Niagara University offers preprofessional programs in prelaw, premedical and predental studies.

Pre-law Program

Goals

Students admitted to law school come from a variety of undergraduate academic disciplines, therefore many pre-law undergraduate programs require a diverse set of courses that train to the skill set required for law school. Although law school graduates pursue a variety of law-related fields, a common skill-set exists among all successful lawyers:

• critical thinking
• written and oral communication
• dissection of complex language
• the ability to interact with diverse populations

The Niagara law and jurisprudence minor provides students these foundational skills.

Prelaw advisement at Niagara University now offers the potential law school applicant intensive one-on-one guidance and counseling throughout his or her four years of undergraduate education. Through intensive and personal guidance, prelaw students at Niagara are exposed to areas of legal education and career choices that focus their future career options. Niagara University students benefit from small class size and from close professional relationships with their professors and with the prelaw advisor. Combined with personal attention and a dedication to excellence, the pre-law program at Niagara ensures that our undergraduates receive the best possible preparation for law school.

The Niagara University prelaw advisement program also offers student workshops, speakers, law school visitation programs, and a yearly trip to witness the United States Supreme Court and to participate in the annual LSAC Law School Forum in such cities as Boston, Chicago, and New York City. In conjunction with the Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity International (Niagara Chapter), our prelaw students are given expert advice and exposure that prepare them for their future academic and professional careers.

It is recommended that early in their undergraduate studies, students considering law school contact the director of the pre-law program, to obtain information concerning law school admissions, entrance exams, law firm internships and cooperative education experiences, the placement of law graduates, and the undergraduate performance required to obtain admission to the best law schools in the United States and Canada.

The pre-law program also offers a minor in Law and Jurisprudence for all Niagara students, including political science majors; see www.niagara.edu/prelaw for more information.

Committee on Recommendations for Premedical and Predental Students

The Committee on Recommendations for Pre-Medical and Pre-Dental students is chaired by the pre-health advisor and is made up of the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, faculty, health professionals and other individuals chosen from various scholastic areas. All recommendations for the pre-health students are written by this committee after consultation with appropriate members of the faculty. Pertinent information is also sought from the offices of the Dean and the Director of Student Activities. Information is also sought from others who may have a sound first hand basis for appraising the applicant.

The Office of the Advisor on Graduate Scholarships

This is a student service designed to assist, by way of counsel and information, students who wish to extend their education beyond the baccalaureate level in graduate or professional schools. The faculty advisor is available for counseling on the various aspects of applying to graduate school, and also serves as the campus representative for several scholarship foundations:

• Fulbright-Hays
• New York State Regents
• Rhodes
• Jacob Javits
• Woodrow Wilson Fellowships

Applications for entrance exams are available from the faculty advisor or the career development office.

Students are welcome to use the facilities any time during or after their stay at NU, and are encouraged to begin preparing material for graduate school applications in their junior year.

Premedical/Dental/Health Professions

Advisement Program

Niagara University's pre-health professions advisement program is designed to help students make the best decisions about their future in health care. We offer:

• Individualized guidance by an advisor who knows the pre health applicant as a person, a student, and a future health care professional
• Information about what a student needs to do to successfully qualify, prepare and apply to health professional schools
• Opportunities to gain exposure to the health care fields by volunteer experience and structured internships
• Opportunities to learn about the future directions and emerging technologies in health care and the life sciences
• Opportunities to be mentored by health care professionals who are Niagara alumni
• Opportunities to work together with other Niagara prehealth students to enhance mutual success

In keeping with the desire of health profession schools to have a diversity of interests among their students, there is no fixed pre-health curriculum. However, certain courses are required by all professional schools, others are required by some professional schools, and still others are recommended by varying numbers of professional schools. Traditionally the great majority of students throughout the country who apply to health profession schools come from the Biology or the Chemistry majors. However, the courses referred to above can be made a part of any of several degree programs. The Niagara University curricula leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in chemistry, or the Bachelor of Science degree with majors in either biochemistry, biology, or chemistry are especially well suited. However, any of several other degree programs may be modified to allow a student to meet the admission requirements of the professional schools. Admission requirements are published annually by the professional schools and school associations and this is an excellent source for all types of pertinent information.

Recommendations given in regard to preparation for medicine are generally true for dentistry as well as the other health professions such as optometry, podiatry, pharmacy or veterinary medicine. Whether a student looks toward a career in medicine, dentistry or one of the other health professions, he or she must take care to meet the particular requirements of any professional school at which he or she anticipates possible matriculation.

Regardless of the degree curriculum pursued, the pre-health student should consult Niagara’s pre-health professions adviser, Dr. William Cliff, regarding selection of courses, qualifying, preparing and applying to professional school.

