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What Do You Learn in a Pre-Medical Post-Baccalaureate Program?
Articles
March 15, 2025
Considering a pre-medical post-baccalaureate (post-bacc) program to get back on track for applying to medical school? Whether you’re a career changer, seeking to improve your academic record, or reinforcing your foundation in the sciences, post-bacc programs offer tailored coursework and experiences to prepare you for the rigors of medical education. But what exactly do you learn in a pre-med post-bacc program? This article explains common post-bacc curriculum plans.
Core Science Coursework
Science forms the backbone of any pre-med post-bacc program. The science courses you’ll take in a pre-med post-bacc program typically align with the prerequisites required for medical school. As discussed in our article on science GPAs, these courses include:
- Biology: Topics can include cell biology, genetics, physiology, and microbiology.
- General Chemistry: Introducing chemical principles, stoichiometry, thermodynamics, and acid-base chemistry.
- Organic Chemistry: Exploring molecular structures, reaction mechanisms, and laboratory techniques.
- Physics: Teaching concepts like mechanics, electromagnetism, and fluid dynamics, often with an emphasis on applications in biological systems.
- Biochemistry: A crucial course that delves into metabolism, enzymology, and molecular biology—topics heavily tested on the MCAT.
These classes may include laboratory components, providing hands-on experience in experimental techniques and data analysis.
MCAT Preparation
Many post-bacc programs integrate Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) preparation into their curriculum. This can include:
- Dedicated MCAT prep courses
- Practice exams and question banks
- Workshops on test-taking strategies
- Personalized study plans and tutoring
A strong performance on the MCAT is crucial for medical school admission, making this an invaluable component of many post-bacc programs.
Experiential Learning
Gaining real-world exposure to patient care and research experience are important for pre-meds. These experiences not only strengthen medical school applications but also offer insight into the daily life of a physician, or, in the case of research, help students interested in academic medicine build professional skills.
Some post-bacc programs will try to incorporate these types of experiential learning into the curriculum. Activities may include:
- Shadowing physicians in various specialties
- Volunteering in hospitals, clinics, or community health organizations
- Working in a university or hospital lab
- Conducting independent research projects
- Presenting findings at conferences or in publications
Experiential learning varies by school, so if this matters to you, make sure you ask post-bacc program admissions teams for details before you apply.
Advising and Support
One significant advantage of structured post-bacc programs is the availability of academic advising services. Post-bacc programs want to be able to show that they have a good track record when it comes to getting their graduates into medical school, so offering advising is one way to help ensure students succeed beyond the classroom.
Advising opportunities vary by school, but may include:
- One-on-one advising to guide course selection and application strategies
- Personal statement workshops to craft compelling medical school essays
- Mock interviews to practice for medical school admissions
- Committee letters of recommendation that provide a comprehensive evaluation of an applicant’s readiness
Again, ask about advising opportunities before you decide to apply to a post-bacc program. While advising doesn’t make up part of the formal curriculum, learning to conduct yourself professionally during interviews will be important when it comes time to apply for residency positions – and for medical jobs.
Find the Right Program for You
A pre-medical post-baccalaureate program will help you learn both the “hard” science skills you need for medical school and the “soft” skills around interviewing and applying for medical school admission. Start looking for the post-bacc program that best fits your goals and maximizes your chances of success on your journey to becoming a physician: search our pre-med post-bacc database today!
Considering a pre-medical post-baccalaureate (post-bacc) program to get back on track for applying to medical school? Whether you’re a career changer, seeking to improve your academic record, or reinforcing your foundation in the sciences, post-bacc programs offer tailored coursework and experiences to prepare you for the rigors of medical education. But what exactly do you learn in a pre-med post-bacc program? This article explains common post-bacc curriculum plans.
Core Science Coursework
Science forms the backbone of any pre-med post-bacc program. The science courses you’ll take in a pre-med post-bacc program typically align with the prerequisites required for medical school. As discussed in our article on science GPAs, these courses include:
- Biology: Topics can include cell biology, genetics, physiology, and microbiology.
- General Chemistry: Introducing chemical principles, stoichiometry, thermodynamics, and acid-base chemistry.
- Organic Chemistry: Exploring molecular structures, reaction mechanisms, and laboratory techniques.
- Physics: Teaching concepts like mechanics, electromagnetism, and fluid dynamics, often with an emphasis on applications in biological systems.
- Biochemistry: A crucial course that delves into metabolism, enzymology, and molecular biology—topics heavily tested on the MCAT.
These classes may include laboratory components, providing hands-on experience in experimental techniques and data analysis.
MCAT Preparation
Many post-bacc programs integrate Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) preparation into their curriculum. This can include:
- Dedicated MCAT prep courses
- Practice exams and question banks
- Workshops on test-taking strategies
- Personalized study plans and tutoring
A strong performance on the MCAT is crucial for medical school admission, making this an invaluable component of many post-bacc programs.
Experiential Learning
Gaining real-world exposure to patient care and research experience are important for pre-meds. These experiences not only strengthen medical school applications but also offer insight into the daily life of a physician, or, in the case of research, help students interested in academic medicine build professional skills.
Some post-bacc programs will try to incorporate these types of experiential learning into the curriculum. Activities may include:
- Shadowing physicians in various specialties
- Volunteering in hospitals, clinics, or community health organizations
- Working in a university or hospital lab
- Conducting independent research projects
- Presenting findings at conferences or in publications
Experiential learning varies by school, so if this matters to you, make sure you ask post-bacc program admissions teams for details before you apply.
Advising and Support
One significant advantage of structured post-bacc programs is the availability of academic advising services. Post-bacc programs want to be able to show that they have a good track record when it comes to getting their graduates into medical school, so offering advising is one way to help ensure students succeed beyond the classroom.
Advising opportunities vary by school, but may include:
- One-on-one advising to guide course selection and application strategies
- Personal statement workshops to craft compelling medical school essays
- Mock interviews to practice for medical school admissions
- Committee letters of recommendation that provide a comprehensive evaluation of an applicant’s readiness
Again, ask about advising opportunities before you decide to apply to a post-bacc program. While advising doesn’t make up part of the formal curriculum, learning to conduct yourself professionally during interviews will be important when it comes time to apply for residency positions – and for medical jobs.
Find the Right Program for You
A pre-medical post-baccalaureate program will help you learn both the “hard” science skills you need for medical school and the “soft” skills around interviewing and applying for medical school admission. Start looking for the post-bacc program that best fits your goals and maximizes your chances of success on your journey to becoming a physician: search our pre-med post-bacc database today!