A 1-year masters degree program before medical school can seriously strengthen a pre-med student’s application. As medical school admissions becomes increasingly competitive, more and more students are completing a year or two of work experience or graduate studies after college graduation, before starting medical school. Despite the average college graduate age of 22, the average age of a first-year medical student is 24. And this is an average, meaning many students are several years older.
Read more about whether a masters before medical school is right for you.
Find below a list of 75 1-year masters programs or “pre-med masters programs” designed to strengthen medical school applications.
A Mini Guide to Post-Baccalaureate Programs
Students that complete pre-med post-bacc programs generally have higher rates of admissions to medical schools compared to the average- considerably higher. Most pre-med post-bacc programs state medical school admission rates of their graduates between 80-90%. Read more about average medical school admissions rates here.
75 1-Year Master’s Programs You Can Do Before Medical School
This list only includes programs designed for those who have already completed pre-med requirements in undergrad, also known as “academic enhancer” programs. These are basically “pre-med” masters programs. “Career changer” programs are designed for students who do not have a pre-med or life-science background and are excluded from this list.
And students interested in pursuing medical school are certainly not restricted to the programs on this list. There are hundreds of “regular” masters programs that would still strengthen a medical school application. This is just a list of “special” programs (pre-med masters programs) specifically designed for students who want to pursue medical school.
Find a list of 2-year programs here.
East Coast
| Location | School | Program Name |
| Massachusetts (Boston) | Boston University Medical School | MS in Medical Sciences |
| New York (New York) | Columbia University Medical Center | MS in Human Nutrition |
| Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) | Drexel University School of Medicine | Pathway to Medical School (MS) |
| Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) | Drexel University School of Medicine | Intensive Medical Sciences (MS) |
| Washington DC | Georgetown University | Special Masters Program in Physiology (MS) |
| New York (Valhalla) | New York Medical College | MS in Basic Medical Sciences |
| New Jersey (New Brunswick) | Rutgers School of Medicine | MS in Biomedical Sciences |
| Massachusetts (Medford) | Tufts University School of Medicine | MS in Biomedical Sciences |
| Maryland (Baltimore) | Johns Hopkins University | MS in Biotechnology |
| Maryland (Baltimore) | Johns Hopkins University | MS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology |
| Massachusetts (Chicopee) | Elms College | MS in Biomedical Sciences |
| New Jersey (Teaneck) | Fairleigh Dickinson University | Master of Health Sciences |
| New York (Rochester) | University of Rochester | Masters in Medical Pharmacology |
| New York (Albany) | Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Science | MS in Biomedical Sciences |
| New York (Buffalo) | University at Buffalo | MA in Biological Sciences |
| New York (New York) | Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine | MS in Biological and Physical Sciences |
| Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh) | Chatham University | MA in Biomedical Sciences |
| Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh) | University of Pittsburgh | Biomedical Masters Program |
| Rhode Island (Providence) | Brown University | MS in Medical Sciences |
| Vermont (Burlington) | University of Vermont | Master of Medical Sciences |
West Coast
| Location | School | Program Name |
| California (Pomona) | Western University | MS in Medical Sciences |
| California (Willowbrook) | Charles Drew University of Medicine | MS in Biomedical Sciences |
| California (San Francisco) | University of California San Francisco | MS in Biomedical Imaging |
| Colorado (Fort Collins) | Colorado State University | MS in Biomedical Sciences |
| Colorado (Fort Collins) | Colorado State University | MS in Toxicology |
| Colorado (Fort Collins) | Colorado State University | MS in Assisted Reproductive Technology |
| Colorado (Parker) | Rocky Vista University | MS in Biomedical Sciences |
| Colorado (Denver) | University of Denver | Masters in Biomedical Sciences |
| Colorado (Denver) | Regis University | MS in Biomedical Sciences |
| Washington (Toppenish) | Heritage University | MA in Medical Sciences |
Midwest
| Location | School | Program Name |
