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Professional Education

Education

Preparation for teaching certification is provided for those planning to enter the teaching profession at the early childhood, elementary, or secondary school level. The teacher education unit is fully accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), and its programs are nationally recognized by CAEP's Specialized Professional Associations. All programs are approved by the District of Columbia. The Early Childhood Education program is fully accredited through Spring 2024. Candidates are eligible to apply for a standard teaching credential upon successful completion of the programs.

Preprofessional Advising

Law

Prelegal education is mainly concerned with the development of:

  1. comprehension and verbal expression,
  2. critical understanding of human institutions and the values with which the law deals, and
  3. creative power of thinking.

These goals have led the committee on Prelegal Education of the Association of American Law Schools to conclude that a college education that emphasizes the development of these basic skills and insights is far more important than "mere education for later professional training and practice." This means that colleges serve the needs of later legal training best by stressing the ends of liberal education. While, therefore, thorough learning in any wide cultural field will meet the above mentioned requirements, the special background acquired in one of the following areas of concentration may prove particularly helpful: Classics, Economics, English, History, Philosophy, Politics, or Sociology. For further information on preparing for law school, interested students may contact the undergraduate office of the School of Arts and Sciences or the Center for Academic and Career Success, which provides a thorough website on applying to law school.

Library and Information Science

Catholic's ALA-accredited Master of Science in Library and Information Science prepares students for leadership positions in the information fields. Graduates may curate and manage cultural heritage information and artifacts; create digital collections; provide information services to faculty and students in higher education; teach information literacy and technology to enhance teaching and learning in K-12 education; serve the information needs of the public; and conduct research and information analysis in law, business, national security, medicine, and other subject fields. Although no specific academic background is necessary for study in this field, the ideal applicant is comfortable with information technology and able to communicate clearly and effectively both orally and in writing. Analytical and problem-solving abilities and an understanding of the research process in a specific discipline are also highly valued.

Medicine, Dentistry, Allopathic and Osteopathic Medicine, Optometry, Podiatric Medicine, Veterinary Medicine

Premedical advising at The Catholic University of America includes students preparing for all of the medical fields noted above. The advisement is designed to provide the education, as well as the guidance, that will best enable students to pursue their goals as practitioners or medical researchers. Contact Marion Ficke, M.S., Premedical Coordinator and Assistant to the Chair, Department of Biology, at Ficke@cua.edu.

In accordance with the concept of undergraduate study at a liberal arts institution, there is no separate curriculum for premedical instruction. Students choose a major suited to their interests and talents. Most premedical students follow a program of concentration in Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, or Psychology; however, the premedical student may choose from a wide range of liberal arts majors. Another option is Biomedical Engineering in the School of Engineering. More information about premedical requirements can be found here: https://arts-sciences.catholic.edu/academics/undergraduate-programs/advising/premed.html.

The required premedical courses are incorporated into the requirements in certain of the science programs and are taken as electives in other areas of concentration. All of the undergraduate programs in the School of Arts and Sciences are designed to provide a well-balanced liberal education, strongly preferred for premedical students.

Students interested in premedical advising should communicate with the premedical coordinator. Catholic University also welcomes students who have earned degrees and are interested in pursuing premedical courses.