    
|
Academic AdvisingPost-Baccalaureate Health Sciences Certificate ProgramPre-Health & Law Home | Pre-Health Sciences & Pre-Law Programs | Choosing a Major | Applying to a Professional Program Post-Baccalaureate Health Sciences Certificate Program | Learning Communities | Cosby High School Collaboration | Announcements/Events | Staff
Applying and Matriculating into the Program Minimum Requirements for Admission Orientation and Placement Tests How Does a Current VCU Student Matriculate into the Program?
The post-baccalaureate health sciences certificate is designed for students who have received a baccalaureate degree and wish to pursue their undergraduate pre-health sciences requirements at VCU. The program is designed for those students who have few or none of the prerequisites they need to enter doctoral level programs in physical therapy, pharmacy, dentistry, medicine, osteopathic medicine, optometry, or veterinary sciences.
This program challenges students to complete more intense science and math course work than the prerequisites and maintain at least a 3.0 cumulative grade-point average. The certificate program assists students to become more competitive for admissions into graduate level programs in the health sciences, but it does not guarantee them admissions into any program.
The certificate program will not be of help to someone who has already taken science and non-science courses and wants to improve his/her credentials because of low grades.
Those completing the certificate are expected to achieve competency in introductory and more advanced level science courses and will gain health care experience. Students can learn about healthcare program admissions requirements and strengthen their credentials through advising, student-run club activities and seminars.
Depending on the types of courses a student completes before entering, the certificate can take between one and three years to complete with full- or part-time study. Students are advised on how to progress based on prior math and science coursework, work and family constraints and other factors that could affect the time frame to completion.
Applying and matriculating into the program Students apply for the certificate program through the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Students wanting to enter the program in the fall must submit completed applications to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions by June 1. Students wishing to enter in spring must submit completed applications to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions by December 1.
Undergraduate Admissions
To be eligible to start the certificate program, applicants must submit transcripts to the office of undergraduate admissions verifying that they graduated with a baccalaureate degree from an accredited four-year institution. Upon receipt of transcripts, courses that can be awarded as transfer credit will be determined by the College of Humanities and Sciences.
Post-baccalaureate application for admission Minimum requirements for admission into the certificate program To be considered for admissions, candidates to the Post-Baccalaureate Health Sciences Certificate Program must have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited U.S. four-year institution and must present a minimum GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) from the degree-granting institution.
Students must also submit their applications by the stated application deadlines posted by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.
Orientation and placement tests Students accepted to the program should register for a transfer orientation session before registering for classes the first time. Students who have not taken chemistry and math courses recently or who have never taken a general chemistry course should contact Mark Bassard in the University College Campus Testing Center at (804) 827-8648 and ask to take a chemistry placement exam prior to orientation. For those entering the program in a spring semester, the placement tests recommended above should be taken and then the student should call (804) 827-8648 to schedule an advising appointment.
Those who have not taken a pre-calculus math course should take the online math placement test prior to attending an orientation program.
More information on New Student Orientation
How does a current VCU student matriculate into the program? Current students who plan to enter health care programs in fall 2007 or later can enter the program provided they have a VCU cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher.
Current students need to submit a formal application at the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.
Minimum competencies
Core curriculum
A maximum of 11 credit hours can be transferred towards the core curriculum of the certificate program. All students must have earned a minimum grade of “B” in all course work accepted for transfer. All course work accepted for transfer must be from an accredited institution.
Students should consult with the pre-health sciences advisors to determine the most appropriate courses to meet their educational and career goals.
Course will be selected from the following lists: Courses in math and statistics Courses in biology Courses in chemistry CHEM 301 Organic Chemistry I
While matriculating, all students must maintain a minimum of a 3.0 cumulative grade-point average. Courses may not be repeated after gaining admission into the certificate program. Failure to maintain the minimum grade-point average will result in formal dismissal from the certificate program.
All students accepted into the program must also commit to at least 50 hours of volunteer service in the VCU Medical Center Volunteer Program or a private health care setting. Volunteer hours must be documented on the voucher and submitted to the Office of Pre-Health Sciences at the time the application is submitted for graduation from the certificate program.
The PostBach list serve is owned and maintained by the director of pre-health sciences advising. The purpose of the list is to publicize all activities relevant to postbach students who are taking the prerequisites to enter graduate level programs in the health professions. All postbach students who have VCU e-mail addresses and have matriculated in the program are automatically added to the list each spring semester. From this site, subscribers who are not automatically added can visit the archive list of VCU list-serves, scroll down to POST-BACH-PRE-HEALTH STUDENTS and self subscribe: http://lists.vcu.edu/archives/postbach-pre-health-students.html. Question: I was an undergraduate science major and completed many pre-requisite courses for medical, dental or pharmacy school and did not perform well in them. Will this program help me? This program is not designed for students who already have completed the pre-requisites. It is a program for those who have few or none of the pre-requisites and wish to complete courses not yet attempted. Professional programs want to see progress in graduate level course work if you already attempted undergraduate course work but have not performed at the “A” or “B” level. It is recommended you consider the Basic Health Sciences Certificate Program in the graduate school if you have taken the prerequisites for your health profession of choice but lack the competitive grades necessary to enter gradate level programs in the health sciences.
