It should come as no surprise to hear that the application processes to medical, dental, veterinary, and other health profession schools are very competitive. At times, we will advise students to complete additional coursework after earning their bachelor’s degrees to strengthen their academic foundation before applying to health professions schools.
While there are a number of ways to continue building your academic portfolio, the pre-health advisors most often encourage students to consider either a post-baccalaureate program in which you re-take the courses of the premedical curriculum or a Master’s in Medical Science/Special Master’s Program in which you take advanced-level coursework that is equivalent to or preparatory for medical studies.
To identify post-baccalaureate programs, we encourage students to begin their search by exploring the programs listed on our website and the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Post-baccalaureate Premedical Programs database. In using the AAMC resource, make sure to select “Academic Record-Enhancers” as the program focus at “Undergraduate” institutions.
The number of Master’s in Medical Science/Special Master’s Programs has increased dramatically over the last few years, and these programs can also be located using the Association of American Medical Colleges Post-baccalaureate Premedical Programs database by selecting “Academic Record-Enhancers” programs taught at the “Graduate” level. In addition, we have listed below the master’s programs of which we are aware.
As you consider your options for enhancing your application to health professions school, we strongly encourage you to schedule an appointment with an advisor to discuss which path makes most sense given your undergraduate accomplishments.