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Postbaccalaureate Premedical Certificate Program
ApplicationTo request information and an application, please use our Information Request Form. There is no online application.
About the Postbaccalaureate Premedical ProgramThe Postbaccalaureate Premedical Certificate Program is designed for students who have a bachelor's degree and either lack prerequisites required by health professional schools or wish to strengthen their credentials. It serves recent graduates as well as those returning to school after an extended interval. An overall minimum grade point average of 3.2 on a 4.0 scale and a minimum science and mathematics GPA of 3.2 are required for admission to the certificate program. You may apply before receiving your bachelor's degree. Foreign nationals should contact Christopher Tudge, ctudge@american.edu, 202-885-2033, to ascertain their eligibility to apply to the Postbaccalaureate Premedical Certificate Program. American University does not issue I-20 immigration documents for students applying to the postbaccalaureate program because it is a non-degree program. If you are an international student, please note that the Post-Baccalaureat Program DOES NOT qualify for an F-1 or J-1 immigration documents. ONLY students in other immigration statuses may apply. American University does not issue I-20s or DS2019 for this program.
Advising ServicesPostbaccalaureate Premedical Certificate Program services include:
Dr. Tudge is available to meet with you individually at least once each semester to review your academic progress and to discuss your subsequent course of study at American University. More specific documents, including Premed Tips and Freshman & Sophomore Health Professions Guide are available from Dr. Tudge as part of the application packet, available by completing our Information Request Form. There is no on-line application.
Admission RequirementsThe program is open to students with both a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.2 and a science and mathematics GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale. A bachelor's degree must have been earned before starting classes.
DeadlinesPostbaccalaureate work normally commences in the fall semester (late August). However, depending on which courses you have already completed, start dates in the spring semester (mid-January) or the summer semesters (mid-May or early July) may be possible. Although we have rolling admissions, applications and all transcripts should be received at least one or two months before you wish to begin. Financial aid application may require earlier deadlines.
Curriculum & Class SchedulesDetailed Certificate Requirements are listed below. Students who need everything may enroll in mid-May and become prepared for the MCAT or other professional school test in one calendar year. Two high-level courses may be taken during the following year while waiting for interviews; this is also a good time to do an internship at an institution like the National Institutes of Health or to volunteer or to take one of the numerous health-related jobs available in the Washington, D.C., area. Courses range from the usual basic requirements to biochemistry, cell biology, developmental biology, genetics, microbiology, molecular biology, vertebrate physiology, vertebrate anatomy, neurobiology, etc. Lecture sections usually have fewer than 60 students, and laboratory sections are usually limited to 16 students at the most. Students who have been accepted into the Postbaccalaureate Premedical Certificate Program are encouraged to enroll in Honors sections of courses if space is available. Most postbaccalaureate students begin in the fall, when a full load is four courses. However, some who need freshman courses start in the summer semesters, beginning in mid-May, when a full load is two courses. Calculus I is offered in the fall, spring and summer. Calculus II is offered in the fall and spring. General Biology I and General Chemistry I are offered in the fall, spring and summer. University Physics I is offered only in the fall and summer, while General Biology II, General Chemistry II and University Physics II are offered only in the spring and summer. Possible combinations in the summer are General Chemistry I & II during the day and either General Biology I & II or University Physics I & II or Calculus I in the evening. Organic Chemistry I & II are also available during the day in the summer. All of these except Calculus I have associated laboratories. Two courses is a full load. Although General Biology I and General Chemistry I are offered in the spring, you would have to take General Biology II and General Chemistry II in the second summer semester as these follow-up courses are not offered in the fall. Some classes are available in the evening. The schedule is accessible online at Schedule of Classes.
MCAT PreparationWe have made arrangements for a commercial MCAT preparatory course to be given on campus starting in the fall of each year. Tuition is separate from that for the Certificate program. Other commercial courses are also available locally.
Tuition & Financial AidTuition for 2007–2008 is $1,031 per credit hour for lower level courses or $1,111/credit hour for senior and graduate level courses, plus certain fees detailed at american.edu/finance/student_accounts/student_fees.html. The Sports Center Fee varies from $0 to $65, the Activity Fee from $0 to $73.50 and the Technology Fee from $0 to $95. Some courses have laboratory fees. Federal financial aid up to $10,500 per year in student loans is available for this program.
Gimble ScholarshipThe Josephine G. Gimble Scholarship provides $2,000 awarded annually to a junior or senior undergraduate student or a postbaccalaureate student who is majoring in the health sciences and who has expressed a commitment to a career in the allied health fields such as nursing, nutrition, occupational therapy, pharmacy, physical therapy, physician assistant or public health. You must have taken courses at American University before applying. Details are provided in the application form to be found outside Beeghly 202. Return to the top Certificate RequirementsA minimum of 24 credit hours of course work taken at American University,
including:
One of the following sets of two courses:
The remaining credits to satisfy the 24 credit hour minimum are to be earned by taking courses from the Basic Requirements and Additional Recommended Courses lists below. Basic RequirementsThe following courses are required for admission to medical school and to
many other health professional schools. Once enrolled in the Postbaccalaureate
Premedical Certificate Program, any of these courses not already completed must
be taken at American University:
Additional Recommended CoursesThese courses may also be used to satisfy the 24 hour minimum if credit for
any of the required courses has been obtained at another institution:
Medical School Acceptance InformationStudents from American University applying to medical, dental, veterinary, and other health professional schools have been highly competitive. Over the last 13 years, 249 of 280 qualified undergraduate and postbaccalaureate applicants were accepted to medical school, an 86% success rate, and 100% of qualified dental, veterinary, optometry, physical therapy, nursing, and pharmacy applicants were accepted. [Qualified applicants are those who were accepted or have science and mathematics as well as overall GPA (grade point average) of at least 3.30 and scores of at least 8.0 on each section of the MCAT (Medical School Admission Test).] In 2005, some of our applicants went on to medical schools such as George Washington, Georgetown, Harvard, Maryland, Michigan State, Rochester, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, U. VA, U. Washington, and Washington U. (full tuition scholarship).
To request information and an application, please use our Information Request Form. There is no online application. Your completed application and all supporting documents should be sent directly to Dr. Tudge: Dr. Christopher Tudge, Premedical Programs Coordinator Return to the top or the Premedical Programs Home Page. Updated: January 1, 2008. Maintained by ctudge@american.edu. |
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