Preprofessional Programs

The University offers courses required for admission to professional or technical schools. Most preprofessional curricula require two units of high school mathematics (algebra and geometry). All programs should be planned in consultation with and approved by the assigned academic adviser.

The requirements for Loma Linda University are listed in this bulletin for some programs. Requirements for admission to preprofessional programs vary among different professional schools and are subject to change. Students should request information about current admission requirements from the professional school they plan to attend.

Completion of courses listed in the Preprofessional Programs does not assure acceptance into the professional school of your choice. For up-to-date requirements for Loma Linda School of Allied Health Professions, see the online transfer articulations.

Please note that C- grades are not transferable for credit.

CHIROPRACTIC

Steven Lee, Academic Adviser.

Two years of college work are generally required, including one year of biology and at least one year of chemistry. Students should obtain a bulletin from each chiropractic college where they may wish to apply for information on specific entrance requirements. Of the dozen approved schools in the United States, Western States Chiropractic College in Portland, Oregon, is the only one in the Northwest. The admission requirements of Western State Chiropractic College presently include one-year courses in general chemistry, organic chemistry, general biology, and general physics.

CYTOTECHNOLOGY

Steven Lee, Academic Adviser.

Students preparing for the Bachelor of Science degree in Cytotechnology should plan to complete 96 quarter hours before entering the professional training. The curriculum requirements of Loma Linda University include:

DENTISTRY

Nelle Cornelison, Joan Redd, Academic Advisers.

The minimum requirement for admission to dentistry is 144 quarter hours. However, most dental schools expect candidates to have completed a bachelor's degree. The following courses are basic requirements for Loma Linda University School of Dentistry and other dental schools may also have similar requirements:

Loma Linda University also recommends additional courses selected from the following areas:

Accounting

Anatomy

Business Management

Cellular and Molecular Biology

Ceramics

Communication

Genetics

Histology

Immunology

Microbiology

Neuroscience

Psychology

Religion

Sculpture

Statistics

Systems Physiology

The Pre-Dental student should choose a major and plan for a degree even though she/he may be accepted to dentistry prior to completion of degree requirements.

DENTAL HYGIENE

Curtis Kuhlman, Academic Adviser.

Loma Linda University

Students planning for careers in dental hygiene must complete 96 quarter hours with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.00 or more before seeking admission to the various dental hygiene programs. Most community college programs lead to the terminal A.S. degree, but still require one year of basic courses, including all of the sciences, before beginning the two year program. The B.S. programs have 96 hours of prerequisites. Courses required for admission to Loma Linda University are as follows.

EMERGENCY MEDICAL CARE/CARDIOPULMONARY SCIENCES

Joan Redd, Academic Adviser.

Students preparing for the Bachelor of Science degree in emergency medical care/cardiopulmonary sciences should plan to complete 48 quarter hours before entering the professional training. The curriculum requirements of Loma Linda University include:

Additional general education courses may be taken at WWU before transferring.

HEALTH INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION

Norman Anderson, Academic Adviser.

Students preparing for the Bachelor of Science degree in health information administration should plan to complete 96 quarter hours before entering the professional training. The curriculum requirements of Loma Linda University include:

LAW

Terrell Gottschall, Norman Anderson, Academic Advisers.

There is no specific curriculum for prelaw students. Courses designed to develop skills in oral and written communication and the ability to reason and think analytically are strongly recommended. This would include, for example, course work in history, political science, economics, English and speech.

Most law schools require a bachelor's degree and a satisfactory grade-point average and score on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) for admission. Law schools vary in the levels of achievement required for admission. Students planning to study law are encouraged to consult with the prelaw adviser.

MEDICINE

Bob Cushman, Gene Stone, Shirley Anderson, Academic Advisers.

The basic entrance requirements are not exactly the same for all medical schools. Most medical schools require completion of a bachelor's degree with a grade-point average of 3.50 or above, computed separately for science and nonscience courses. The following courses are normally required by Loma Linda University:

Also recommended are:

If applying to a medical school other than Loma Linda University, the student should refer to the bulletin of that institution for specific entrance requirements.

*AP and CLEP credits do not meet Loma Linda University requirements for General Chemistry or General Biology.

MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY

Steven Lee, Academic Adviser.

