Mission
The Columbia University Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program, the oldest and largest program of its kind in the United States, aims to meet the needs of college graduates who wish to pursue a medical education but who have taken few or none of the core science courses required for admission to medical school. The program also accepts students who wish to study dentistry, veterinary, and osteopathic medicine or other allied health graduate programs such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, and physicians assistant.

History
Columbia has long been a pioneer both in medical education and in educational opportunities for adult students. Founded in 1767, Columbia’s medical school was the first to award the M.D. degree in the American colonies. In 1830, Columbia introduced a “Literary and Scientific Course” for working men in New York as an alternative to the full-time undergraduate curriculum of Columbia College. Beginning in the early years of last century, the University formally offered premedical preparation to students who were not matriculated for an undergraduate degree and, in 1955, established the Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program within Columbia University School of General Studies. The combination of Columbia’s renowned premedical sciences curriculum and the wealth of clinical and research opportunities in New York City makes for a Postbaccalaureate experience of unparalleled richness.

The Postbac Student
Postbac Premed students come from a wide range of backgrounds. Some have already begun a career and are looking for more from their professional lives, others have experienced personal situations that inspired them to go into a medical field, and some are seeking the science education they didn’t take as an undergraduate.

Upon arriving to campus, Postbac Premed students have completed a rigorous undergraduate education. Such students, if their determination is unwavering, tend to find their encounter with Columbia’s intensive sciences curriculum and vibrant premedical community to be a rewarding and life-altering experience, as well as superb preparation for medical school.


Meet Lauren, Postbac Premed student

Program Basics

Purpose
The Postbac Premed Program allows students, alongside all other Columbia University undergraduates, to complete the academic prerequisites for admission to schools of allopathic medicine, osteopathic medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, and graduate programs in allied health fields such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, and physician’s assistant programs. Additionally, the program, which has more than 400 students enrolled, provides students with opportunities for practical clinical and research experience, with guidance throughout the medical-school application process; and with institutional support through a letter of recommendation.

Faculty
Columbia University’s internationally recognized science faculty, a part of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, is committed to teaching and advising. In addition to building relationships within the classroom, faculty members take a special interest in Postbac Premed students outside of class, and students may have the opportunity to serve as a teaching or research assistant and co-author research papers.

Program Timetable: Traditional, Accelerated, or Part-time
The Postbac Premed Program affords students great flexibility, with the option to enroll full- or part-time and
opportunities to begin study in the fall, spring, or summer. Courses are offered both during the day and in the evening.

Students interested in beginning the traditional program in the fall can expect to complete your coursework
after two full academic years of study. In the third year, known as the glide year, students will focus on applying to medical school while deepening their exposure to medicine through advanced science coursework, research, or clinical work.

Students who are up for a challenge and wish to enroll in the accelerated program in the spring can expect to complete coursework within 18 months if they are prepared to begin General Chemistry I, Physics I, and Calculus I. The Accelerated Program is suitable for students who have demonstrated strong quantitative skills and have recently completed calculus or are calculus-ready. Upon completion of academic coursework, students spend the following year applying to medical school, taking advanced coursework, and engaging in research or clinical work like those who undertake the traditional program.

In addition to both the traditional and the accelerated programs, you may enroll for part-time study, which offers
greater flexibility. Many students begin by taking a single course while continuing to work a full-time job; this is especially the case for students who begin in the spring or summer terms in order to complete preparatory coursework before enrolling in the required science courses.

Medical School Placement
In recent years, up to and above 90 percent of students are admitted upon first application to medical schools including Columbia University, Cornell University, Harvard University and Yale University. Columbia Postbac students are extremely compelling applicants because while at the University they are part of a community of like-minded individuals who share a serious passion for the health sciences and medicine—composed not only of your peers, but also of professors and academic advisors.