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Please visit the following link to sign up for an information session.
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A career changer post-baccalaureate program is a program geared for students who need to take premedical prerequisite course work for medical, dental or veterinary school but who already possesses a degree in a non-science major.
The LMU Post Baccalaureate Program is a career changer program. Individuals who seek to enhance their previous performance in the science may need an academic enhancer program. A list of all post-baccalaureate programs in the country can be found by searching AAMC Premedical Postbaccalaureate Programs.
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We aim for a cohort of 20-25 students a year.
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Our preference is that applicants have taken less than five prerequisite courses. However, if an applicant has taken more than five we will consider that on a case-by-case basis.
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There are two tracks – the standard is 14 months, beginning in mid-May and ending the following June. Students can also start in mid-May or August and complete the program the following December. Start dates will be discussed in the interview.
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Students typically begin the program in the summer (mid-May) by enrolling in general chemistry. There is also an option to begin the program in summer session 2 or fall – start dates can be adjusted based on prior coursework, personal reasons, etc. On the application there is a place to indicate a preference. Note that a later start date could delay program completion.
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Our graduates have been successful in gaining admission to various medical and dental schools. Of students who have applied to medical or dental school, our acceptance rate is 74% over the past 10 years. In the last four years, 82% of qualified applicants (who scored a 500 or above on the MCAT) were admitted. All of our pre-dental students were admitted.
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Yes. Our program director will establish an individual educational agreement with you outlining your timeline for applying to medical and or dental school. A Committee Letter of recommendation from LMU is also offered.
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Applicants utilize PostBacCAS to apply to our program.
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PostBacCAS is the online application portal we are using to apply to the LMU Pre-Medical/Pre-Dental Post-Baccalaureate Program. Everything, including letters of recommendation, transcripts and the supplemental fee must be submitted on PostBacCAS. We will not accept any letters of recommendation or transcripts submitted outside of the application.
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The application cycle for the LMU Pre-Medical/Pre-Dental Post-Baccalaureate Program closes on February 14 each year.
The application cycle for the LMU Pre-Allied Health Post-Baccalaureate Program closes on March 1 each year.
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- Bachelor’s degree
- Required to have taken and passed a college-level pre-calculus course (algebra and trigonometry do not count toward this requirement)
- Less than five science pre-requisite courses preferred
- Minimum GPA of 3.3 is strongly recommended (applicants with lower GPAs are reviewed on a case by case basis)
- 1 semester of Calculus prior to matriculation is strongly recommended.
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The LMU Health Professions Advisory Committee evaluates applicants holistically. Including:
- Potential for success in a rigorous science curriculum
- Motivation and passion for a career in the health professions, indicated by work or volunteer experiences
- Strong support from faculty/mentors in letters of recommendation
- A cumulative GPA lower than 3.3 may be compensated by strength in other areas, such as significant extracurricular activities and strong letters of recommendation. We also like to see an upward trend in grades throughout one's college career, or higher grades in science/math courses. In addition, for a period of low grades we would want to know the reason(s) that occurred. Beyond this, we are unfortunately not able to advise on whether or not individual prospective applicants should apply to our program.
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After an initial application screening, we will contact selected candidates for a 30-40 minute interview. Interviews will be conducted on Zoom.
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A cumulative GPA of 3.3 must be maintained to continue in the program.
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Typically, students enroll in the following:
First Summer Session I and II
- General Chemistry I & II (lecture and lab; CHEM 110, 111, 112, 113)
Fall and Spring
- Organic Chemistry I & II (lecture and lab; CHEM 220, 221, 222, 223)
- General Biology I & II (lecture and lab; BIOL 101, 111, 202) [Higher division courses may substitute if appropriate]
- General Physics I & II (lecture and lab; PHYS 253, 254)
- Calculus
- Optional: General Psychology, Principles of Sociology, and Statistics
- Health Professions Advising I and II (free but required)
Final Summer Session I
- Biochemistry
Other upper-division science courses if applicable—but requires the Program Director’s consultation and approval.
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For this program, it is primarily structured around the standard pre-med/pre-dental courses listed above. Note that biochemistry is an upper division course. There may be room to take additional upper-division courses based on the post-bac student’s schedule and need, with approval from the Director of Health Professions Advising and the academic department.
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GRE scores are not required. However, if you have taken the test please forward your test scores with your application.
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If you have taken the MCAT, you almost certainly have taken more science courses than would be expected of a student in our program. You should therefore look for "academic record-enhancer" post-bac programs rather than a "career-changer" program.
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One letter of recommendation from an academic reference is preferred - specifically, someone who has been your professor in a college-level course. We do understand that as career changers some applicants have been out of school for a while so we will accept an employer's letter in lieu of an academic letter in that case.
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No. The program is intense and does not lend itself to full-time employment. The program is full time.
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Classes are offered during the daytime. Some labs meet in the early evenings, but they are connected to lecture courses that are only offered during the day.
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Post-bacs take their core science courses alongside undergraduate students, and are graded on the same scale. However, the required (free) Health Professions Advising I and II courses are only for post-bac students.
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The yearly estimated cost can be found here. The rate is reviewed on a yearly basis and is subject to change. Lab fees are not included. Total program cost is dependent on the number of units each student needs to take.
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Yes. We pay for the AAMC’s online MCAT prep bundle, which includes practice exams and question packs for all sections of the exam.
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We have two linkage agreements:
1. The Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) program at Western University of Health Sciences, which is open to qualified students in the 20 month program.
2. The Doctor of Medicine (MD) program at St. George's University in Grenada. This linkage program is open to students in either the 14 or 20-month tracks.
Information about these programs can be discussed in the interview.
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We welcome your visit to campus! For a campus tour—please sign up online at LMU’s campus tour site.
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Unfortunately, we are only able to accept students who received their bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in the United States.