Pre-Health Professions Certificate

Formal Pre-Health Post-Bac Program

Our highly-structured programs are intended for students who have already earned a bachelor's degree and wish to apply to U.S. health professional schools. The programs are suitable for those taking prerequisite courses for the first time, those retaking prerequisite courses and those taking a combination of first-time and retaken prerequisites. These prerequisites consist of a combination of science, math and social science courses. Participants are also welcome to choose among the many science and public health electives we offer.

Student working in laboratory

Formal Pre-Health Post-Bac

Students wishing to apply to medical, dental and other doctoral programs

Student in lab coat and gloves works with pipette in the lab

Pre-Nursing Post-Bac

Students wishing to apply to nursing, physician assistant, nutrition and similar allied health programs

Student smiles while working in the lab

How to Apply

Application and admission information
 

About the Program

We Prepare Students for All Pre-Health Professions

Because of the broad range of courses we offer, our programs are suitable for students interested in applying to the following health professional schools:

  • Medical (Allopathic, Osteopathic, Naturopathic, etc.)
  • Dental
  • Nursing
  • Physical Therapy
  • Physician Assistant
  • Pharmacy
  • Veterinary
  • Optometry
  • Podiatry
  • And more

Benefits

  • Enrollment in courses is reserved for our post-bac students.
  • Cohort structure: students are organized into mutually supportive cohorts of as many as 60 students each. This feature emphasizes cooperation rather than competition.
  • Flexibility: Students are not required to take classes they have already completed and done well in, electives can be taken as needed, and part-time enrollment is possible.
  • Students in the program will receive a high level of staff support and personalized academic advising.
  • A committee writes detailed letters of evaluation for students upon completion of the certificate.
  • Auxiliary course work is offered each semester in the form of discussion sections (SCI classes) designed to further enhance learning.
  • Professional development colloquia are offered during the first and final semesters for students to assess their career goals, develop effective application strategies and create community.
  • We have created a nationally recognized program with a modern curriculum, high standards and a high success rate that is successfully training the healthcare leaders of tomorrow.

Our Mission Statement

The short-term goal of the Pre-Health Post-Bac programs is to guide participants through the entire preparation and application process so that they will be successful applicants to U.S. health professional schools. The three long-term goals of the programs are:

  • To help train professionals that know how to conduct balanced lives and work with each other in a cooperative rather than competitive manner
  • To contribute to social justice by training a diverse population of participants so that the pool of healthcare providers better matches the pool of patients, thus lessening the access, treatment and outcome disparities that plague our healthcare system
  • To further contribute to social justice by providing socioeconomically disadvantaged participants a career path that provides them and their families with greater socioeconomic resources

Cost and Length

Cost: ~ $5,500 - $6,000 / $600 per unit. Cost varies based on number of courses taken.
Length: 2 - 6 semesters
When to Start: Fall, Spring, Summer 

News & Events

  • San Francisco State University College of Professional & Global Education Logo
    College of Professional & Global Education (CPaGE) The College of Extended Learning is now the College of Professional…
Anwar, Pre-Health Professions Student

What Students Say

"I have learned that no matter how hard something may seem, everything is always easier when you have a group of people working together towards the same goal. We all share the burden and make our journeys that much more enjoyable and memorable."

Anwar, Cohort G
2018 Grad, MS2 at KCU-COM

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