Q: I have transcripts from my undergraduate career. Can I meet with someone prior to being admitted to the postbach program to find out which courses transfer? Students should attend orientation the summer before they matriculate in the program. This gives the advisor an opportunity to look at all transcripts and placement test data before making course suggestions.
Q: Do I have to start the postbach program in a fall semester? No, it can be started in fall or spring. You should apply and attend New Student Orientation or receive advising the semester BEFORE you wish to enroll.
Q: Does the program provide a committee letter? A committee letter is provided to students who complete 25 hours or more in the program before they apply to health professions programs and maintain the minimum GPA of 3.0 in the program.
Other requirements to obtain a committee letter
Q: Can I receive counseling before entering the postbach program? Postbach students will meet with their advisors at orientation. We cannot offer helpful information until we have the appropriate placement test and transcript data, which is only obtained at the time orientation is held. Those who have questions prior to attending orientation can e-mail Dr. Seth Leibowitz, program director, at slleibowitz@vcu.edu.
Q: If I enter the program, am I entitled to financial aid? Students must consult with the Office of Financial Aid to see if they are eligible for awards.
Q: What is the percentage of postbach students who are accepted to health professions programs and where do they attend? Because the program requires high academic standards to participate, the majority of those who finished the program in the past three years have been accepted to health profession programs of their choice.
Institutions that have accepted students from our postbach program include VCU School of Medicine, VCU School of Dentistry, VCU School of Pharmacy, Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Cornell Medical School, East Tennessee State School of Medicine and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.
Q: Can I matriculate in the program part-time? A: Students can do some semesters in the program with part-time study. It is strongly recommended that postbach students take a minimum of two semesters of full-time study before they make application to professional programs. Professional programs expect to see postbach students in rigorous courseloads of full-time study in the sciences before they make application.
Q: What kind of advising is available in the program? All students matriculating in the program will be assigned a counselor. Students can schedule appointments with their advisor through our portal program, myVCU, and are encouraged to meet with their counselor each semester before they register for classes.
Q: What happens if I do poorly in my coursework in postbach studies? Students who do not perform well in postbach coursework are at a serious disadvantage in the application process to professional programs in the health sciences. Occasionally professional programs are willing to be lenient about poor performance in undergraduate course work but expect outstanding academic performance in postbach coursework. If students fail to maintain the minimum academic standards described above, they will be dismissed from the postbach program.
Q: Why is a 3.0 undergraduate GPA required for admission into the postbach program? Professional programs want students to present around a 3.5 cumulative GPA when they apply for admission. We have found that students with higher undergraduate GPAs perform better in postbach coursework. We have also found that the program will not enhance or offset poor undergraduate academic performance.
Q: Will a 4.0 in the postbach program or graduation from the certificate program guarantee me admission into a professional program in the health sciences? No. Admission into a professional program requires strong test scores, health care experiences, a compelling personal statement, outstanding interviews and strong letters of recommendation. A student must possess all these qualities to be a competitive applicant.
Q: From the time a student starts the program, how long does it take to enter professional programs? Most take three years. It can be longer or shorter depending on the coursework transferred into the program. Advisors will establish a timeframe with students upon meeting with them during an orientation program.
Q: What is the course registration process like? Registering for classes the first semester in the program can be very difficult and stressful. Students typically have to obtain many of their classes during the five day add/drop period during the first week of classes. Don't give up hope! After the first week of classes, most students work things out without a problem. Only instructors can grant overrides into closed classes, and students are encouraged to see them for permission to enter classes if they are closed on the system. After that, students in the postbach program are entitled to priority registration, so future semester registrations are much smoother.
Pre-Health & Law Home | Pre-Health Sciences & Pre-Law Programs | Choosing a Major | Applying to a Professional Program Post-Baccalaureate Health Sciences Certificate Program | Learning Communities | Cosby High School Collaboration | Announcements/Events | Staff |
Virginia Commonwealth University | University College Hibbs Hall | 900 Park Avenue | P.O. Box 842507 | Richmond, Virginia 23284-9079 Phone: (804) 827-UNIV (8648) | Email: ucollege@vcu.edu Last Revised: 23.05.2008 |
|
