The Office of Professional Studies in the Health Sciences at Drexel University College of Medicine has established the Evening Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medical Certificate program to prepare individuals who wish to pursue a career in the health professions. This unique program allows an individual with a non-science baccalaureate degree the opportunity to continue his or her current career while working during the evenings to prepare for medical, veterinary, dental, podiatric, chiropractic, or other allied health professional schools. Changing careers is often a very difficult decision for individuals to make. This program will help candidates to transition into a new career by allowing them to maintain their current position while completing the prerequisite coursework for application to health professional schools.
Former Evening Post-Baccalaureate Premedical student, Sharay McGann presented her work titled "Outliers amongst the minority women scientists-their challenges and successes, a comparative and investigative case study." Ms. McGann presented her work, under the guidance of Dr. Kishore K. Bagga, at the 244th National (fall) Meeting of the American Chemical Society as well as the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students. Her work was well received and stimulated much discussion. Well done Sharay!
Curriculum
The program is the equivalent of five semesters over a two-year period. The curriculum only offers the prerequisite science courses required by most health professional schools. During the first year, General Chemistry and General Physics with laboratories are offered during the fall and spring semesters. During the second year, students take Organic Chemistry and General Biology, in sequence, in the summer and fall semesters. Outside of the program, the opportunity for students to take additional courses through Drexel University is available.
Students focused on gaining admission to medical school will need to sit for the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT). Therefore the last semester of the program offers an in-house MCAT preparation course free of tuition charges. Those individuals wishing to sit for the Dental Admissions Test (DAT) or Graduate Record Exam (GRE) may also benefit from this in-house MCAT prep course.
Faculty
Admissions Requirements
A student applying to the program must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in the United States. Admission into the program is quite competitive because of the limited number of seats. Applicants are accepted on a rolling admissions basis. An applicant should have a minimum combined SAT score of 1000 or ACT score of 21 and a minimum undergraduate grade point average of 3.00. For those individuals far removed from the college years, additional factors, or other more recent coursework, will be considered. Applicants to the program should have at least 6 credits of coursework in English literature and the behavioral sciences (psychology, sociology, or philosophy), as that is a requirement for admission into most health professional schools. The opportunity exists within the program to acquire these courses if a student without these courses is accepted . A strong understanding of algebra and trigonometry is a prerequisite for the program. Calculus will also be beneficial.
Academic Advising
Gaining admission into a medical or other health professional school is very competitive. A student in the program must excel in the science courses. Free tutoring services are available on campus. In addition, applying to medical school is a very tedious and time-consuming task. The Director of the Evening Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medical Certificate program is available to students within the program to assist with this endeavor.
Admissions Exams
Application to a health professional school is approximately a year-long process. Along with the pre-medical science course requirements, the MCAT is a requirement for application to medical schools. Candidates for medical school are advised to apply to the American Medical College Application Service and/or the Association of American Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Service following completion of the program. This usually gives a student a year before gaining acceptance into medical school. During this time, a student is encouraged to continue to gain experience in a clinical setting, participate in volunteer work, or take upper division coursework.
Linkage
Students completing the Evening Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medical Certificate program may be eligible to apply to medical school sooner than a typical medical school applicant through one of our linkage agreements. A linkage agreement is a contractual agreement between two institutions. Currently, linkage is available to the Drexel University College of Medicine, the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey Robert Wood Johnson School of Medicine, and to the The Edward Via College Virgina College of Osteopathic Medicine. Determination of a student's eligibility to apply for linkage cannot be determined until all program courses are complete, at the end of the second year.
Contact Us
Office of Professional Studies in the Health Sciences
Drexel University College of Medicine
New College Building, Room 4104
245 North 15th Street, Mail Stop 344
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Phone: 215-762-4692
Email: medicalsciences@drexelmed.edu
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