Students interested in entering the field of medical technology should be aware that entry can be made through several different types of programs. There are three common types of programs available through our sister Seventh-day Adventist institutions and in the Pacific Northwest. They are briefly summarized below:

1. Two-plus-two program. In this program entry is made into a combined classroom/clinical program following two years of undergraduate study. A bachelors of science degree is awarded at the completion of the two-year clinical program.
2. Three-plus-one program. In this program entry is made into a clinical program following three years of undergraduate study. A bachelors degree is awarded at the completion of a one-year clinical program.
3. Four-plus-one program. In this program a student completes a bachelors degree in any major, while taking a core of classes in preparation for the clinical training. Following graduation the student then enters a one-year clinical training program.

Entry into a clinical program is competitive. Applicants are selected on the basis of such qualities as scholarship, integrity, dependability, and motivation for medical technology.

The exact entry requirements into these programs vary. If Loma Linda University is the professional school of choice, updated requirements may be found on the LLU School of Allied Health Articulations page. Students interested in this major should contact institutions offering the clinical program early in their university career in order to plan a course schedule. In general the course requirements will include:

One college-level class in mathematics.

NURSING

See Nursing section of this Bulletin.

NUTRITION AND DIETETICS

Shirley Anderson, Academic Adviser.

Students preparing for the Bachelor of Science degree in nutrition and dietetics should plan to complete 96 quarter hours before entering professional training. The curriculum requirements of Loma Linda University include:

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

Curtis Kuhlman, Academic Adviser.

Students preparing for the Bachelor of Science degree in occupational therapy should plan to complete 96 quarter hours with a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or more before entering the professional training. The curriculum requirements of Loma Linda University include:

In addition to the above Loma Linda University requires: A documented minimum of 40 hours of volunteer or employee work experience in an occupational therapy department before acceptance. Occupational Therapist Assistant program also available at Loma Linda University.

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY ASSISTANT

Curtis Kuhlman, Academic Adviser.

The increased demand for occupational therapists has created a demand for occupational therapy assistants. These are usually two year programs and students receive an Associate Science Degree upon completion. Loma Linda University (LLU) offers this program with one year of college prerequisite courses and one year of training at LLU. Courses with grades below C do not count on the program. Courses at Walla Walla University which meet these prerequisites are:

In addition to the above, Loma Linda requires a documented minimum of 40 hours work/observation experience (volunteer/employee) in an occupational therapy department before acceptance.

OPTOMETRY

Fred Liebrand, Academic Adviser.

While two years of college work is the minimum requirement for admission to most optometry schools, the majority of students being admitted have finished at least four years of college or received a bachelor's degree. Students interested in optometry should choose a major even though they may later gain admission to professional school before finishing it. At some optometry schools a student admitted before graduation must then finish a bachelor's degree while pursuing professional studies. This is not advisable since the requirements of the school awarding the degree must then be met.

The preprofessional curriculum should include as a minimum the following courses:

*Precalculus Mathematics should be taken the first year since it is a corequisite for General Chemistry and a prerequisite for General Physics.

Since the requirements for other preoptometry courses differ among the optometry schools, students should obtain catalogs from each school of interest in order that all prerequisites may be fulfilled. Other required courses will include some or all of the following:

Students may also wish to request the booklet Admissions to Schools and Colleges of Optometry, available from the American Optometric Association, 243 N Lindbergh Blvd., St, Louis, MO 63141-9982.

OSTEOPATHY

Shirley Anderson, Academic Adviser.

Schools of osteopathic medicine usually require a degree from an accredited college. The course requirements are essentially the same as for medical schools. (See the medical requirements listed previously in this section of the bulletin.)

PHARMACY

Steven Lee, Academic Adviser.

At least three years of college work are required.Additional requirements are often needed if a bachelor's degree is not completed. Students should consult with the college of pharmacy of their choice about course requirements. In general the course requirements will include:

All pharmaceutical colleges require three years in residency beyond the three years of prepharmacy; most require four years.

PHYSICAL THERAPY

Shirley Anderson, Steven Lee, Academic Advisers.

Entry into the practice of physical therapy is moving towards entry at the doctor's degree level. Most schools require at least three years of undergraduate level studies prior to acceptance into the doctoral degree program. Loma Linda University (LLU) offers a doctor of physical therapy with admission after completion of a bachelor's degree. Andrews University (AU) offers a doctor of physical therapy degree with admission after three years of college. Students must consult the current bulletin of the school of interest for specific entrance requirements. Common prerequisite courses taken at Walla Walla University to meet the entry requirements of physical therapy schools are:

PHYSICAL THERAPY ASSISTANT

Steven Lee, Timothy Tiffin, Academic Advisers.

