2022-2023 CATALOG

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Non-Degree Pre-Professional Programs

NON-DEGREE PROFESSIONAL DEGREE PROGRAMS

The Department of Biological Sciences offers several preparatory curricula to students seeking admission to professional healthcare schools, such as Schools of Dental Hygiene and Clinical Laboratory Science. These concentration areas are designed to earn for the student the prerequisites essential for entering such a professional school. These concentration areas are also designed to allow the student to continue at Nicholls and earn the Bachelor of Science in Biology. Because some requirements (application deadlines, specific elective courses, completion of standardized tests, letters of recommendation) vary between schools, students remain responsible for determining and completing all such requirements for the particular professional school(s) to which they intend to apply.

Pre-Dental Hygiene (PDHY)

Associate and baccalaureate degrees in dental hygiene are offered only by dental schools and some universities. These institutions accept students from colleges and universities with a pre-dental hygiene curriculum offering the prerequisites required  for acceptance to their professional degree program.

The following curriculum was developed to provide the prerequisites required for the baccalaureate degree program at the Louisiana State University Dental School. Students applying to other degree granting institutions must obtain the current prerequisites from the school in which they intend to apply, and must consult with the pre-dental hygiene advisor in the Department of Biological Sciences. Completion of this curriculum will earn the student the Associate of General Studies Degree.

  • CLR – Computer Literacy Requirement
  • GER – General Education Requirement
  • OCR – Oral Communication Requirement
  • UUR – University Requirement

Suggested Course Sequence:

YEAR* COURSE NAME COURSE NUMBER REQUIREMENT CREDIT HRS
1 BIOL 114 GER 3
1 BIOL 155 4
1 CHEM 101 or 105 3
1 CHEM 102 or 106 3
1 ENGL 101 GER 3
1 ENGL 102 GER 3
1 Freshman Seminar Course UR 1
1 MATH 101 GER 3
1 MATH 102 or 214 GER 3
1 PSYC 101 GER 3
1 SPCH 101 OCR 3
2 Fine Arts Elective GER 3
2 BIOL 116 or 156 GER 3
2 BIOL 205 3
2 CMPS
OIS
108-109 or 200
200
CLR 2
2 ENGL Literature Elective 3
2 HIST Elective GER 3
2 Humanities Elective 3
2 Humanities Elective 200-level or above 3
2 SOCI 151 GER 3
2 Elective ** 3

*Recommend complete as Freshman (1) and Sophomore (2)

**Excludes courses in human performance education. Recommended courses include DIET 200, Speech, or Psychology.
Note: Students considering application to a D.D.S. program or pursuing a BS degree in Biology should take BIOL 155, BIOL 156, CHEM 105 and CHEM 106 as prerequisite coursework for the professional program.

Pre-Clinical Laboratory Science (PMTC) (Formerly Pre-Medical Technology)
A baccalaureate degree in Pre-Clinical Laboratory Science is offered only by academic health centers, schools of allied health and some universities with Board of Regents-approved programs. These institutions accept students from colleges and universities with pre-medical technology programs that offer the prerequisite course work required before acceptance to the professional level part of the degree program.

The program below is offered by the Department of Biological Sciences to provide the prerequisites necessary to qualify an applicant for the degree program at either Louisiana Tech, University of Louisiana at Monroe, or Louisiana State University. It does not exclude the prerequisites of other degree granting institutions.

Furthermore, a student may attend Nicholls State University and complete the degree requirements for the Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology and then apply to a hospital-based program in Pre-Clinical Laboratory Science. For further information regarding these options students should consult with the pre-clinical laboratory science advisor or the department head.

Suggested Course Sequence:

YEAR* COURSE NAME COURSE NUMBER REQUIREMENT CREDIT HRS
1 BIOL 155 4
1 BIOL 156 4
1 CHEM 105 GER 3
1 CHEM 106 GER 3
1 CHEM 110 2
1 CMPS or      
OIS
108-109 or 200
200
CLR 2
1 ENGL 101 GER 3
1 ENGL 102 GER 3
1 Freshman Seminar Course UR 1
1 MATH 101 GER 3
1 Social Sciences Elective GER 3
2 BIOL 203 3
2 BIOL 204 1
2 CHEM 221 3
2 ENGL Literature Elective 3
2 HIST Elective  GER 3
2 SPCH 101 OCR 3
2 MATH 214 GER 3
2 Fine Arts Elective  GER 3
2 ENGL 368 or 468 3
2 NURS 312 3
2 Humanities Elective 3
2 Science Elective** 3
2 Social Sciences Elective GER 3

*Recommend complete as Freshman (1) and Sophomore (2)
**Recommended science electives include BIOL 315, 428, 429 and 461[Back][Top]

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