Postbaccalaureate Pre-Medical Program

For students who already have a bachelor’s degree but are lacking the specific science prerequisites for medical school, PSU offers a loosely structured postbaccalaureate program. Students have the option of completing the core sciences for the program in one year (including summer term) of intensive study. Postbaccalaureate students, with sufficient background, start with general chemistry in the summer and continue by taking year-long sequences of organic chemistry, biology, and physics simultaneously during the academic year. They then complete remaining prerequisite coursework such as genetics and biochemistry (required by Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine) after applying to medical school. Some postbaccalaureate students elect to spread the pre-med curriculum out over two years and then apply. This enables them to have more coursework completed before applying and gives them more time to accrue relevant experience.

The postbaccalaureate pre-medical program is not a certificate program. Many postbaccalaureate pre-medical students do, however, easily complete a degree in science (science is an interdisciplinary major at Portland State) while completing prerequisite coursework for medical school. Most students need only add two to three classes to the pre-medical coursework in order to finish the degree. Pursuing a second degree while working on pre-professional coursework often enables postbaccalaureate students to receive financial aid for a longer period of time. For more information, contact a health sciences adviser.