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 students 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.
• The 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
• Tuition Cost: ~$30,000-$60,000 per year

Post-bacc Programs

• Best for applicants with gaps in their prerequisites or premeds who need to improve their undergraduate GPA.
• The 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
• Tuition Cost: ~$20,000-$50,000 per year

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

Will a master's 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 their 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.
2. Check SMP requirements such as the GPA, MCAT score, GRE score, recommendation letters…
3. Consider length of the program.
4. Research available resources and support during medical school application
5. Look at tuition 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, and 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 and set yourself apart from the rest of the students. 

Special Master’s Programs Personal Statement Examples

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To your success,

Your friends at BeMo

BeMo Academic Consulting