Introduction (back to top)

SFSU's Ethnic Diversity: With about 23,000 full-time equivalent undergraduates, and 6,000 full-time equivalent graduate students, SFSU has the fifth largest enrollment of the twenty-three California State University campuses and the forty-seventh largest enrollment of all universities in the United States. SFSU and the CSU system are committed to providing educational opportunities to the broadest possible range of students in the state. Reflecting the ethnically diverse urban area in which it is located, SFSU serves a significant number of underrepresented minority students. In 2005, of students who declared their ethnicity (84%), students of color comprised approximately 61% of the undergraduate and pre-health post-bac populations, and 42% of the graduate population. The undergraduate and pre-health post-bac students of color were distributed as follows: Native American, 1%; African American, 7%; Mexican American, 9%; Other Hispanic, 7%; Filipino, 11%; Other Pacific Islander, 1%; Asian, 20%; SE Asian, 4%.  Faculty hire at SFSU also strongly emphasizes racial and ethnic diversity.  In 2005, 34% of the 833 tenured and tenure-track faculty were people of color, distributed as follows: Native American, 1%; African American, 5%; Mexican American, 7%; Other Non-White, 3%; Filipino, 1%; Other Pacific Islander, 0.2%; Other Asian, 16%.

Informal Post-Bac Programs Offered at SFSU: Two informal post-bac programs are offered at SFSU, the 2nd-Bac Program and the Open University Program. In either program, the atmosphere is very supportive, classes are taught mainly by faculty, and tuition is reasonable.  We offer all pre-requisite classes for health profession schools, and a large number of advanced classes. Our programs offer course work for admission to medical, dental, pharmacy, optometry, physical therapy and many other graduate health profession schools. Our programs are suitable for those fulfilling pre-requisites (career changers), as well as those who have completed pre-requisites and are improving their academic profiles (academic enhancers). About two years of full-time course work is required to fulfill the ~40 units typical of medical and dental school pre-requisites.  Additional time is needed for clinical exposure, preparation for national standardized tests such as the MCAT and DAT, completion of applications and conduction of interviews. Almost all of our pre-requisites are offered during weekdays; some advanced course work, usually in the form of graduate Biology courses, are offered on weekday evenings. Some pre-requisite courses, but few advanced courses, are offered during our shortened summer semester.

2nd-Bac and Open U statuses are the only ways for student with baccalaureates to take course work at SFSU. 2nd-Bacs are officially considered "undergraduates". 2nd-Bac status has the advantages of pre-registration for classes during the Fall and Spring semesters, lower tuition, and consideration for financial aid. Most 2nd-Bacs do not complete their degree.  Open U students are not considered "undergraduates" or "graduates".   Open U students cannot pre-register for classes except during the summer, have higher tuition, and cannot be considered for financial aid. During the Fall and Spring semesters, Open U students apply for admission to classes soon after the classes have begun.

Because most of our pre-requisite classes are offered during the day, informal post-bacs who must work find ways to do so part-time. We have about 200 informal post-bacs at any one time; they are distributed among different phases of the preparation and application process. We welcome California state residents as well as out-of-state and international students.

International Students: please carefully read the International Student Admission Requirements section of the current SFSU Bulletin. Note that international students must have an F1 or I-20 visa, pay substantially higher fees and may have a different set of application deadlines. Also, please be aware that your immigration status in the US has a strong bearing on your health profession school prospects. If you are not a US citizen or permanent resident (with a green card), you will be seen as an "international" student, and thus have many fewer places in US health profession schools available to you. Contact SFSU's Office of International Programs for additional help.

While an informal post-bac at SFSU it is very helpful to maintain contact with my Informal Post-Bac Advisor and with the Pre-Health Student Organizations listed on my home web page.

2nd-Bac Versus Open U (Table)

The Table on my home web page compares our two informal programs (2nd-Bac and Open U). Detailed descriptions of each program are below.

2nd-Bac Program (back to top)

Application Deadlines:

The Spring 2008 online application period was August to October, 2007. After this deadline, Spring 2007 classes can be still be accessed through Open U until the beginning of that semester.

The Summer 2007 online application period will begin in late March, 2007 and continue through the beginning of summer classes. The online summer 2007 class schedule should appear in mid-March. Details of the summer registration period and important summer dates can be found below.

The Fall  2008 online application period was October and November, 2007, and has been extended to as late as the end of March, 2008.

Notes:

Application periods for San Francisco State University may change. To get up-to-date deadline information, see our Hot News Web Site. Please note that some departments do not accept 2nd-Bac applications for spring admission.

Applicants Near BA/BS/BFA Completion: Applicants who anticipate completing their BA/BS/BFA degree soon after the next deadline may still apply before that deadline. The best approach is to send transcripts immediately upon applying; this identifies your application as that of a 2nd-Bac and puts it on hold until the arrival of official transcripts documenting that the 1st-bac has been granted. Until then, you can take classes through our Open U.

