Track and Pathway Programs
The UMass Chan Medical School has various pre-and post-matriculation pathways available to applicants including our BaccMD program in partnership with the UMass system, the Health Science Preparation program, our MD specific pathway programs and the PURCH track in partnership with our regional campus at Baystate Health in Springfield, MA.
If you have any questions regarding the various pathways, please contact the Office of Admissions at Admissions@umassmed.edu or 508-856-2323.
Baccalaureate MD Program
The UMass Chan Baccalaureate MD (BaccMD) Program is a multiphase program that provides selected students from the UMass undergraduate campuses with the opportunity of provisional acceptance into UMass Chan Medical School - T.H. Chan School of Medicine. Students who are from racial or ethnic groups underrepresented in medicine nationally and in Massachusetts, who come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds or are first-generation college graduates are eligible to apply to the BaccMD program. Students apply to become Medical Scholars, the first phase of the program in the sophomore year. The program offers students a broad range of academic and clinical immersion opportunities, including book clubs, academic and clinical immersion interaction with physicians and medical students, and observations at clinical sites at UMass Memorial Medical Center. These experiences help Medical Scholars develop insight into what is involved in the life of a medical student and health care provider. The selection of applicants to the Medical Scholars Program contributes to the T.H. Chan School of Medicine’s diversity goals and educational mission that the student body will be contributing members to a diverse health care work force serving the needs of the commonwealth and the nation, with a focus on primary care and undeserved communities.
Goal
The goal of the BaccMD Program is to improve patient outcomes and reduce health disparities by developing a pool of diverse students aspiring to careers in healthcare.
Objectives
- Improve the academic skills of Medical Scholars in critical thinking, problem solving, note taking, test taking strategies, time management and decision making
- Enhance the communication skills of participants through writing, public speaking and mock interviews
- Mentorship through the medical school admissions process
Please email BaccMD@umassmed.edu with any questions or for more information.
Health Science Preparation Program
The Health Sciences Preparatory Program (HSPP) has two specific goals:
- Enhance student diversity in professional health sciences.
- Enhance the educational preparedness of students for participation in health sciences programs.
This program contributes to these goals by providing a curriculum in which each student is taught principles that are foundational to professional health sciences programs in medicine, nursing or biomedical research. The HSPP comprises a year-long curriculum and training experience that combines instruction in the core academic subjects of biochemistry, physiology and epidemiology/biostatistics together with courses focused on professional skills development.
The result is a cadre of students who are well grounded in disciplines considered essential for competitive admission into and long-term success in professional health sciences programs. The HSPP is designed as a prematriculation program for enrollment in the T.H. Chan School of Medicine, but classes are also available to those interested in preparation for enrollment in the Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences or the Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing.
There are a number of post-matriculation pathway programs available to students at the T.H. Chan School of Medicine. Explore them all here.
If you have any questions regarding the pathways, please contact the Office of Undergraduate Medical Education at oume@umassmed.edu.