The program also offers qualified premedical students the opportunity to apply for the State University of Buffalo Medical School’s Early Assurance Program. In addition, the program offers to qualified students “3+4” programs in conjunction with the State University of Buffalo School of Dental Medicine and School of Pharmacy. The program also offers “3+4”, “4+4” and “2+3” programs in conjunction with Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, School of Dental Medicine and College of Pharmacy. For more information contact Dr. Cliff.

Preprofessional Tracks

State University at Buffalo

Premed (Early Assurance Program)

Niagara University undergraduates planning a career in medicine can apply to the State University Medical School at Buffalo under the early assurance program after their first three semesters (during the second semester of their sophomore year). If accepted, they will be eligible to apply for a place in the medical school class two years later. Students seeking early admission to medical school must apply no later than February 1 of their second semester of their sophomore year. The requirements are high:

• a GPA of 3.75 in science and nonscience courses
• SAT scores combined 1400
• completion of one half of the premedical requirements

Predental (3+4)

This program is for students in the biology and chemistry programs at Niagara University. It consists of three years in the biology and/or chemistry at Niagara University, the fourth year of the BS degree in biology or the BA degree in chemistry and the remaining three years at the University at Buffalo dental school. At the end of the fourth year (which is the first year of the dental program), Niagara University will award the students the B.S. in biology or the B.A. in chemistry.

This is a combined degree program in dental medicine between Niagara University and the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine. Students accepted into this program may complete the Doctor of Dental Medicine in seven years instead of the usual eight years.

Prepharmacy (3+4)

Niagara University and the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences have agreed to cooperate in providing an accelerated 3+4 undergraduate/professional school education leading to the baccalaureate degree in biology or chemistry from Niagara University and the doctor of pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree from the University at Buffalo.

Doctorate in Educational Administration

The department of education at Niagara University and the department of educational leadership and policy at the University at Buffalo have reached an agreement to facilitate the transfer of credit from the graduate programs in educational administration at Niagara University into the educational leadership degree program at the University at Buffalo. All appropriate course work at Niagara University with a grade of B or better and completed within 10 years will be considered for transfer into the University at Buffalo doctoral program in educational administration. At least 49-52 graduate credit hours must still be completed at the University at Buffalo. Niagara University graduate students interested in pursuing the doctorate in educational administration should seek advisement for the same at their earliest convenience.

Doctorate in School Counseling

The department of education at Niagara University and the department of educational leadership and policy have formed an articulation agreement to facilitate the transfer of credit into the University at Buffalo's doctoral program in school counseling. The transfer conditions are much the same as those for the Doctor in Educational Administration.

The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine

Pre-Osteopathic Medicine (3+4, 4+4)

For admission to the LECOM College of Osteopathic Medicine program, Niagara University students must complete the first three-year or four-year phase (phase I) at Niagara University in either the B.S. in biology or the B.A. in chemistry. Following the successful completion of the ascribed undergraduate phase of training, phase I, Niagara University students will continue with the second phase, phase II, under the auspices of LECOM and at associated clinical training sites.

The first year of phase II of the 3+4 program will constitute the fourth year of the Niagara University Students’ B.S. degree in biology or the B.A. in chemistry. Upon successful completion of this year, Niagara University will award the students a B.S. in biology or a B.A. in chemistry.

Pre-Dental Medicine (4+4)

For admission to the LECOM School of Dental Medicine program, Niagara University students must complete the first four-year phase (phase I) at Niagara University in either the B.S. or B.A. in biology or the B.A. in chemistry. Following the successful completion of the ascribed undergraduate phase of training, phase I, Niagara University students will continue with the second phase, phase II, under the auspices of LECOM and at associated clinical training sites.

Prepharmacy (2+3)

Niagara University and Lake Erie College of Pharmacy have formed a partnership offering Niagara University students in biology or chemistry the opportunity to enroll in its 2+3 five year prepharmacy degree program (Pharm.D.). Traditionally, it takes LECOM students nine or more years to obtain a doctorate degree in pharmacy.

The 2+3 prepharmacy program between NU and LECOM involves two phases. During phase one, select students will complete their first two years at Niagara University, taking a specified curriculum in biology or chemistry.

During phase two of the prepharmacy program, students complete three years at LECOM School of Pharmacy where classes run 12 months of the year. Students will graduate with a doctor of pharmacy degree (Pharm.D.).

Faculty

Pre-Law Program

Kevin Hinkley, J.D, Prelaw Advisor
www.niagara.edu/prelaw

Premedical/Dental/Health Professions

Advisement Program

William H. Cliff, Ph.D., Advisor
www.niagara.edu/pre-health-professions