Completion of 2nd-BS: After admission, based on your transcripts, SFSU will issue a Degree Audit Report (DARS) and/or an Advanced Standing Evaluation that shows which courses you need to complete to finish the 2nd-BS. However, most 2nd-Bacs at SFSU never complete the 2nd-degree. 2nd-Bacs may be required to fulfill SFSU's English and math requirements and/or take the JEPET and EPT/ELM tests soon after admission, even if you do not want to complete the degree. For more complete information, see the Graduation Requirements section of the current SFSU Bulletin.

Choosing a 2nd-Bac Major: 2nd-Bacs can choose any major except Nursing or Social Work (these have special admissions requirements). However, in large part, choosing a major as a 2nd-Bac is a formality because most 2nd-Bacs do not finish the degree. With this in mind, I suggest the following majors in that they reflect a strong biomedical focus: the Physiology, Cell & Molecular Biology and Microbiology concentrations within the Biology Department, and the Biochemistry and Chemistry concentrations within the Chemistry Department.

Checking Admissions Status: Applicants who have been given an SFSU ID number can check the status of their application online at the MySFSU web site or at www.sfsu.edu/admit.  To make use of these sites, applicants must first establish an SFSU account. If they do not know their SFSU ID number, or do, but did not create a PAC (personal access code)  number, the web site will give instructions. Applicants can also call 415-338-1113; however, this is a high volume number with possibly long waits. We prefer that applicants first check their admission status on the web, then call with their questions about what they have read on the web. You can call 338-1113, 338-1634 or 338-6486, or e-mail ugadmit@sfsu.edu to follow up on your application.

Tuition: Full-time (6.1 to 21 units) 2nd-Bacs pay $2,049 per semester; part-time 2nd-Bacs (6.0 units or less) pay $1,332 per semester. Out-of-state and international students pay an extra $339 per unit. Tuition is due within 4 weeks of starting classes. See our Tuition Web Page for more details. When taking a light course load, it may be less expensive to enroll through Open U, although there are distinct disadvantages to this approach.

Financial Aid: to qualify for financial aid you must have a degree objective such as a 2nd-BA/BS/BFA. Financial aid for 2nd-Bacs that qualify is usually in the form of small, federally-supported loans and/or private loans, as shown in a chart on on the Types of Financial Aid web page. View the Financial Aid section of the SFSU Bulletin and contact SFSU's Financial Aid Office for additional help.

Registration: 2nd-Bacs are assigned registration dates that fall about one to two months before classes begin. Registration can be accomplished online at Gator Reg or by Gator Reg touch-tone phone (338-7000); Gator Reg help can be gotten at is 338-3333. Consider looking at the SFSU Registrar's web site for other useful information.

Open University Program (back to top)

Open University is administered through SFSU's College of Extended Learning. As an Open U student you can still be part of an  informal post-bac program. Open U is merely another door through which to take the same classes that SFSU undergraduates and 2nd-Bacs take.

Advantages: Anyone can take classes through Open U; there are no degree requirements nor application deadlines. Open U can be less expensive if you're only taking one class or if you're an out-of-state resident.

Disadvantages: Open U students, compared to  2nd-Bacs, can't pre-register, have higher tuition and can't be considered for financial aid. However, the tuition is still a bargain compared to that of private schools and formal post-bac programs. You may have difficulty getting into introductory science classes that are Minimal Science Requirements, whereas Upper-Division Electives and GE classes may be easier to get into. As many as 12 units earned through Open U can be applied to your (2nd) baccalaureate.

Switching to 2nd-Bac Status: Open U students can switch to 2nd-Bac status by filling out the online 2nd-Bac application when it becomes available. Open U students who were not admitted as 2nd-Bacs due to having GPA's below the 2.5 minimum, should contact Dr. Rothman to request consideration for 2nd-Bac status after completing at least 9 units of appropriate course work with grades of B or above.

Open U allows pre-registration for classes only during the summer. See Summer Registration for details.

Tuition: Open U charges $210 per lecture unit and $256 per unit lab unit, regardless of residency status.

Master’s Degrees

Registering as an MA (classified graduate status) requires acceptance into a graduate program, a complicated, competitive process obligating you to complete a 2-3 year curriculum, including research and written thesis.  Most SFSU graduate programs have application deadlines of February 1 for admission the following Fall. This route is suitable for pre-health students who are willing to invest considerable time into gaining laboratory research experience. Many health profession schools will not allow accepted students to matriculate if they indicated that they were enrolled in a master's program at the time of application but have not yet completed their master's degree.

Course Work for Informal Post-Bacs (back to top)

Preparation for health professional school includes, at the minimum, course work in biology, chemistry, physics and math. 

SFSU Class Schedule: Not all the classes listed below are offered each semester. To plan your upcoming course work effectively, peruse the past, present and future class offerings found at the SFSU Class Schedule Web Site.

