The College offers excellent preparation for graduate, professional study in a number of disciplines. Students who are planning to attend graduate professional schools select an undergraduate major that enables them to meet the admission requirements of the program and work carefully to meet specific course requirements and grade point averages required for consideration for admission. All pre-professional guides are located in the Advisors Manual.
Pre-Medical and Pre-Health Professions Advising
Students seeking admission to a health professional program often complete a major in the sciences and are advised by science faculty with experience working with students who plan to attend medical, pharmacy, dental, veterinary, optometry, podiatry, or chiropractic school at institutions other than the College.
Students seeking admission to one of the College's graduate health professional programs in athletic training, exercise physiology, health information management, health informatics, nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, PA medicine or social work should work closely with advisors to ensure that they meet undergraduate degree requirements as well as specific program prerequisites.
Pre-Law Advising
St. Scholastica offers a robust Pre-Law Program that features two dedicated faculty advisors and a student-led Pre-Law Society. Students seeking admission to law school may major (or minor) in any one of a number of academic disciplines, including (but not limited to) philosophy, political science, history, and global, cultural and language studies. Other pre-law majors are possible in business and the sciences, ideally in combination with a minor in one of the aforementioned disciplines. The pre-law faculty advisors assist students in developing an individualized program of study, in pursuing internship and research opportunities, and in completing the law school application process. Students develop leadership skills through involvement in the Pre-Law Society, which sponsors workshops and speakers, as well as other opportunities to explore the legal profession.
Through St. Scholastica’s partnership with Mitchell Hamline School of Law (MHSL), well-prepared students can earn their B.A./B.S. and J.D. degrees in six years (based on full-time enrollment). Under this 3+3 program, students spend three years at CSS and three years at MHSL, transferring up to 30 credits from their first year at MHSL back to CSS to complete their baccalaureate requirements.
Pre-Library and Information Studies
Modern librarianship is a mirror to the history of our culture. From the first printed books to the latest technology, librarians collect, preserve, and organize the materials that allow us to learn from the past and create a better future. Librarianship satisfies a great variety of interests - from the small public library to the university, from historical archives to research institutions, from public service to technology - that offers a rewarding career in service and life-long learning.
There are four major areas of librarianship each of which requires slightly different undergraduate preparation. The first area is in the K-12 school system, which typically requires a teaching license for employment. The other three areas of librarianship are public libraries, academic libraries, and special libraries such as those associated with hospitals, corporations, and law offices. These all require a Master’s degree from an American Library Association (ALA) accredited graduate school.
An overall minimum GPA of 3.0 and high scores on the GRE will position the student for admission into graduate school. To best prepare for graduate school, the student should complete a bachelor's degree with a regular academic major. It is recommended that the undergraduate coursework include a diverse background from coursework in English, history, foreign languages, science or social science, management, and computer applications and programming. Majoring in areas such as the health or natural sciences allows for possibilities in special libraries. Some graduate library and information science programs offer a dual degree combining a Master of Library Science with a Master of Business Administration, a Master of Fine Arts, a Master of Science with history or education, or a Juris Doctor. Students who are interested in Pre-Library should consult with an advisor about how Pre-Library can combine their interests with an academic plan best suited to their career goals.
Other Pre-Professional Advising
Students seeking admission to other professional programs in disciplines such as library science are well served by members of the faculty who have the expertise to guide them in selecting majors and activities that support their admission to these programs.