Post-Baccalaureate Programs

What is a post-baccalaureate (postbac) program?

A post-baccalaureate is a program of study at the undergraduate or graduate level, which allows students who have already earned a baccalaureate degree to either obtain for the first time their pre-health prerequisite coursework or allows them to enhance their current science coursework in order to make themselves more competitive for the health professional school admissions. These programs are available only to those students who have earned a bachelor’s degree.

What is a structured postbac program?

A structured postbac program is one in which the curriculum is highly defined and generally inflexible. Students usually enroll in two semesters each of chemistry, organic chemistry, biology, and physics.

What is an unstructured postbac program?

An unstructured postbac program is often more flexible with how students begin and end their program of study. They often have more liberal or open admissions policies, and may offer fewer support services. They can usually serve both career changing and grade enhancing students, and may or may not grant a certificate at the completion of the program.

What is a certificate-granting postbac program?

A certificate-granting postbac program gives students a certificate upon completion of all the requirements of the program. This is not the same as a degree.

What is a "career-changer" postbac program?

A person who has decided to pursue a career in medicine or other clinical health profession after receiving a bachelor’s degree with undergraduate coursework that did not include the pre-health prerequisites.

What is a "grade-enhancer" postbac program? 

A person, possibly a biology or other science major in college, who may have already taken the pre-health prerequisites, but who needs to retake courses for higher grades. A grade-enhancing postbac student may also need to take upper level science courses to demonstrate the capability to be academically successful. Grade enhancers may or may not have taken the MCAT. If MCAT scores are low, a grade enhancing postbac student may use a postbac program to help bolster their MCAT or other standardized test scores. Grade or Academic Enhancing postbac programs may offer courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Some programs located at medical or dental schools may offer postbac students the opportunity to take first year medical or dental school courses.

To find postbac programs in your area click this link: https://apps.aamc.org/postbac/

What is a Special master's postbac program?

Special master’s program are designed for grade enhancement and serve students who prefer to earn a master’s to taking further undergraduate science courses to strengthen their candidacy. There are a number of Special Master’s Degree granting programs available and most, if not all, are affiliated with specific medical schools. Many are noted on the AAMC website.

What does "group underrepresented in medicine" mean?

Underrepresented in medicine” means those racial and ethnic populations that are underrepresented in the medical profession relative to their numbers in the general population.

What does "educationally or economically disadvantaged students" mean?

Educationally disadvantaged students are those students who experienced barriers to learning by the social, cultural, regional, political, and economic environments in which they live.

Economically disadvantaged students are those who come from families with an annual income below a certain level, which is based on low-income thresholds according to family size published by the U.S. Bureau of the Census, adjusted annually for changes in the Consumer Price Index.

How long does a typical postbac program take to complete?

The length of postbac programs varies. Many can be completed in one to two years, which may include summer study. In terms of sequencing of courses, two semesters of general chemistry are taken prior to two semesters of organic chemistry.

How much will a typical postbac program cost?

Program tuition costs can vary dramatically from $16,000 to $45,000.

What is the typical course load for a postbac student?

Two - three courses with laboratories per semester are what might be expected in a typical career changer postbac program. If a postbac student needs to improve his math background, an additional course might be added. To receive financial aid, there are often regulations about how many semester hours of classes must be completed per semester. In a grade enhancing PB program, a PB student might take 3–4 courses per semester in order to demonstrate academic success.

Can I expect a postbac program to provide volunteer/service activities for me?

Generally a structured program and some unstructured programs assist students in locating health- care related volunteer, service and shadowing opportunities. However, many postbac programs will expect you to have already obtained some of this experience before admission in order to demonstrate that you are making an informed choice in pursuing a health profession. 

Do postbac programs help students in the applicaiton process?

Typically, a structured program, whether a career changer or enhancement, will work closely with each student as they embarks on the application process. This likely will include a letter of recommendation, advice about the timing of the application, the personal statement, and selection of schools. Unstructured programs may offer these services but are less likely to do so.

Do postbac programs provide letters of recommendation for postbac students?

Many postbac programs do provide letters of recommendation/evaluation. These can be in either a premed committee letter format or letters written by individual faculty who teach the required premedical science courses. In some postbac programs, postbac directors may provide a cover letter for the letters of evaluation. 

What is typically required in the application process to postbac programs?

Typically, programs require applicants to submit a formal application (including essays), application fees, two letters of evaluation, official transcripts, and standardized test scores. Some programs with more open admissions policies may only require an application, an application fee, and official college transcripts. 

What makes a successful postbac applicant and subsequent postbac student?

Postbac students are expected to have certain qualities and characteristics. Whether it is an application to a postbaccalaureate program or an application to the profession school, successful students demonstrate both ability and work ethic to succeed academically and the motivation based on a mature understanding of the profession. As older students, postbacs are typically more self-aware. Ideally they have sought out exposure to their chosen profession and also developed qualities of resilience, respect for others, integrity and dedication. These students should seek help where needed but also need to be self-motivated and independent. Once enrolled in a postbac program, a student will find the help necessary to prepare for professional school. The student will, however, be expected to work very hard and handle what is expected as a mature adult.