s
  transition to a school of law.
+ Applies only when taken as entering student; Pre-Law focused work is preferred. Freshmen may
  also apply BA 1101 or HUSC 1100.

Contact information: Texas Tech University Advising, 79 Holden Hall, 806.742.2189, prelaw@ttu.edu, www.prelaw.ttu.edu

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Pre-Professional Health Careers

The Pre-Professional Health Careers office provides three major services to students interested in a health profession career: (1) course registration advice for students who have not yet declared a major; (2) career advice for students who are either undecided about or reconsidering which health profession career to pursue; and (3) application advice primarily to students applying to dental, medical, and optometry schools but also to students applying to the full range of health career professional schools.

While the office maintains an extensive collection of information on a broad range of health careers and can provide support for a wide variety of health career interests, most students align themselves with one of 10 different programs: pre-clinical laboratory sciences; pre-dentistry; pre-medicine; pre-nursing; pre-occupational therapy; pre-optometry; pre-pharmacy; pre-physical therapy; pre-physician assistant; and pre-speech, language, and hearing sciences. Although the academic preparation required for admission to various health career professional schools varies greatly, most require successful completion of specific college-level science, mathematics/statistics, and general education courses.

None of the 10 programs administered by the Pre-Professional Health Careers office are majors and do not lead directly to an undergraduate degree. This distinction between programs and majors is critically important because a baccalaureate degree is required for physical therapy programs and is often obtained for dentistry, medicine, and optometry programs with a broad range of majors being accepted. Professional programs in clinical lab sciences; nursing; occupational therapy; pharmacy; physician assistant; or speech, language, and hearing sciences generally do not require a baccalaureate degree. Nevertheless, students pursuing these careers are strongly encouraged to identify a major that is suited to their interests and abilities which can provide alternative career options.

To begin receiving department-level course registration advice as early as possible, students pursuing a health profession career are strongly encouraged to declare a major as soon as they are comfortable with their choice, but no later than the semester in which their earned credit hours exceed 45. Even after a major has been declared students pursuing health careers will still find the Pre-Professional Health Careers office a valuable resource. This office provides the evaluation forms and coordinates assembling evaluation packets for applications to schools of dentistry, medicine, and optometry.

Contact information: Pre-Professional Health Careers office, 340A Chemistry Building, 806.742.3078, www.depts.ttu.edu/pphc

Professional School Requirements. Because changes in prerequisite course requirements are occasionally made by various health profession schools and requirements can sometimes differ among institutions, students are strongly encouraged to consult often with the Pre-Professional Health Careers Office and the health profession school of their choice to be sure they have the most up-to-date information. Nevertheless, some general required course guidelines can be outlined for the various health career programs. A four-semester model curriculum for each of the programs is provided for general guidance at www.depts.ttu.edu/pphc. However, many variations on the suggested course of study can equivalently prepare a student for health professional school admission. Students should not feel constrained by these model curriculums, and variations may be required by college credit awarded through transfer, AP examination, and/or dual-credit high school courses. Students should always have alternate curriculum plans evaluated by the Pre-Professional Health Careers advisors.

Pre-Dentistry

The minimum admission requirements for most dental schools in the United States include 14 semester hours of biology, 6 semester hours of English, 8 semester hours of general chemistry, 8 hours semester hours of organic chemistry, 8 semester hours of physics, and 3 semester hours of statistics. Applicants to dental schools are required to take the Dental Admission Test and submit their application approximately one year prior to the planned matriculation. To learn the admission requirements of a specific dental school, students should consult the website of the dental school. While it is possible to be admitted to dental school after completing only 90 semester hours, this is unusual, and students should plan to complete a baccalaureate degree before entering dental school.

 

Pre-Medicine

The minimum admission requirements for most medical schools in the United States include 3 hours of biochemistry, 14 hours of biology, 3 hours of calculus or statistics, 6 hours of English, 8 hours of general chemistry, 8 hours of organic chemistry, and 8 hours of physics. Applicants to medical schools are required to take the Medical College Admission Test and submit their application approximately one year prior to the date of the planned matriculation. For the most up-to-date admission requirements, students should consult the most recent edition of Medical School Admission Requirements or the website of a particular medical school of interest. While it is possible to be admitted to medical school after completing only 90 semester hours, this is unusual, and students should plan to complete a baccalaureate degree before entering medical school.

 

Pre-Nursing

Specific admission requirements vary depending on the nursing school, but the requirements generally include 4 hours of chemistry, 6 hours of English, 8 hours of human anatomy and physiology, 3 hours of humanities, 3 hours of lifespan growth and development, 4 hours of microbiology, 3 hours of nutritional sciences, 6 hours of political science, 3 hours of psychology, 3 hours of statistics, 6 hours of U.S. history, and 3 hours of visual and performing arts. An introduction to nursing course and a pathophysiology course are also often required. Some nursing schools require applicants to take the Test of Essential Academic Skills. Students need to consult the website of particular nursing schools to learn detailed specific application requirements and follow through with the submission of all required information and documents.

 

Pre-Optometry

Specific admission requirements vary depending on the optometry school, but the requirements generally include 8 hours of biology, 3 hours of biochemistry, 3 hours of calculus, 8 hours of general chemistry, 3 hours of general psychology, 4 hours of human anatomy, 4 hours of microbiology, 4 hours of organic chemistry, 8 hours of physics, 4 hours of physiology, and 3 hours of statistical methods. The website of a particular optometry school should be consulted to learn the detailed specific application requirements. The completing a baccalaureate degree is not always required. Applicants to optometry school are required to take the Optometry Admission Test and submit all admission related documents in accordance with the timeline available on the website of the optometry school.

 

Pre-Pharmacy

Specific admission requirements vary depending on the pharmacy school, but the requirements generally include 8 hours of biology, 3 hours of calculus, 3 hours of economics, 6 hours of English, 8 hours of general chemistry, 15 hours of humanities/social science, 3 hours of literature, 4 hours of microbiology, 8 hours of organic chemistry, 4 hours of physics, 3 hours of public speaking, and 3 hours of statistical methods. Applicants to pharmacy school are required to take the Pharmacy College Admission Test, and students are strongly encouraged to consult the website of a particular pharmacy school to learn detailed specific application requirements.

 

Allied Health Sciences

Schools of allied health sciences include programs in clinical laboratory science; speech, language, and hearing sciences; occupational therapy; physical therapy; and physician assistant. Students are awarded degrees upon completion of these programs. Some allied health professional schools require a baccalaureate degree while other professional programs require only 60 to 90 hours of college-level courses. Additionally, some allied health programs require an admission test. This variability makes it essential for a student to consult carefully the website of the particular program at a specific school to learn all the application requirements. Application deadlines also vary but are usually required six to twelve months prior to the planned start date.

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