Concordia College's post-baccalaureate (post bacc) programs include an Accelerated Nursing BSN and a Pre-health Professions Program encompassing a wide variety of medical fields. Our programs are designed for students interested in a health professions career who have completed an undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited institution. Program length and cost depend on a student’s chosen field of study and individual guidance from faculty advisors. Generally, programs span one to two years. Post bacc programs do not typically confer a degree; the primary objective is to fully prepare students to take health professions exams for certification or entrance in a health professions school. Faculty place strong emphasis on advising and mentoring students to achieve their greatest success.
Students may enroll in a post-baccalaureate program for a variety of different reasons:
-
To complete a second BA/BS degree.
-
Complete prerequisite courses for admission into medical school or other graduate programs.
-
Attain a graduate certificate.
Our post bacc programs boast small cohort sizes and are competitive and selective. Each program’s admissions team will evaluate students’ academic records, professional references, and experiences. A required personal statement will provide the admissions team insight into each student’s character, work ethic and motivation to pursue a career as a healthcare professional.
Students must meet the following general eligibility requirements:
-
U.S. citizen or permanent resident
-
A baccalaureate or graduate degree in a non-nursing major from a U.S. regionally accredited institution
-
Accelerated Nursing BSN cumulative GPA of 2.5
-
Pre-health Professions cumulative GPA of 3.2
-
Prerequisite coursework for the respective program
-
Accelerated Nursing BSN with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher for prerequisite coursework
The Pre-health Professions program serves two student populations:
- Career changers who need to take prerequisite coursework for the first time in preparation for standardized tests and application to medical and other professional health programs with a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university in a major and/or minor outside the sciences, with an undergraduate GPA of 3.2 or greater. Students might have professional experiences outside of the field of medicine and have recently decided to pursue a medical career.
- Academic enhancers who wish to improve their GPAs and prepare for standardized tests. Students applying through this path hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university with a major or minor in the sciences. These students are seeking academic enhancement of existing science courses by repeating coursework and/or enrolling in upper-level science courses to strengthen their academic foundation before applying to a health professions school.