These are usually two year programs and students receive an Associate Degree upon completion. Loma Linda University (LLU) offers this program with one year of college prerequisite courses and one year of training at LLU. Courses with grades below C do not count on the program. Courses at Walla Walla University which meet these prerequisites are:

A minimum of 80 hours of documented volunteer/work experience, with a Physical Therapist.

PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT

Kyle Craig, Academic Adviser.

There is a wide variation in the prerequisites for entrance into a Physician Assistant program. A minimum of 3.0 G.P.A. is usually required for science courses. A bachelor degree is required for admittance into many programs. Usually a minimum of 2,000 hours of clinical experience involving patient contact is also required. Physician Assistant programs may lead to a bachelor of science (B.S.) or to a Master of Science (M.S.)

Requirements may include the following courses; however students should request information about current admission requirements from the professional school they plan to attend.

PUBLIC HEALTH

Shirley Anderson, Academic Adviser.

Since the field of public health includes such a wide variety of career disciplines, the training opportunities offered by Schools of Public Health present a striking array of distinctly different program tracks.

Students preparing to enter graduate professional programs in public health should realize that the various career options require different types of preparation, and that they have a significant advantage if they anticipate prerequisite differences early. While no particular group of prerequisites can be considered constant for all program tracks, students will find that certain basic public health elements are fundamental to all. Therefore, the applicant who has included in his undergraduate preparation courses in general statistics, epidemiology, public health administration, environmental health, and behavioral science may benefit from advanced standing and/or course waivers for these requirements once accepted into the graduate program.

RADIOLOGICAL TECHNOLOGY

Curtis Kuhlman, Academic Adviser.

The minimum requirement for admission to the study of radiological technology is 42 quarter hours. The following courses are to be included for the Associate of Science degree from Loma Linda University:

In addition to the basic courses listed above, the following elective courses are highly recommended.

A 12 hour minimum work/observation experience (volunteer/employee) in a radiology department required for LLU.

For those students planning for further academic work, a B.S. degree requires 16 units of humanities and 12-16 units of social sciences. 12-16 units science/mathematics, health education (HLTH 110 or HLTH 220), 2 P.E. activity courses and 8 units of religion. Other clinical specialties require General Chemistry, and most highly recommend General Physics. Courses with grade below C do not count on this program.

RESPIRATORY THERAPY

Curtis Kuhlman, Academic Adviser.

The minimum requirement for admission to the study of respiratory therapy is 48 quarter hours. The following courses are to be included for the Associate of Science degree from Loma Linda University:

The ACT or SAT examination is required for students entering Loma Linda University.

Bachelor of Science

After completing an Associate in Science degree in respiratory therapy or the equivalent, the student may continue studies toward the Bachelor of Science degree, completing a computer course and the general studies requirement of 9-13 units communication, 16-20 units cultural heritage including ANTH 225, 12-16 units social sciences, 12-16 units science/math, health education + 2 PE activity courses, and 8 quarter units religion at LLU.

SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY AND AUDIOLOGY

Deborah Silva, Academic Adviser.

The requirements listed below apply to Loma Linda University program. Because the basic requirements for entrance into Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology may be different, the student should confer with the school of their choice.

Before transferring to Loma Linda University or another school, the student should plan to complete speech-language-pathology-related courses on this campus. They include:

*These courses may help fulfill elective speech pathology hours.

+Required

Please note that C minus (C-) grades are not transferable for credit.

VETERINARY SCIENCE

Jim Nestler, Academic Adviser.

The requirements below apply to the Washington-Oregon-Idaho (WOI) Regional Program in veterinary medical education. Since the basic requirements for entrance into other veterinary schools may be different, students should confer with the schools of their choice.

Requirements:

Recommended Courses:

Electives highly recommended by the WOI Regional Program include:

Nonacademic Requirements:

Graduate Record Examination (General Test)

Veterinary Medical Exposure and Animal Experience

Applicants must have some hours of veterinary medical exposure (may include biomedical research, academic medicine, or private practice) and experience with animals by November 1 of the year of application.