A post-baccalaureate program or post-bacc is a program you participate in after you have completed your undergraduate studies. Simply put, a post-baccalaureate program is a transition program between your undergraduate education and graduate school. Students sign up for this program with various goals, including but not limited to, completing a second BA/BS degree, attaining a graduate certificate, or completing prerequisite courses for medical or dental school.
Some post-baccalaureate programs can provide degrees and certificates, while others can be non-degree-granting. It usually takes about a year or two to complete a post-baccalaureate program.
Post-baccalaureate programs in health sciences are designed to bring students who graduated with a non-science degree up to speed, or strengthen their academic credentials or fulfill prerequisites for dental or medical school.
There is a variety of post-baccalaureate programs available for you to choose from. Each program varies in length, in contents, and while some of the programs offer a certificate or degree, others do not. Therefore which program you choose will broadly depend on the following-
Here are a few generic questions you can ask yourself in order to figure out whether you should be enrolling for a post-baccalaureate program or not.
Being a science major is not a prerequisite for applying to dental school. However, there are a couple of science-related specifications that you must fulfill. Therefore, if you are not a science major, then enrolling for a post-baccalaureate program can be a good way for you to meet your insufficient prerequisites.
Are you a science major who already meets all the prerequisites, and seemingly don’t have a reason to enroll in such a program? Think again. Having a post-baccalaureate degree can give you a competitive advantage and amp up your dental school application.
Dental schools are always on the lookout for students who have showcased their willingness to work and learn dentistry. They will, therefore, especially appreciate the fact that you have done some extra work, despite already being eligible to apply. This will make you stand out as an applicant.
As mentioned above, post-baccalaureate programs can cover a variety of topics and subjects. This can range from background science courses to academic enhancement classes to test prep classes. Often, schools conducting and offering such programs have guaranteed seats for the students who meet specific requirements.
At some schools, students accepted into the program do not pay tuition, and in some cases, they must be selected by the school rather than apply for a spot.
We have already discussed the many reasons why you, as a student, may want to apply and sign up for a post-baccalaureate program. Here are a few other benefits that post-baccalaureate programs can offer to you before attending medical or dental school-
During post-baccalaureate programs, you are paired with an advisor who specializes in pre-med or pre-dental. This advisor will help you throughout your application process and keep your individual needs in mind while advising. This helps kickstart your activities for professional school.
As a graduate student, you might already have a job and not be able to dedicate your full time to earning a post-bacc degree. Don’t you worry because post-baccalaureate offers both part-time and full-time programs! The full-time programs are usually eight months long, while the part-time ones last for about a year.
A few post-baccalaureate programs have volunteer experience as a part of their curriculum. This can really help you build up your clinical or research experience, which in turn will significantly strengthen your medical or dental application.
The post-baccalaureate programs for medical or dental school are usually offered and run by dental and medical schools themselves. These schools often have agreements with the students participating in the post-bacc programs. The agreement includes a conditional admission into the medical or dental school based upon your performance. Some schools offer this as a guarantee while for others this is simply implied. In general, however, if you complete a post-bacc program from a certain affiliated dental or medical school you can become very familiar with the culture of the school and build relationships with faculty members, potentially giving you a competitive advantage over the other applicants who are applying to the same institution.
Post-baccalaureate programs are a great way to not only improve your academic records and fill out any academic gaps but also for MCAT or DAT prep. Sometimes, such programs come with built-in DAT prep and MCAT prep classes. Other times, the contents and topics covered in these programs go a long way into preparing you for these exams.
Post-baccalaureate programs can end up costing you a pretty penny. Most post-bacc programs cost anywhere between $20,000 to $40,000. A few schools offer financial aid, but you mostly will have to rely on student loans. Moreover, many post-baccalaureate programs don’t even qualify for federal financial aid. So be very wary and conduct thorough research before applying for grants or just signing up for any post-baccalaureate program.
Post-baccalaureate programs have a wide variety, so you need to focus on why you want to do the programs, how much are you willing to spend on it and what you expect to learn and achieve from the program.
Here are a few questions you can ask yourself to figure out which program, if any at all, is suitable for you.
If you are someone who already has all the prerequisite classes covered and has a good score in all of them, you don’t really consider a post- bacc to enhance your academic rapport. However, if your previous results weren’t up to par, these programs are an excellent opportunity to learn and improve. However, a post-bacc program is not the only way to improve. Speaking to your university’s learning center could also result in test- prep solutions for you.
The amount of time taken to complete a post-baccalaureate program and a master’s degree is roughly the same. So, this raises the question- which one is more beneficial? A master’s program would be more beneficial for students who were science majors in college and now are looking to improving their academic records. A post-baccalaureate program would be more beneficial for a non-science major who is missing the necessary science background and basics required for both medical and dental school.
As mentioned before, a post-baccalaureate program can be pretty expensive, with little or no financial aid available. Therefore, you must choose a program that is cost-effective and fits within your budget. Loans are usually the only form of financial assistance available, so make sure to conduct thorough research before applying to any of the programs.
One of the benefits mentioned above of post-baccalaureate programs is the fact that some programs offer full-time and part-time classes. So you can really pick and choose, depending on your needs.
Post-bacc programs are usually 1 to 2 years long.
Having an advisor can be a huge help. They can individually guide you and help with your career and application.
Some students find it challenging to communicate in classes occupied by a large number of students. While post-bacc class sizes are generally small, this is something a student should consider before signing up for the program.
You can find a suitable postbaccalaureate program from the database of postbaccalaureate programs.
Remember that you know your needs best, so conduct appropriate research to find programs that suit you best. A post-baccalaureate degree will strengthen your dental school application. But, it is imperative that you find the right program, so that is well worth the time, money, and effort.
