Post-Baccalaureate Undergraduate Certificate in Pre-Medicine

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), more than 15 percent of applicants to medical school have completed a post-baccalaureate pre-medical program. These programs generally fall into two categories:

1. Programs for students who have completed the pre-med curriculum but want to improve their GPA and increase competitiveness.
2. Programs for students who hold a bachelor's degree, wish to switch careers, and pursue medical school without having completed the pre-med curriculum.

The Post-Baccalaureate Undergraduate Certificate in Pre-Medicine is specifically designed for students in the latter category. Its goal is to provide accelerated, high-quality pre-medical preparation for post-baccalaureate students seeking to enter medical school. This full-time program is exclusively for individuals who have not yet completed the pre-med coursework  and are committed to changing their career path to medicine. By completing this program, participants will demonstrate their dedication and rigorous preparation for a career in medicine, enhancing their competitiveness in the medical school admissions process. 

Curriculum

To earn the certificate, students must complete the 51 credit hours of the Post-Baccalaureate Undergraduate Certificate in Pre-Medicine Curriculum (from the list below). Students must complete a minimum of 15 credit hours of certificate course work after they are admitted into the certificate program. At least 12 credit hours of the 15 credit hours must be at the 200-level or above, and at least 6 credit hours must be from the 300-level or above.

A minimum of 15 credit hours of the certificate course work must NOT have been previously successfully completed by the student.

Students may count previously earned course work towards the certificate curriculum (grades earned on prior course work, even if taken at the University of Kentucky, will not count towards the certificate GPA.)

Students must complete a breadth component where at least 3 credit hours of course work must be taken from a second discipline using a different course prefix.

All course work for the certificate must be taken for a letter grade and students must earn at least a B in all course work taken after admission to the certificate program in order to receive credit.

No more than 9 credit hours taken for the certificate can be used to satisfy the requirements for a second bachelor’s degree, a minor, or another certificate at the University of Kentucky.

Core Courses

• PSY 100 - Introduction to Psychology (4 credit hours)
• CHE 105 - General College Chemistry I (4 credit hours)
• CHE 111 - General College Chemistry I Laboratory (1 credit hour)
• CHE 107 - General College Chemistry II (3 credit hours)
• CHE 113 - General College Chemistry II Laboratory (2 credit hours)
• BIO 148 - Introductory Biology I (3 credit hours)
• BIO 152 - Introductory Biology II (3 credit hours)
• BIO 155 - Biological Research Skills Lab (1 credit hour)
• CHE 230 - Organic Chemistry I (3 credit hours)
• CHE 231 - Organic Chemistry I Laboratory (1 credit hour)
• CHE 232 - Organic Chemistry II (3 credit hours)
• CHE 233 - Organic Chemistry II Laboratory (1 credit hour)
• PHY 211 - General Physics (5 credit hours)
• PHY 213 - General Physics (5 credit hour)
• STA 296 - Statistical Methods and Motivations (3 credit hours)
• BCH 401G - Fundamentals of Biochemistry (3 credit hours)
• HSP/SOC 255 - Medicine, Health, and Society (3 credit hours)

Elective Requirements

Students choose ONE elective course based on specific course requirements for the medical school they are applying to. Below are suggested electives for students applying to medical school in Kentucky:

• College of Medicine, University of Kentucky
  • BIO 315 - Introduction to Cell Biology (4 credit hours)
• School of Medicine, University of Louisville
  • BIO 304 - Principles of Genetics (4 credit hours)
  • BIO 350 - Animal Physiology (4 credit hours)
• Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • BIO 304 - Principles of Genetics (4 credit hours)
  • BIO 315 - Introduction to Cell Biology (4 credit hours)
  • BIO 350 - Animal Physiology (4 credit hours)

Total Credit Hours: 51