SFSU Summer Classes: SFSU has a 10-week summer semester during which many pre-health classes are offered. Summer classes usually meet frequently and have durations of 5 weeks or 8 weeks. During 2008, the R1 session will run from Monday, June 9 until Friday July 9 (5 weeks), the R2 session will run from Monday, June 23 until Friday, August 15 (8 weeks) and the R3 session will run from Monday, July 12 until Friday, August 15 (5 weeks). Because Summer course work is concentrated into considerably less time than Fall and Spring course work, learning is apt to be less efficient. I recommend that you take no more than 6 units of course work during a given summer (see Model Schedule). The summer 2008 class schedule should be online in mid-March, 2008; it will be accessible through the SFSU Class Schedule Web Site.

Summer Registration: See the Summer Registration web site for details. Please note that 2nd-Bacs and Open U students have somewhat different deadlines and registration procedures.

 

2nd-Bacs: Because SFSU does not mail summer registration notices, 2nd-Bacs should check their eligibility and check/select their priority registration day and time at MySFSU.

 

Open U: All Open U business can be conducted in person at SFSU's Student Services Building. Entering Open U students that have not yet established an official SFSU record at MySFSU can call 415-405-7700 to set up a record. To register for classes through Open U, call 415-405-4321. Open U students enroll in classes by having an Open U Enrollment Form signed by the instructor during the first day of class. During the Fall and Spring semesters, Open U students cannot pre-register; instead, they must enroll during the first day of instruction using that semester's Open U Enrollment Form. For more information explore the Open U Web Site.

Summer On-Campus Housing: Housing for SFSU students will be available in double-occupancy residence hall rooms. A choice of 3 meal plans (19, 15 or 10 meals-a-week plan) is required for all Summer Semester residents. Applications for residence hall housing are available from Housing and Residential Services, (415) 338-1067. For any questions about the on-campus housing program, please e-mail housing@sfsu.edu.

Retaking Courses: I highly recommend that you retake pre-requisite classes for which you received a grade of C- or below. Retake pre-requisites and science electives with a grade of C or lower at your own discretion; also consider auditing such classes for review purposes. I prefer seeing students taking new, advanced courses rather than repeating courses with tolerable (C) grades.

Auditing Classes: Course material can be previewed or reviewed by auditing. Informal audits require the consent of the instructor, but are not noted on your transcript and do not require additional fee payments. Formal audits require the consent of the instructor, are noted on your transcript and require any additional fee payments.

Community College Courses: Health profession schools prefer that pre-requisites be taken at 4-year universities like SFSU rather than at community colleges. Some will not look at community college grades unless they were generated before official transfer to a 4-year university.

Starting Gently: Students with little science preparation may wish to take introductory, non-major's science courses before undertaking the more challenging pre-requisite courses (Minimal Science Requirements). Many of these courses also fulfill General Education requirements, which are only relevant if you intend to complete the 2nd-BS (see GE Requirements for more information). It is especially important to be mathematically competent before undertaking the pre-requisite course work; hence, those with weak math skills are encouraged to take Math 59, Math 60 and/or Math 70 to prepare for entry into Pre-Calculus (Math 109), a course highly recommended before embarking on Introductory Physics I (Physics 111). Statistics (Math 124) is highly recommended for those seeking to enhance overall mathematical competence and for those involved in research projects. The following non-major's courses should be considered:

Notes:

a: Highly recommended; relevant even for pre-health students taking major's level courses.

b: Considered remedial; take only if math skills are low.

Another approach to starting gently is to take no more than 6 units of Minimum Science Requirements during the first semester you take such classes.

Minimal Science Requirements: The program listed below, which consists of introductory, major's science courses, is recommended for admission to allopathic and osteopathic medical schools and dental schools. Admissions offices for individual schools should be consulted for specific requirements. Because this program focuses on pre-requisites, it is designed for "Career Changer" post-bacs.

Notes:

a: Microbiology Lecture/Lab [Bio 401/402 (3/2)] or Human Physiology Lecture/Lab [Bio 612/613 (3/2)] may be viable substitutes for Bio 240. These classes have greater health professions content and likely to be easier to enroll in. However, some schools may not accept these classes as substitutes - check to make sure.

b: A number of schools have recently added a semester of Biochemistry to their pre-requisites.

c: Some schools require second semester Calculus (MATH 227).

▲: has an accompanying auxiliary science course.

Auxiliary Science Courses: Optional discussion sections and workshops are available for most introductory science courses listed above. These courses provide highly effective support by way of small group discussions and tutoring. Courses with the ▲ symbol have a corresponding auxiliary course listed under Science. For example, the auxiliary course for Bio 230 ▲ is Sci 230.

Schools for pharmacy, optometry, podiatry, chiropractic, physician assistants, physical therapy and veterinary medicine may have somewhat different requirements than those listed above.  Applicants should consult appropriate school web sites for accurate information on course requirements.

Elective Upper-Division Science Courses: As an applicant to a health professions school, you are at an advantage if you take science classes beyond the minimal requirements listed above.  These courses are also quite useful for reapplicants and first-time applicants who have already completed pre-requisites, but whose academic record needs strengthening (Academic Record Enhancers). Health Profession schools often value upper-division science classes over graduate seminar classes, due to the greater similarity of classes within the former category with their classes, and the rampant grade inflation within the latter category.