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The undergraduate program at Vassar College affords preparation for graduate work either in the liberal arts or in the professions. Students interested in advanced degrees should consult both their faculty and the Center for Career Education for support and advisement related to planning for graduate and professional school. To learn more visit: https://offices.vassar.edu/career-education/graduate-and-law/
Most professional schools advise a student to obtain a sound foundation in the liberal arts as the best preparation for admission. This holds true of architecture, business, law, medicine, social service, and teaching.
Architecture: Students interested in a career in architectural design are well advised to take a liberal arts degree as part of their preparation for admission to programs that offer the master’s degree in architecture (M.Arch.). Students may major in any subject in the college and are advised to take courses in architectural design, urban studies, art studio and architectural history, mathematics, and physics as part of their preparation. Students seeking advice about architecture programs should make known their interest to the art department where they will be assigned to an adviser.
Engineering: For those students interested in a program leading to an engineering degree, Vassar College maintains a cooperative arrangement with the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College. Those students interested in this program should make their interest known to the Department of Physics or to the Office of the Dean of Studies. To learn more, visit https://offices.vassar.edu/dean-of-studies/domestic-programs/programs/dartmouth-thayer/
Law: The Pre-Law Advisor, located in the Center for Career Education, works with both students and alums planning to apply to law school. There are no specific courses required or suggested for entry into law school. Instead, law schools want students with a broad liberal arts education and a demanding major, not those who have taken a particular series of courses. We recommend that students study fields that genuinely interest them rather than those they think law schools would like to see. The key to a successful pre-law study is to take a wide range of courses, develop a sophisticated understanding in one area of concentration, and do well in all subjects. Vassar does offer courses that can help students determine how interested in law they are, but these courses should not be seen as necessary for entrance into law school. The qualities desired are independence, discrimination, respect for evidence, critical analysis and constructive synthesis, power of organization, clear expression, and sound judgment. All American Bar Association-approved law schools require the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). The Pre-Law Advisor is always available for individual conferences with students and students are encouraged to make an appointment as soon as they know they are considering a career in law. The Pre- Law Advisor is available to help with career counseling and discernment, academic and relevant activity planning, application processes, entrance exam study plans, and many other questions. To learn more, visit https://offices.vassar.edu/career-education/graduate-and-law/law-school/
Medicine and Other Healthcare Careers: Health professions schools differ in their philosophies of education, specific requirements, and systems of training. They are all interested, however, in a broad background in the liberal arts with a strong foundation in the natural sciences. In general, they require a minimum of two years of chemistry with lab, one year of physics with lab, one year of biology with lab, and a course or two in psychology. Additionally, many schools will expect a course or two in English and a course in math. There is, however, wide variation in the requirements of the different schools, and a student should consult the Associate Director for Pre-Health and STEM Advising (Pre-Health Advisor) through the Center for Career Education. Students may fulfill the minimum requirements for entrance to a health professions program by majoring in a science field or in an unrelated subject, so we advise students to select the field of greatest interest to them for their undergraduate degree. The Pre-Health Advisor holds an advising session in the fall for incoming first-year pre-health students. Students interested in planning for the medical school application procedure are encouraged to declare their interest by the end of their first year - the earlier the better. The Pre-Health Advisor is always available for individual conferences with students and students are encouraged to make an appointment as soon as they know they are considering a career in healthcare. The Pre Health Advisor is available to help with career counseling and discernment, academic and relevant activity planning, application processes, entrance exam study plans, and many other questions. To learn more, visit https://offices.vassar.edu/pre-health-advising/
Teaching: See Department of Education .
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