Preparation for Professional School

Technical area options also allow the student to fulfill the special course requirements for admission to professional schools. For more information, students should consult an adviser who is familiar with the admission requirements of the professional program in which they are interested.

Medical school. A properly constructed program in engineering provides excellent preparation for entering medical school. The engineer's strong background in mathematics and natural science--combined with a knowledge of such subjects as applied mechanics, fluid dynamics, heat transfer, thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, diffusion, and electricity and magnetism--enhance the mastery of many aspects of medical science. An engineering background is also useful to those who develop and use new instruments for detecting and monitoring medical abnormalities. The engineering/premedical programs described in this catalog usually afford opportunities to pursue alternative vocations for those who do not enter medical school. Medical school admission requirements for which engineering students may have to make special arrangements include eight semester hours of organic chemistry and fourteen semester hours in the life sciences. A competitive grade point average, a suitable score on the Medical College Admission Test, and letters of recommendation are requirements for admission to most medical schools. Arrangements for providing the necessary data must be completed during the summer preceding the student's senior year. Preliminary planning should be initiated early in the sophomore year. Students who intend to apply for admission to a medical school should contact the Health Professions Office, Geography Building 234, for information about admission requirements and application and test deadlines. Additional information about combining engineering and medical school requirements is available from the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Engineering-Science Building 610.

Dental school. Much of the information above about medical school applies also to dental school. All applicants must take the Dental Admission Test. Certain courses not taken by all engineers are also required, but these vary markedly from school to school. Students who are interested in dentistry can obtain specific information from the Health Professions Office.

Law school. Each year a few graduates, representing all engineering disciplines, elect to enter law school, where they find their training in careful and objective analysis is a distinct asset. Many of these students are preparing for careers in patent or corporate law that will enable them to draw on their combined knowledge of engineering and law. Others may not plan to use their engineering knowledge directly, but they still find that the discipline in logical reasoning acquired in an engineering education provides excellent preparation for the study of law. Students interested in admission to the law school of the University should consult the catalog of the School of Law.

Graduate study in business. Since many engineering graduates advance rapidly into positions of administrative responsibility, it is not surprising that they often elect to do graduate work in the area of business administration. In addition to an understanding of the technical aspects of manufacturing, the engineer has the facility with mathematics to master the quantitative methods of modern business administration.

Requirements for admission to graduate business programs are outlined in the catalog of the Graduate School. Many engineering departments offer technical area options that include business and management courses. These can be used with advantage by students who plan to do graduate-level work in business.