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120 Southeastern Oklahoma State University
If you plan to attend professional schools in fields such
as dental hygiene, dentistry, dietetics, engineering, law, medicine,
nursing, occupational therapy, optometry, osteopathy,
pharmacy, physical therapy, physician’s associate, radiology,
or veterinary medicine, Southeastern has what you’re looking
for with respect to pre-professional training.
You’ll gain two things from Southeastern’s pre-professional
programs: (l) a solid background for the professional school
of your choice, and (2) the educational option of satisfying the
requirements for possible graduation from Southeastern.
To earn an undergraduate degree from Southeastern, you
will need to select specific combinations of major and minor,
double major or major-minor programs.
The application requirements of most professional schools
include the following: (l) a college transcript showing the
completion of certain pre-professional college courses, (2)
submission of test scores from a national preadmission test,
(3) letters of recommendation, and (4) a personal interview with
an admissions committee. The best time to plan for entrance
to professional schools is at the beginning, before you begin
your work at Southeastern. Check with your campus academic
advisor and with the professional school you plan to attend.
PREDENTAL HYGIENE
Most dental hygiene programs require 60 semester hours
of prerequisite college coursework before matriculation. These
courses can be very specific and students are encouraged to
visit with an advisor as soon as possible if they are considering
dental hygiene. All required coursework needs to be completed
with grade of “C” or better and an overall minimum GPA of 2.5.
Recommended courses at Southeastern typically include
the following: English Composition I & II (ENG 1113 & 1213),
speech (COMM 1233 or 2133), statistics (STAT 2153), history
(HIS 1513 or 1523), general chemistry I with lab (CHEM 1315),
human physiology (BIOL 3614), human anatomy (BIOL 3624),
microbiology (BIOL 2114), nutrition (BIOL 1133), political science
(POSC 1513), psychology (PSY 1113), and sociology
(SOC 1113). In addition, three semester hours are needed in
each of the following categories: understanding art forms, western
civilization and non-western culture. Additional coursework
will also be necessary to reach the required total of 60 hours.
Other courses recommended or required by some dental
hygiene programs include general chemistry II with lab, mathematics
and foreign languages.
Most schools require that all application materials be
submitted no later than January 15th of the year within which
admission is desired, but earlier applications are encouraged.
Scores on the ACT or SAT are also required of some schools.
All dental hygiene programs require observation hours. Consult
the specific school website for the exact number.
Pre-professional Studies
For additional information, contact the Department of
Chemistry, Computer and Physical Sciences.
PREDENTISTRY
Basic admission requirements to most dental schools
include a minimum of 90 semester hours of course work. However,
the majority of students who are admitted have completed
more credit hours and will have received a bachelor’s degree.
Course requirements for entrance into most dental schools
include the following: English Composition I & II (ENG 1113 &
1213), general chemistry I & II with lab (CHEM 1315 & 1415),
organic chemistry I & II with lab (CHEM 3053, 3153, 3062 &
3162), biochemistry (CHEM 4115), physics I & II with lab (PHYS
1114 & 1214), and psychology (PSY 1113). In addition, at least
sixteen semester hours are needed in biological sciences. A
minimum grade of “C” is required for each prerequisite course.
Students are required to take the American Dental Association
Dental Admission Test (DAT) the year preceding the desired
year of dental school admission. The DAT is administered on
computer by the Prometric Testing Centers and students register
online. A dental school applicant may retake the test a total
of three times and must wait 90 days between testing dates.
Observation hours at a dentist office are required by all
dental programs for admission. Some schools require as many
as 100 documented hours.
Most dental schools participate in the American Association
of Dental Schools Application Service (AADSAS). Candidates
are encouraged to apply early online in the fall preceding the
year of desired admittance. Strong applicants will be invited
for an on campus interview.
For additional information, contact the Department of
Chemistry, Computer and Physical Sciences.
PREDIETETICS
Students interested in a career in dietetics (clinical,
management or community) may take general education
requirements plus pre-professional courses such as general
chemistry (two semesters), organic chemistry (one semester),
general zoology (one semester) or introductory biology for
majors, human physiology (one semester), microbiology (one
semester), and nutrition (one semester).
Students who are preparing to enter dietetics should be
in contact with a university they wish to attend which has an
American Dietetic Association approved program. All course
work needs to be planned with the guidance of such a program.
For more specific information, contact the Department
of Biological Sciences.