In addition to declaring a major and a minor, students who plan careers in the professional fields below should also declare their pre-professional intent at the time of admission or early in their academic careers. Students will be assigned an advisor who is familiar with the appropriate pre-professional program and who will advise about the major, course selection, and other requirements for admission to the appropriate professional program.
Guidelines for entrance to professional and pre-professional programs are given below. Once students have narrowed the choice of professional or technical schools, they should obtain specific entrance requirements for those schools.
Advisor
Advisor
- Pre-Dental
- Pre-Medical (M.D., D.O.)
- Pre-Optometry
- Pre-Pharmacy
- Pre-Physical Therapy
- Pre-Physician Assistant
- Pre-Occupational Therapy
- Pre-Veterinary Medicine
Students interested in attending law school upon graduation should declare pre-law as a pre-professional interest by the end of the sophomore year and be assigned an advisor by contacting Academic Advising. For assistance with course selection and applications to law school, students should meet with their prelaw advisor prior to the senior year. Materials are available from the Academic Achievement Center. The pre-law advisors are readily available to help students learn more about law schools and the legal profession.
Advisor
The committee has an active advising capacity to Church-Related Occupation Program (CROP) students regarding their interest in the ministry, and students having such interests should make their intentions known as early as possible to the University chaplain or to Dr. Merrill Willis. The committee seeks to assist each student with defining a special program of pre-seminary study.
The committee appoints qualified students in supervised field education (“Apprentices-in-Ministry” and interns in religious studies). This field experience may entail service with church congregations, church-related agencies, or other service agencies. Eligibility for appointments is determined by the following minimum guidelines:
“Apprentices-in-Ministry” must:
- Be in good standing with the University;
- Have at least a 2.25 cumulative quality point average; and
- Have successfully completed at least six semester credit hours of introductory courses in religious studies or a related field of study, with approval of the committee.
Persons desiring to serve in churches or other agencies should seek to qualify and to apply for appointment as “Apprentices-in-Ministry.”
An alternate form of supervised field experience in religious studies is the internship in religious studies, open to a limited number of students who meet all the above requirements and the academic internship requirements listed below. Internships in religious studies are arranged individually with the supervision of the Advisory Committee on Pre-Ministerial Education. Prerequisites for RELG 399 Internship in Religious Studies are as follows:
- Juniors and seniors with a minimum QPA of 2.25;
- Approval of the Advisory Committee on Pre-Ministerial Education;
- Completion of an Academic Internship Contract obtained from the Career and Professionalism Center.
Because literary study is central to the work of the minister, persons interested in preparing for professional service in the clergy should elect a rich program of language study. Pre-seminarians are strongly advised to consult with members of the religious studies program about language options.
Advisors
Advisor
Barbara Rothermel, PhD
Director of the Daura Museum of Art
Associate Professor of Museum Studies
434.544.8595
rothermel@lynchburg.edu