| Indiana (Indianapolis) | Indiana University School of Medicine | Pre-Professional MS |
| Illinois (Chicago) | Loyola University Chicago | MA in Medical Sciences |
| Illinois (Chicago) | Loyola University Chicago | MS in Medical Physiology |
| Illinois (Chicago) | Rosalind Franklin University | MS in Biomedical Sciences |
| Michigan (Detroit) | Wayne State University | MS in Basic Medical Sciences |
| Illinois (Downers Grove) | Midwestern University (Illinois campus) | MA in Biomedical Sciences |
| Missouri (Kansas City) | Kansas City University | MS in Biomedical Sciences |
| Pennsylvania (Erie) | Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine | Master of Medical Science |
| Illinois (Lisle) | Benedictine University | MS in Integrative Physiology |
| Illinois (Chicago) | Saint Xavier University | MS in Medical Science |
| Illinois (Chicago) | University of Illinois | MS in Medical Physiology |
| Iowa (Ames) | Iowa State University | MS in Biomedical Sciences |
| Kentucky (Louisville) | University of Louisville | MS in Physiology |
| Michigan (Ann Arbor) | University of Michigan | MS in Physiology |
| Montana (Bozeman) | Montana State University | Master of Science in Health Sciences |
| Ohio (Toledo) | University of Toledo | MS in Biomedical Sciences |
| Ohio (Cincinnati) | University of Cincinnati | MS in Physiology |
| Ohio (Cleveland) | Case Western Reserve University | MS in Medical Physiology |
| Ohio (Cleveland) | Case Western Reserve University | MS in Medical Pathology |
| Ohio (Cleveland) | Case Western Reserve University | MS in Nutrition |
| South Dakota (Brookings) | South Dakota State University | MS in Human Biology |
Southeast
| Location | School | Program Name |
| Florida (Davie) | Nova Southeastern University | Masters of Biomedical Sciences |
| Georgia (Moultrie) | PCOM South Georgia | MS in Biomedical Sciences |
| Louisiana (Shreveport) | Louisiana State University | MS in Medical Sciences |
| Louisiana (Shreveport) | Louisiana State University | MS in Biological Sciences |
| Louisiana (New Orleans) | Tulane University School of Medicine | Master of Science (multiple) |
| Alabama (Birmingham) | University of Alabama at Birmingham | MS in Biomedical and Health Science |
| Florida (Tampa) | University of South Florida | Masters in Medical Science |
| Florida (Miami) | Larkin University | MS in Biomedical Sciences |
| Florida (Miami) | Barry University | MS in Biomedical Sciences |
| Georgia (Macon) | Mercer University | MS in Preclinical Studies |
| Georgia (Atlanta) | Georgia State University | MS in Medical Sciences in Biology |
| Georgia (Atlanta) | Morehouse School of Medicine | MS in Medical Sciences |
| Mississippi (Hattiesburg) | William Carey | MS in Biomedical Sciences |
| Mississippi (Oxford) | University of Mississippi | MS in Biomedical Sciences |
| Mississippi (Clinton) | Mississippi College | MS in Biology (Medical Sciences) |
| North Carolina (Raleigh) | North Carolina State University | Master of Physiology |
| North Carolina (Winston-Salem) | Wake Forest University | MS in Biomedical Sciences |
| North Carolina (Durham) | Duke University | Master of Biomedical Sciences |
| South Carolina (Charleston) | Medical University of South Carolina | Master of Medical Sciences |
| Tennessee (Nashville) | Lipscomb University | Masters of Biomolecular Science |
| Tennessee (Nashville) | Vanderbilt University | Masters of Biomedical Sciences |
Southwest
| Location | School | Program name |
| Nevada (Henderson) | Touro University Nevada | MS in Medical Health Sciences |
| Arizona (Glendale) | Midwestern University | MA in Biomedical Sciences |
| Texas (College Station) | Texas A&M University | MS in Medical Sciences |
| Arizona (Tucson) | University of Arizona College of Medicine | Master of Medical Sciences |
| Texas (San Antonio) | University of the Incarnate Word | Master of Biomedical Sciences |
| Texas (Denton) | University of North Texas | MS in Medical Sciences |
Final Thoughts
This list is does not include all 1-year pre-medical masters programs in the US. And it doesn’t include 2-year pre-med masters programs or certificate programs (listed here). But it’s a good place to start your search.
If you’re interested in a particular medical school, check to see if that school has it’s own pre-medical masters or certificate program. These can be a great opportunity to network with faculty and obtain letters of recommendation from your top school of interest. Read here for more gap year opportunities before medical school. Or if you’re not sure about medical school, these masters programs can still help prepare you for other careers in healthcare. Read here for a list of 5 other lucrative career opportunities in healthcare.
