Postbaccalaureate Programs: General Resources: Health Sciences Advisory Committee: St. Mary's College of Maryland

General Resources: Post-Bac Programs

Post-Baccalaureate Programs, or Post-Bac Programs, provide an alternate entry into postgraduate programs for students who have already obtained an undergraduate degree. You may consider an additional step between St. Mary's and medical/professional school if you were not accepted the first time around, or if your GPA and/or MCAT scores are too low for you to be a competitive applicant.

[Click here for a listing of HSAC recommended post-bac programs.]

Post-Bac programs are not for everyone, so it is important to make sure that pursuing a post-bac will be a good fit for you in your progress toward professional school. Keep in mind that post-bac programs are not the same as master's programs, and both kinds of program has its advantages.

To decide what is the best path for you...

Reflect on your own circumstances-- your financial situation, your professional goals, etc.
Talk to HSAC advisors.
Talk to admissions officers at the school(s) you were rejected from. They are typically happy to accommodate you and give suggestions for improvement.
Talk to admissions officers at the medical/professional school would ideally like to attend. Their recommendation will, then, be directly pertinent to you and your academic/career goals.
Figure out if you are missing prerequisites for medical/professional school. A post-bac will make sure you have all the prerequisites, whereas a master's may not (depending on the program you choose).

* Click here to see characteristics of post-bac vs. masters programs *