Interdisciplinary

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Interdisciplinary Programs

Pre-Professional Programs

This chapter describes two pre-professional programs that will be of special interest to our students, pre-med and pre-law.

All degree programs at the university are pre-professional in that they prepare students to enter their chosen career fields. They allow students to enter the job market, pursue studies toward an advanced degree or seek professional credentialing, and they are designed to meet professional standards for their fields. In addition, a number of degree programs aim specifically at preparing students for entrance into a profession that requires candidates to obtain a license or certificate after completing their required university studies. Examples include Medical Laboratory Science, Nursing, Engineering and the programs for Teacher Preparation. The descriptions of these and other programs are found in the departmental sections of this Catalogue.

This section lists minors and other programs that are not contained in one specific college of the university. These programs offer unique opportunities.

Interdisciplinary Minors

Interdisciplinary minors involve a number of academic fields and are offered by faculty from many academic departments. But these programs do more than just convey a subject matter that happens to intersect with more than one academic field. They are interdiscipli- nary by design and intention and are concerned with the methodological issues of interdisciplinary study and the value of the interplay of forms of dialogue used in various fields of inquiry.

Students are encouraged to contact the advisors for these programs to learn more about their range of courses, their benefits, and their challenges.

Pre-Law

Pre-Law Advisor

Kenneth Manning Political Science

The Pre-Law program assists students who are considering a career in law in making informed decisions and appropriate preparations to achieve their professional objectives. The program helps qualified students gain entry into a quality law school and assists them in being well-positioned to succeed in their legal education.

There is no specific Pre-Law major at most universities, including UMass Dartmouth. Pre-Law students should choose a major in which they are interested and which will help them to develop their reading and analytical skills. Popular majors among Pre-Law students include Political Science, Psychology, Economics, Business, History and English; however, while there is no specific Pre-Law major, there are courses that students should consider taking that will help them prepare for the academic rigor of law school.

All students considering law school should make an appointment to meet with the Pre-Law advisor, who is available to assist students in evaluating and pursing a career in law. The advisor provides information about the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and helps students navigate through the application process to assist them in their efforts to enter law school.

For information on how to contact the Pre-Law advisor or to learn more about the Pre-Law program, visit the UMass Dartmouth Pre-Law web page at: www.umassd.edu/prelaw.

Pre-Medical

Pre-Medical Advisory Committee

Alan H Bates (Co-chairperson) Chemistry

Eileen Carreiro-Lewandowski Medical Laboratory Science

Robert Griffith Biology

Barry R Haimson Psychology 

Peter Hart (Co-chairperson) Biology

Catherine Neto Chemistry

Kenneth Oliveira Biology

A Faculty Pre-Medical Advisory Committee assists all pre-medical (pre-medical, pre-dental, pre-veterinary, etc.) students in their pursuit of admission to a professional school.

• The pre-med students should meet at least once each semester with an advisor from the committee who will review the student’s program and progress and make recommendations.
• The committee serves as the principal source of advice in course selection for the pre-medical program.
• The committee actively seeks up-to-date information about medical school admission requirements and makes direct contact with the medical schools whenever possible.
• The committee prepares letters of recommendation for submission to the medical schools.
• The committee advises the Student Pre-medical Association and communicates frequently with pre-med students through e-mail and a university electronic bulletin board.

The university offers sound and appropriate preparation for study at professional schools which train physicians, veterinarians, dentists, osteopaths, podiatrists, chiropractors, nurse practitioners, and physician’s associates. Students may also complete approximately two years of a pre-pharmacy program at UMass Dartmouth before transferring to an institution with a college of pharmacy.

Students interested in pursuing any of these careers should consult with one of the Pre-Medical advisers as early as possible. A 7-member Faculty Premedical Advisory Committee counsels and assists pre-med students.

Students who wish to prepare for admission into graduate schools of medicine have many options open to them. By the judicious use of electives, any student can satisfy the undergraduate preparatory course requirements of most medical schools. Preparation for medical careers requires the completion of core courses in biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, and frequently psychology. While pre-medical students at UMass Dartmouth most commonly major in biology or chemistry, the core courses required for preparation to enter medical school can be completed in combination with any major in the University. Students contemplating medical careers are encouraged to major in whatever discipline they find interesting and satisfying, but they should do this in consultation with the pre-medical faculty advisers.

Some students have completed a bachelor’s degree but would like to strengthen their background in coursework preparatory to entrance to medical, dental, or veterinary school. For them the university offers a Pre- Med version of our Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Program, described on the previous page.

International Marketing/French

The Omer E. and Laurette M. Boivin Center for French Language and Culture offers a Certificate Program in International Marketing/French. Any UMass Dartmouth student wishing to pursue the Certificate may apply to The Boivin Center through its Director for entrance into the program.

UMass Dartmouth and the Southern New England School of Law Three-Plus-Three Program

Teacher Education Program Facts

Massachusetts and Federal law require us to post the success rates of our teaching certification candidates on the Massachusetts Teacher Test. These statistics reflect policies in place previously that allowed students to enter and complete the program before passing the Teacher Test. 

Note: When fewer than 10 persons took the test, scores are not shown.

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