Special Master’s Programs: Can They Get You Into Med School?

Best Special Master's Programs for Medical School

What Are Special Master’s Programs?

Special master’s programs (SMPs) are graduate programs that aim to increase your chances of getting into medical school. SMPs also expose you to experiences necessary to succeed in medical school, so you can bolster other medical school requirements, such as GPA, research, and clinical experience. Essentially, most student look at SMPs to increase their chances of getting into a med program and make their medical school application stand out.

Fair warning: special master’s programs are not easy and should not be applied to lightly. They are intensive graduate school programs that require a lot of dedication and academic prowess. Our admissions expert Dr. Sruveera Sathi, MD, sees SMPs as a great way to demonstrate your readiness for medical school, but has a warning:

“An SMP is a 'high risk, high reward' sort of strategy for med school. It’s high risk because it requires a significant time investment (1 year or more sometimes), money investment (1-2 years’ worth of graduate level tuition), and risk of having to do well in it, otherwise it can look even worse to medical schools. It’s also high reward, because if one does achieve a high GPA (let’s say above 3.7), then it can look great to medical schools that you are able to master the coursework at a level needed for medical school.” - Dr. Sruveera Sathi, MD

Different Types of Special Master's Programs

You might have heard of post-baccalaureate programs for medical school, so how are SMPs different? 

Special Master’s Programs

• Best for applicants who want to bolster their med school application, who don’t have access to clinical or research opportunities or who are considered disadvantaged or underrepresented in medical education.
• Curriculum includes graduate level science coursework, including medical sciences. You complete courses alongside medical school students, with chances to participate in graduate-level research and clinical experiences.
• Designed to help premeds improve their med school application with graduate level science courses, clinical opportunities and research experience.
• Length: 1-2 years
• Cost: ~$30,000-$50,000 per year

Post-bacc Programs

• Best for applicants with gaps in their prerequisites or premeds who need to improve their undergraduate GPA.
• Curriculum includes undergraduate level science coursework and may include MCAT prep or MCAT tutoring.
• Designed to allow premeds to complete the necessary medical school prerequisites and get into medical school.
• Length: 1-2 years
• Cost: ~$20,000-$40,000 per year

Special Master’s Programs’ Special Focus

Typically, each special master’s program has a special focus, so make sure that you check out what each SMP you consider can help you with. Here’s a quick rundown of the most common SMP designations:

1. Academic record enhancers, academic competency enhancers, and gap year medical preparation programs are intended for premed students who wish to bolster their academic records. These types of programs may help raise your GPA by taking relevant science-based courses, increase your exposure to clinical practice, and help you with research opportunities.
2. Career changers, career changer programs with MD prerequisites, and programs that include prerequisites for medical school are for students who did not complete the required premed courses in their undergrad, but now want to enter the medical profession. Students in these programs to take necessary prerequisites for med school admissions.
3. Educationally/economically disadvantaged and underrepresented minority student programs aim to increase diversity in the medical field and increase opportunities for disadvantaged students.

There are also designations that accommodate students interested in other health professions. To learn more about these programs, check out AAMC (American Association of Medical Colleges) list of postbaccalaureate and SMP programs.

What are the Pros and Cons of Special Master’s Programs? 

Will a Masters or PhD Help You Get Into Med School? Watch this video:

How to Choose a Special Master's Program

Note: Before you start searching for SMPs that could work for you, make sure you check whether having an SMP on your record will actually help you get into medical schools you’re interested in. For example, if you hope to increase your GPA, check if your chosen medical schools count graduate school GPA in its overall GPA calculations. Because if they do not – maybe an SMP is not exactly right for you!

In addition to checking your chosen medical schools, check the following when you decide on what SMP to pursue:

#1: Check for Medical School Acceptance Rates and Affiliation with Medical Schools

Special master’s programs know that most of their students use them as a stepping stone to medical school. Many of them are very public with their medical school acceptance rates, while others are less so. If possible, find out how many of your chosen special master’s programs’ matriculants got accepted to medical school in recent years. If the program does not publicly reveal this information, reach out to the admissions office.

