Prerequisite courses

Check course prerequisites

Each professional program has its own set of prerequisite courses that are required to apply for admission into the program. Below is an alphabetical list of the prerequisite courses required by our professional programs including the Doctorate in Nutrition & Dietetics (DND), Doctorate in Occupational Therapy (OTD), Doctorate in Physical Therapy (DPT), and Masters in Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS).

To determine course eligibility in fulfilling a prerequisite requirement compare the courses you have completed or plan to complete with the course descriptions below to verify your courses meet our criteria for acceptance.

Prerequisite listing

A:

  • Anthropology

B:

  • Biochemistry
  • General Biology I
  • Biology, Upper Level Human

C:

  • Chemistry I
  • Chemistry II
  • Chemistry, Organic

H:

  • Human Anatomy
  • Human Nutrition
  • Human Physiology

M:

  • Medical Terminology
  • Microbiology

P:

  • Physics I
  • Physics II
  • Psychology, Introduction
  • Psychology, Abnormal

S:

  • Sociology, Introduction
  • Statistics

Anthropology

Anthropology OR Sociology is required for OTD

Course is a survey of cultural and social processes that influence human behavior, using comparative examples from different ethnic groups around the world, with the goal of better understanding the broad range of human behavioral potentials and those influences that shape the different expressions of these potentials.

Course listing: +ANTH-A104

Biochemistry

Recommended, not required, for DND

Course covers the fundamentals of the chemistry of life including biomolecule structure and function, the dependence of biological processes on chemical and physical principles, and pathways of carbohydrate and fatty acid metabolism.

Course listing: +BIOL-K 384

General Biology I

Required for MPAS

An introductory course emphasizing the principles of cellular biology, molecular biology, and genetics.

Course listing: +BIOL-K 101

Biology, Upper Level Human

Required for MPAS

Accepted courses are only Genetics and Molecular Biology; Cell Biology; Immunology; and Basic Principles of Plant and Animal Genetics. Courses should be 200 level and above; a lab is preferred.

Genetics and Molecular Biology: Course topics include principles of classical and molecular genetics including Mendelian inheritance, linkage, nucleic acids, gene expression, recombinant DNA, genomics, immunogenetics, and regulation. Course must be at a level required for science majors. Course with a lab is preferred.

Course listing: +BIOL-K 322/323

Cell Biology: Course topics include the examination of the structure and activity of eukaryotic cells and subcellular structures, with emphasis on the regulation of and interactions among subcellular events, such as protein targeting, transmembrane signaling, cell movement, and cell cycle. Course must be at a level required for science majors. Course with a lab is preferred.

Course listing: +BIOL-K 324

Immunology: Course topics include principles of basic immunology with an emphasis on the cells and molecules underlying immunological mechanisms. Course must be at a level required for science majors. Course with a lab is preferred.

Course listing: +BIOL-K 338/339

Basic Principles of Plant and Animal Genetics: Emphasis on transmission mechanisms as applied to individuals and populations.

Course listing: +BIOL-N 322

Human Anatomy

Required for DND, OTD, MPAS, and DPT

Course includes the study of the histology and gross morphology of the human form, utilizing a cell tissue organ-system approach. Course must be at a level accepted for science majors and include a lab.

Course listing: +BIOL-N 261

Human Nutrition

Required for DND

Course includes the principles of physiology, chemistry, and biology to describe the role of nutrition in the human body and to explore the interrelated and protective role of nutrition in wellness, health promotion, and disease prevention.

Course listings: +NTRD-N 265, NTRD-N 365, or NTRD-N 420

Human Physiology

Required for DND, OTD, MPAS, and DPT

Course includes study of cellular, musculoskeletal, neural, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, renal, endocrine, and reproductive function in humans. Course must be at a level accepted for science majors. Courses with a lab are preferred.

Course listing: +BIOL-N 217

Medical Terminology

Required for OTD, MPAS, and DPT

Course develops a student’s understanding and use of medical terminology and covers spelling, pronunciation, and abbreviations, the identification and description of the major functions and structures of body systems, and the identification of common mistakes in medical terminology.

Course listing: +HIM-M 330

Microbiology

Required for MPAS and DND

Course is an introduction to microorganisms: cytology, nutrition, physiology, and genetics. Covers the importance of microorganisms in applied fields including infectious disease. Course must be at a level required for science majors and include a lab.

Course listings: +BIOL-K 356 and BIOL-K 357

Physics I

Required for DPT

Course topics include Newtonian mechanics, wave motion, heat, and thermodynamics. Application of physical principles to related scientific disciplines, especially life sciences. Course must be at a level accepted for science majors and include a lab.

Course listing: +PHYS 21800

Physics II

Required for DPT

Course topics include electricity and magnetism, geometrical and physical optics, introduction to concepts of relativity, and quantum theory. Course must be at a level accepted for science majors and include a lab.

Course listing: +PHYS 21900

Psychology, Introductory

Required for DND, OTD, MPAS, and DPT

Course is an introduction to psychology as a systematic and scientific way to think about the biological and social aspects of behavior and mental processes. Topics include research methods, behavioral neuroscience, sensation/perception, learning, memory, cognition and language, motivation/emotion, personality, stress and health, and psychological disorders and treatment.

Course listing: +PSY-B 110

Psychology, Lifespan Development

Required for OTD and DPT

Course emphasizes the lifespan perspective of physical/motor, language, intellectual/cognitive, social/personality, and sexual development from conception to death through theory, research, and practical applications. Commonalities across the life span, as well as differences among the various segments of the life span, are examined.

Course listing: +PSY-B 310

Psychology, Abnormal

Required for OTD

Course topics include various forms of mental disorders with an emphasis on cause, development, treatment, prevention, and interpretation.

Course listing: +PSY-B 380

Sociology, Introductory

Anthropology or Sociology is required for OTD

Course content includes an introduction to the scene of human society and includes fundamental concepts, description, and analysis of society, culture, the socialization process, social institutions, and social change.

Course listing: +SOC-R 100

Statistics

Required for DND, OTD, MPAS, and DPT

Course topics include central tendency, distributions, variability, probability, sampling distributions and inference, hypothesis testing, z-tests, t-tests, ANOVA, correlation and regression, and chi-square.

Course listing: +STAT 30100

Questions about a prerequisite course?

Email us at hprofadv@iu.edu if you need more information.