Skip Navigation

Program Policies and Resources

Substitutions, Waivers and Transfer Credit

Refunds

Withdrawals and Cancellations

Curriculum and Completion Requirements

Back to Program

Post-Baccalaureate Health Professions Program

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is the UC Berkeley Extension Post-Baccalaureate Health Professions Program?
A. It is a program developed specifically for college graduates who want to apply to professional schools and need to fulfill prerequisites or raise their undergraduate grade point average before applying.

Q. What is the value of a UC Berkeley Extension program?
A. As the continuing education arm of UC Berkeley, one of the finest public research institutions in the United States, UC Berkeley Extension has an unmatched reputation for excellence. UC Berkeley Extension's campus-approved academic curricula and instructors are widely respected and contribute to the successful completion of a high-caliber course of study. Also, program flexibility allows any student to take individual courses rather than complete the entire program.

Q. Who is eligible to apply for the program?
A. College graduates who hold at least a baccalaureate degree are eligible to apply. A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 is required for consideration for the Post-Baccalaureate Health Professions Program. GPA requirements may be updated as annual reviews of the programs are conducted. This program is not approved for international students who hold F-1 visas.

Q. If I have a GPA below the 3.0 requirement, will I be considered for the program?
A. We consider all applications on an individual basis. However, applying to our program with a cumulative undergraduate GPA below 3.0 puts you at a significant disadvantage. Depending on your professional program of interest, it may not be possible to become academically competitive through our program. For this reason, our admissions committee may feel that your needs would be better served by another academic institution.

Q. How do I apply to the program?
A. To apply to the Post-Baccalaureate Health Professions Program, you must submit the following:

  1. The registration form online with your credit card information. You can also print out and complete the mail-in registration form. Mail it as it indicates, and include the nonrefundable registration fee.
  2. An official, sealed transcript from an accredited undergraduate institution verifying that you earned a baccalaureate degree and maintained a GPA equal to or above 3.0.
  3. Any additional transcripts (official and sealed) from all other undergraduate and graduate institutions attended.
  4. Complete the personal statement essays form. Answers should be in essay style, where applicable, and in 12-point font.
  5. Three letters of recommendation (a minimum of one from an academic reference). Letters are expected to be confidential and should be sent directly from the recommenders. Applicants may only submit letters if they are in sealed envelopes with the recommender's signature across the seal. Open letters will not be accepted from applicants.
  6. Current C.V. or résumé (applicable as of June 1, 2013)
  7. The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is not a requirement for our program. However, if you took the MCAT in the past three years, you must submit verification of your scores.

Send transcript(s), statement of purpose and letters of recommendation (items 2–5 above) to

Shoshana Katzman, Ph.D.
Program Director
Health Sciences
UC Berkeley Extension
1995 University Ave., Suite 110
Berkeley, CA 94704-7000

Q. Who qualifies as an academic reference?
A. An academic reference is someone who has observed your academic work and given you a letter grade—for example, a course instructor. If you take a course pass/fail, then the instructor cannot be an academic reference.

Q. Who should we not use as a nonacademic reference?
A. Family members and religious leaders who only know you as a parishioner should be avoided. Work or volunteer supervisors and colleagues are more appropriate choices.

Q. Is there a specific procedure for submitting the letters of recommendation?
A. All letters of recommendation must be sent directly from the recommenders. Applicants may submit letters only if they are in sealed envelopes with the recommenders' signatures across the seals.

Q. What is the tuition for the program?
A. There is no traditional per-semester tuition like with many colleges and universities. Fees are paid on a per-course basis. See the required courses and the list of electives. Click on the course title for more information, including cost. You can always refer to the current Extension catalog for costs of the courses. Many working adults prefer this pay-as-you-go method, limiting the amount of debt incurred. At least 90 percent of the students in the program work full or part time.

Q. How will I know if the Post-Baccalaureate Health Professions Program has received the components of my application?
A. After submitting the application form, you will be added to an applicant website that allows you to track receipt of the items for your application. This allows you to stay on top of items that were not sent directly by you.