Another sign of a good fit is if the program you are interested in is a special master’s program with linkages to medical school. In these cases, it is sometimes possible to transition into medical school directly after you finish your degree without having to send out dozens of other applications.

#2: Check SMP Requirements

Even though you may think that special master’s programs would have more lax requirements than medical schools, it’s not easy to get accepted. Most programs will require at least a 3.0 GPA and an MCAT score of 500. These are the minimums. There are programs that will have higher requirements, even higher than some of the easiest medical schools to get into. Make sure to check all the requirements and apply to programs where you would be a competitive applicant.

In addition, note down all the other requirements, such as how many recommendation letters they want, who should be writing your recommendation letters, whether they want you to submit personal statement or any other essay, whether they require a CV or a resume, and whether they will accept a GRE score instead of the MCAT (this can be especially appealing to those who have not taken the MCAT yet!). 

#3: Consider Length of Program

If an SMP is just a stepping stone towards medical school, you probably do not want to spend too much time on it. Check for programs’ lengths and make sure they align with your ideal timeline. Most special master’s programs are two years long, but there may be ways to shorten this time if you can take on more coursework in a semester or speed up your research process if the program allows it.

Keep in mind that there are online special master’s programs. This option may leave you with more flexibility in building your schedule and reaching your goals at your own pace.

#4: Research Available Resources and Support During Medical School Application

This is worth repeating: if you are trying to get into an SMP because you need help enhancing your medical school profile, find programs that can help you fill the necessary gaps in your medical school application. Check what resources and courses they offer. Can they help you get that research experience? Can they help you complete those medical school prerequisites? Can they expose you to more clinical experience? Can they help you prepare for the MCAT by providing MCAT prep? Do they offer medical school application help as part of their counselling? Make note of all these perks before you finalize your list of SMPs to apply to. 

#5: Look at Tuition Costs

Special master’s programs are not cheap. When you look for SMP options, see if you can keep your tuition costs as low as possible by applying to SMPs in public universities within your state as tuition fees for residents are much lower. Just take a look at the table of the Best SMPs we include earlier in this blog to understand the difference between resident vs non-resident fees.

Make sure to also check out scholarships and funding that the university provides for students in these programs. This can greatly cut your costs!

Strategies for How to Get into a Special Master's Program

#1: Do Not Submit an Average Application

If you take away anything from this article, it should be this: do not treat your application to a special master’s program as just a means to a greater end (medical school being the end here). While it’s true that most people treat special master’s programs as a stepping stone, they also work incredibly hard to earn their place at these programs. So do not be fooled into thinking that getting into an SMP will be easy, especially if you’re applying to programs with medical school affiliations or programs famous for having high medical school acceptance rates. If you want to increase your chances of acceptance to these SMPs, then you should exceed their GPA, MCAT, GRE or other application requirements. 

And keep in mind that it’s not all about the stats - make sure your recommendation letters are superb, make sure that your personal statement is captivating, make sure that your application convinces the admissions committee that not only will you make a great doctor in the future, but that you will be a great addition to their program while you are there. This is not an easy feat! So treat this task with seriousness and dedication.

#2: Write an Impressive Personal Statement

Your personal statement, or a grad school statement of purpose in this case, is a great way for you to express to each individual program why you would be a great fit in the medical and scientific community. Remember, most of your other components will be the same for every program: same references, same statistics, same transcripts, etc. But your admissions essay is your chance to make the admissions team feel like you really want to attend their program specifically. Use this chance to wow them and make yourself seem like a perfect fit for their school.

#3: Demonstrate What You Learned from Your Setbacks

You have a chance to take accountability for the things that may have prevented you from pursuing medical school right after college or the things that got you rejected from medical school. Maybe it was a lower GPA or maybe it was lack of clinical background. Whatever it is, in your statement of purpose or your interview, do not be afraid of owning your mistakes or struggles and demonstrate what you learned from these experiences. Demonstrate maturity and willingness to grow - this will set you apart from the rest of the students. 

Special Master’s Programs Personal Statement Examples

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BeMo Academic Consulting