Like an undergraduate post-bacc program, Special Master’s Programs (SMPs) are one or two-year programs (typically one-year) designed to help you prepare for medical school.
SMPs are for people who completed the pre-medical curriculum...but maybe could have done better. We also know of SMP applicants who had fine grades but were bad test takers and had low MCAT scores. Attending a SMP can show commitment to studying medicine and serve as proof that you’re a capable student.
These programs are also great for folks who simply feel underprepared for the medical school environment because SMPs offer a med school-esque experience. You might even take courses alongside medical students and be able to pick their brains.
There’s more than just science courses to SMPs too: Morehouse has a one- and two-year Master of Science in Medical Sciences (MSMS), which offers an MCAT prep course (not every SMP does), scribe training, and courses covering systemic racism to prepare underrepresented students for what they may encounter in med school and the medical field. The MSMS programs also provide matriculants with both a faculty and student advisor. Notes Morehouse: “As of the 2021 graduating class, the Post-Baccalaureate and MSMS degree programs have graduated 160 students with 88% of them entering health professional schools (134 to MD, three to DO, two to PA, one to DDS, and one to PhD programs).”
You might choose your SMP because it is under the same metaphorical or actual roof as your ideal medical school. You’ll have the chance to do some strong on-campus networking, always a plus when interviewing. And SMP students’ med school applications get special notice at the school they’re attending.
Georgetown has the oldest one-year Master of Physiology program built for aspiring medical students in the country; 50% of its students are accepted to medical school while still in the program. And 85% of its graduates are accepted to medical school within two years of completing their Master's degree. SMP students at Georgetown have an advantage when applying to Georgetown School of Medicine (GUSOM). “Many SMP students apply to [GUSOM] while in the program,” notes the school. “The SMPs are pulled out of the general applicant pool and are reviewed separately. GUSOM highly values students from the program and typically interviews half of the class. Of those interviewed, typically half are offered acceptance.”
The AAMC has a detailed list of 311 post-baccalaureate and SMP programs, and if they have linkage affiliations, it notes the schools they’re affiliated with. You can search by school, state, and public or private institution.
Related:
Earning Another Degree or Certification Before Med School: An Overview
Earning Another Degree or Certification Before Med School: Post-Baccalaureate Certification
Earning Another Degree or Certification Before Med School: Master’s Programs
Earning Another Degree or Certification Before Med School: Linkage Programs