Q. How soon following submission of my credentials will I know the decision on my application?
A. It depends on when UC Berkeley Extension receives the four components of the application process. Usually it takes four to six weeks to receive a sealed transcript. Recent graduates should contact the Registrar's Office to ensure that the completion of degree notation has been added to the transcript. When all materials have been received, notification should occur within 30 days.

Q. What are the deadlines for submitting an application?
A. We have a rolling admissions policy, which means that we consider applications every month of the year. Therefore, there is no application deadline. However, it is advisable for applicants to submit all their credentials at least two months prior to their intended date of matriculation.

Q. How do I enroll in individual courses?
A. To enroll in a course, click on a course title from the table. On the course description page, choose the section you want to enroll in. Then, in the box that appears, click on "Enroll Now." Fill out the online enrollment form.

Q. Is it possible to take online courses and use them to fulfill requirements for the Post-Baccalaureate Health Professions Program?
A. Online courses are not offered as a part of this program, as they do not meet the requirements of many graduate programs and medical schools.

Q. What are the requirements of the program?
A. The curriculum consists of 2 required courses (Health Careers Seminar I and II) and a varied number of electives (depending on specific courses taken) for a total of 1.9 ceu and 24 semester units. Candidates must pay a nonrefundable program application fee and be accepted to the Post-Baccalaureate Health Professions Program.

You must take all courses for a letter grade. To receive the Award of Completion, you must maintain an overall minimum 3.0 grade point average, with a grade of C or better in each course. All coursework must be completed within three years of registering for the program.

Q. Am I still eligible for the program if I do not need to take 24 credits of coursework?
A. Depending on the prerequisites you have already completed, 24 credits may not be necessary to achieve your professional school application goals. Although you would not be eligible for the award of completion, you would still have access to the benefits of the program, including academic advising and early enrollment in courses.

Q. What courses may I take in the program?
A. See the required courses and the list of electives. Additional courses may be added as they are approved. Substitutions, waivers and transfer credit are not permitted in the Post-Baccalaureate Health Professions Program. Courses on the approved list that were taken beginning in summer 2005 can be applied toward the program requirements.

Q. For courses with both a lecture and a lab, do they have to be taken at the same time?
A. The lecture is a prerequisite for the lab. They may be taken concurrently, or the lecture may be taken one semester and the lab the following semester. The lab is a separate course in which a separate grade is given and content only loosely coincides with lecture.

Q. Are there direct relationships between the program and specific professional schools?
A. No formal relationships exist with any professional schools.

Q. Is there an advising component in addition to the academic programming?
A. One-on-one academic advising is available to also students in the program. Additionally, a required, two-part, noncredit Health Careers Seminar has been designed to help students assess the strength of their credentials and develop strategies for application to health profession schools. To qualify for this seminar, students must be officially registered in the Post-Baccalaureate Health Professions Program.

Q. Does UC Berkeley Extension provide financial aid and student housing?
A. UC Berkeley Extension has no financial aid program. See information about financial assistance regarding private consumer loans. UC Berkeley Extension does not provide student housing. Visit Cal Rentals for information regarding housing in the Berkeley area.

Q. What is the refund policy if it becomes necessary to withdraw from a course in which I am enrolled?
A. If you enroll in a course and then cannot attend, you may request a refund within the published guidelines. For details about the nonrefundable processing fee and guidelines, see Extension's refund policy.

Q. May I apply to the Post-Baccalaureate Health Professions Program before I complete my undergraduate degree?
A. Yes. However, applications cannot be reviewed or accepted without your degree-granting institution transcript bearing the notation that you were awarded the degree. If students wish to apply prior to graduating, we recommend you submit all the other components of the application, then submit your final transcript once you have graduated.

Q. How may I obtain additional information regarding this program?
A. You may contact us at science@unex.berkeley.edu or call (510) 643-0598. In addition, we offer information sessions that will give you all the information needed to start your education.