Preparation for Professional Studies

Business (M.B.A. Programs). The Office of Pre-professional Advising should be consulted for recommendations regarding preparation for graduate programs in business. Although some graduate programs in business do not require any prerequisite work in business, others recommend that liberal arts majors take introductory courses in business, economics, math and statistics at the undergraduate level.

The following courses, developed for the business minor, are open to all undergraduates. Students should consult the catalog for prerequisites.

Courses in economics and math common to undergraduate business curriculums include ECON 202 and 203; MATH 142 or another calculus course, and MATH 141 or a similar finite math course.

Government Service (M.P.A. Programs). Most graduate programs in public administration recommend a broad background of knowledge and skills in the following areas: the political, social, economic and legal context of administration; analytical tools; individual, group and organizational dynamics; policy analysis; administrative/management processes; and arts and science foundation skills. Students are best prepared for an M.P.A. program if their undergraduate programs are multidisciplinary in nature, drawing upon political science, economics, the behavioral sciences, the quantitative sciences, and administrative and managerial sciences.

Law. Most law school admissions committees require a student to have a four-year college program leading to a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, or Bachelor of Business Administration degree, or equivalent, as well as an acceptable score on the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT). In general, law schools prefer that a student seek a liberal college education rather than one which is narrowly specialized. They favor thorough learning in some broad cultural field of a student's choice, such as history, economics, political science, philosophy, mathematics, science, literature, or the classics. Admissions committees rarely favor concentration in specialized, technical curricula unless such study is adequately supplemented by advanced work in the social sciences and humanities. The Law School Admissions Test Council and the Council of the Section on Legal Education and Admissions of the American Bar Association both advise against the taking of satisfactory/unsatisfactory courses by students intending to go to law school.

Normally students will register for one of the regular degree programs of their choice. It is advisable to include among the elective hours some of the following courses: ACCT209, 210; ECON 202, 203; ENGL 210, 301, 341; HIST 213; HIST 447, 448, or POLS 210, 353, 354, 355, 357; PHIL 240, 483; PSYC 107; and COMM 203, 243. Students should avoid an excessive number of courses titled "law" in favor of those of a general educational nature, although exposure to "law" courses should help in the decision of whether to apply to law school.

Advising for pre-law students regardless of major, including application forms for taking the Law School Admissions Test, may be obtained from the Office of Professional School Advising, Room 205 Academic Building, (979)847-8938.

Medicine. Liberal arts majors interested in applying to medical school should meet with an advisor in the Office of Professional School Advising as early as possible. Out-of-state medical schools vary in the courses they require, but the following courses are the prerequisites for the Texas medical schools:

Advising for all pre-health students, including medical and dental students, may be obtained from the Office of Professional School Advising, Room 205 Academic Building, (979) 847-8938. Students are urged to stop by the office to pick up information on professional schools and talk with an advisor very early and often during their collegiate career.

Nursing. Texas A&M does not offer a pre-nursing major. Specific information about course selection and nursing programs to which students may transfer is available from the Office of Professional School Advising, Room 205 Academic Building, (979) 847-8938.

Teacher Certification. Students majoring in one of the departments of the College of Liberal Arts and working toward a teaching certificate must meet the minimum requirements described in the College of Education section. In that many certification requirements are determined by the State of Texas and thus are subject to periodic change, students working toward certification should maintain frequent contact with advisors in the College of Education.

Theology. The American Association of Theological Schools recommends that students planning to enter a theological seminary include in their undergraduate curriculum the following subjects.

For additional information see the Coordinator of the Religious Studies Program in the college.