The Department of Biology also offers an honors program that prepares students for graduate schools and health professions schools.  The honor students are selected for their outstanding academic achievements in high school.

The following electives should be selected to prepare for the specialized fields listed.

PREMEDICINE AND PREDENTISTRY
The minimum requirements for admission to medical or dental school include average scores on the Medical School Admission Test (MCAT) or Dental Aptitude Test (DAT) and the satisfactory completion of 90 semester hours of the premedical or predental curriculum with average of better grades.

Candidates for admission are evaluated on the basis of their academic background, ability to succeed in professional school, integrity, psychological stability, motivation, judgement, and resourcefulness.  The admission committee will also evaluate the recommendations of the premedical advisory committee.

Students must apply to medical school by July 1, one year in advance of their expected entrance.  They are therefore advised to take the MCAT or DAT are given in the spring or fall.  Packets containing information needed to register for the tests are available from the chief health professions advisor in the Department of Biology or by writing to:

The premedical curriculum qualifies students to apply to schools of medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, podiatry, optometry, and graduate studies.  The curriculum enables students to complete the MCAT preparatory course by the spring of their junior year.  Students are encouraged to attend at least one summer session to ensure completion of necessary courses prior to the summer of their junior year.  The biology department conducts a summer academic enrichment program, the Premedical Concepts Institute, which offers incoming freshman the opportunity to earn 10 semester hours of credit in freshman biology.  Applications for the summer program may be obtained from the biology department.

DENTAL SCHOOL EARLY ADMISSION PROGRAMS
The University of Texas Dental School at San Antonio, Baylor College of Dentistry in Dallas and the University of Iowa Dental School in Iowa City, Iowa have established early admission agreements with Prairie View A&M University.   Students may apply for early admission to these schools after completing the first year of the biology curriculum for majors with a 3.0 or higher GPA.  Applications may be obtained from the predental advisor.  The application deadline is October 1 of the student's sophomore year.  The dental schools will evaluate each application and make the selection of students for interviews.  The dental schools will also award early admission to a limited number of qualified applicants.  The admitted students will participate in prematriculation programs at the dental schools in the summers of their sophomore and junior years.  In the senior year, the admitted students will have dual enrollment at Prairie View A&M University and the Dental School.  However, the students will take first year dental school courses which will satisfy the biology B.S. degree requirements for the senior year of the special curriculum.

PRE-VETERINARY MEDICINE
The pre-veterinary medicine curriculum provides the prerequisites for admission to professional veterinary medicine schools.  The curriculum also leads to a Bachelor of Science degree in biology.  Students in the pre-veterinary medicine program should apply to veterinary medical school at the beginning of their third year.   Students should write to the Office of Admissions of the desired institution for information about specific admission requirements.

Most schools of veterinary medicine require either the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), Veterinary Admission Test (VAT), or Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). It is the students' responsibility to determine which of these examinations is required by the institution to which they are seeking admission.

ADDITIONAL BIOLOGY DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

Student teaching is required of all students preparing to teach.  Program prerequisites for student teaching should be completed before applying for student teaching.  Additional information and the suggested curriculum for the Bachelor of Science degree with a Teacher Education option may be obtained from the biology teacher education advisor in the biology department.

MINOR REQUIREMENTS
Students may select the minor of their choice.  They must satisfy the catalog requirements for the selected minor.  Biology students that elect chemistry as a minor only need to complete one additional advanced Chemistry course of 4 SCH to satisfy the catalog requirement of 24 SCH in chemistry.