Opportunities at Valparaiso University

A combined biology-chemistry major

Nationwide, biology is the most popular major for premedical arts students, followed by chemistry. At Valparaiso University, students have the unusual opportunity to select a major that consists of 25 hours of biology and 27 hours of chemistry. This is a popular option for our premedical arts students because it allows them to choose those biology and chemistry courses that will best prepare them for their chosen profession.

Hands-on experience with state-of-the-art scientific equipment

Listed below are the four courses required for all premedical arts students, along with the major pieces of equipment that our students use in the laboratory portions of these courses. What sets Valparaiso University apart from other colleges and universities is not that this equipment is on campus but that undergraduate students actually get a chance to use it.

General Biology
Scanning and transmission electron microscopes
General Chemistry
Diode array UV/visible spectrometer
A cluster of computers in the lab for data analysis
Organic Chemistry
FT-IR (Fourier transform infra-red spectrometer)
200 MHz FT-NMR (Fourier transform nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer)
GC/MS (Gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer)
Silicon Graphics workstation for molecular modeling
General Physics
Laboratory computer cluster for data acquisition and analysis

A one-of-a-kind honors program

Gifted students, regardless of their major, have the opportunity to fulfill their general education requirements by enrolling in Christ College, the honors college at Valparaiso University. Each fall, approximately 80 incoming freshman are invited to join Christ College based on a superior high school academic record, high SAT or ACT scores and proven leadership in extra-curricular activities. The Christ College Freshman Program emphasizes the great traditions of humankind with readings in history, literature, philosophy and religion from the earliest recorded thought to the present day. The entire Christ College freshman class works as a group to write and produce their own play during the fall semester and then during the spring semester engages in a series of formal debates. Many premedical students choose to complete the Christ College honors program and find the experience enjoyable and enriching.

Biomedical ethics

The Department of Philosophy offers a biomedical ethics course that is popular with our premedical arts students. This course deals with such topics as abortion, euthanasia, genetic engineering and medical resource allocation. The goal is to examine the many different ways that people seek to achieve rational agreement about such difficult questions. This course is taught by Professors Gilbert Meilaender and Thomas Kennedy.

Track record

The best evidence of the strength of the program at Valparaiso University is the high percentage of our pre-medical arts graduates who are admitted into professional schools. Track record

Apprenticeship Opportunities

Students may receive academic credit for "shadowing" health care professionals, such as physicians, dentists, and vegetarians. Veterinarians, that is. To learn more about this option, consult a pre-med faculty advisor. Academic credit can be obtained via registration in GS 394, which requires at least 120 active shadowing hours and the submission of a written report. A limited number of scholarships are available through the VU Career Center for students participating in apprenticeships in the State of Indiana.

Scholarship Eligibility Criteria

Scholarship Application Form

Scholarship Application Checklist

Medical Research Opportunities

Students may receive academic credit for doing medical research (usually at an off-campus research hospital or medical center). To learn more about this option, consult a pre-med faculty advisor. A non-comprehensive list of such opportunities is available here.