A pre-professional post-bacc program can seriously strengthen a pre-med student’s medical school 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.
And find below a list of best pre-med post-bacc programs designed to strengthen medical school applications.
What is a Pre-Med Post-Baccalaureate Program
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.
This list only includes programs designed for those who have already completed pre-med requirements in undergrad, also known as “academic enhancer” 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.
As for masters programs, there pre-med students can pursue either “regular” or “special” programs. There are hundreds of “regular” masters programs that would still strengthen a medical school application. Our list focuses on “special” programs, specifically designed for students who want to pursue medical school.
1. Best Masters Programs
Again, “special” or “pre-professional” masters programs are designed to enhance a student’s application to doctorate programs (like PhD programs, medical school, or dental school). But pre-med students looking to enhance their academic record for medical school are not limited to this list. Many “regular” masters programs (like masters programs in chemistry, biology, etc.) would still significantly improve a medical school application, assuming the student performed well in these programs. But these “special” pre-med masters programs are a good place to start your search:
| Location | School | PRogram Name |
| Massachusetts (Cambridge) | Harvard University | Master of Medical Sciences in Immunology |
| Massachusetts (Cambridge) | Boston University | MS in Medical Sciences |
| Louisiana (New Orleans) | Tulane University | MS in Anatomy |
| Washington DC | Georgetown University | Special Masters Program in Physiology (MS) |
| Maryland (Baltimore) | Johns Hopkins University | MS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology |
| New York (Valhalla) | New York Medical College | MS in Biomedical Sciences |
| Rhode Island (Providence) | Brown University | MS in Medical Sciences |
| California (San Francisco) | University of California San Francisco | MS in Biomedical Imaging |
| Illinois (Chicago) | Loyola University Chicago | MS in Medical Physiology |
| North Carolina (Durham) | Duke University | Master of Biomedical Sciences |
Read our full list of 1-year pre-medical masters programs here or read our full list of 2-year pre-medical masters programs here.
2. Best Non-Degree and Certificate Programs
Non-degree granting and certificate post-bacc programs are similar to “special” masters programs in that they are designed to improve a student’s medical school application through rigorous graduate-level coursework. These programs are similar in length to special masters programs but don’t result in a degree. But medical schools usually care more about whether a student has demonstrated they can handle challenging med school coursework, and less about the actual awarding of a graduate degree. These programs can still seriously improve a med school application:
Read our full list of pre-medical certificate and non-degree programs here.
Final Thoughts
This list is does not include all pre-medical programs in the US. But it’s a good place to start your search.
If you’re interested in a specific 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.
