1. Joanne Snapp, MSED Director of Health Professions Advising
Post-Bac vs. Masters
Joanne Snapp, MSED
Director of Health Professions Advising

2. What are my options? The best steps for you.

3. Your Health Profession Program
Finish Undergrad
GPA 3.2
Post-Bac
SMP
Masters
Formal
In-Formal MS MA
< 3.2
> 3.2
Your Health Profession Program

4. Some things to consider:
Is this an academic enhancer?
Focus on raising your undergraduate GPA
Is this a career changer?
Were you initially a non-science major?
What do you need?
Advising/Mentorship
A cohort
Structure
4. Time
5. What are you interested in?
6. What do you hope to accomplish/
your end goal?

5. Post-Baccalaureate Programs Informal vs. Formal

6. Why an Informal Post-Bac?
Cost:
Pay by unit
Where to take it:
Community College
Nursing
Pharmacy
Occupational Therapy
Physician’s Assistant
Veterinary Medicine
4 year institution (UC Davis, Berkeley)
Dentistry
Medicine

7. Examples Berkeley Extension UC Davis Open Campus
ublicCourseSearchDetails.do?method=lo ad&courseId=41571
~ $317 per unit
UC Davis Open Campus
campus/info
$300 per unit

8. Why a Formal Post-Bac? Advising Cohort Curriculum Faster
Where to take it:
UC Consortium
Columbia
SFSU
CSU East Bay
California Northstate

9. Masters Programs

10. SMP: Special Masters Programs Masters of Science (MS):
GPA 3.2 or higher, MCAT required
Take courses with current medical students
Usually pipelines to medical schools
Very Costly
Masters of Science (MS):
GPA 3.0 or higher, GRE required
Nutrition, Biochemistry, Anatomy, Physiology, etc.
Research involved
Can usually TA to pay for it.

11. Masters in Public Health (MPH):
This helps to define you
It does not help your undergraduate GPA
Experience needed for more specialized programs
MPP, MPA
UOP
UC Berkeley
Yale
Brown
1 yr vs. 2 yr

12. Questions to Ask

13. Some Questions to Ask Programs: Some Questions to Ask Yourself:
Is there a sole advisor to the program you are applying to, or do they have other responsibilities?
What percentage of their students successfully matriculate into a graduate program (i.e. medical school)?
Some Questions to Ask Yourself:
How much time do you have?
How much are you willing to spend?
How renowned is the program?
What is the curriculum?