Certificate in Health Professions Preparation

The Graduate Certificate in Health Professions Preparation program evaluates the overall quality of its applicants, looking at academic achievement, personal motivation, knowledge of health care and osteopathic medicine, profession-related experiences, and recommendations.

Specific criteria for admission are as follows.

• NSU CHPP (postbaccalaureate) application – Applicants must have applied to the current cycle of the D.O. program for fall 2020 start.) Additionally, applicants must have a completed American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Service (AACOMAS) application on file.
• Application fee: $50 (required)
• Official transcripts of all coursework, even if in progress (even if the applicant has previously submitted a service application)
• Official MCAT (medical) scores (cannot be older than three years)
  • Official MCAT acceptable if part of service application or AACOMAS. MCAT scores sent by applicant can be validated with verification code.
• Three letters of recommendation (must be submitted according to AACOMAS procedures)
  • Two from science professors and one from a nonscience professor OR
  • One preprofessional committee letter OR
  • If applicant has been out of school for at least two years, please contact an admissions counselor.
• Personal interview

Prerequisites

• B.A./B.S. degree from a regionally accredited university
• Completion of a minimum of 8 semester hours with a grade of C (2.0 GPA) or higher in each of the following:
  • Biology with lab
  • General Chemistry with lab
  • Organic Chemistry with lab
  • General Physics with lab
• Completion of a minimum of 6 semester hours in English with at least 3 semester hours in composition with a grade of C (2.0 GPA) or higher
• Completion of a minimum of 3 semester hours with a grade of C (2.0 GPA) or higher in Biochemistry
• A cumulative MCAT of 498 or higher
• A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale

The first step in the application process is to initiate an application to the CHPP program by first applying to NSU by completing the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Service (AACOMAS) application.

Step 1:

The college participates in AACOMAS for the receipt and processing of applications. All students who are currently applying to NSU’s D.O. program must complete an AACOMAS application and thus have already started the application process for the CHPP program. AACOMAS takes no part in the selection of students.

To start the application process through AACOMAS, applicants should submit applications electronically through AACOMAS Online, an interactive, web-based application at aacom.org. For questions, applicants may call (301) 968-4190.

The following steps are necessary for the primary application process.

1. The applicant must submit the following materials to AACOMAS by January 15.
   • completed AACOMAS application
   • official transcripts from the registrars of all colleges or universities attended, mailed directly to AACOMAS by the college or university
   • a letter of recommendation from the preprofessional committee, or, if such a committee does not exist, then three letters of evaluation—two from science professors and one from a nonscience professor
   • a letter of recommendation from a physician
   • MCAT scores (must be no more than three years old prior to the date the application is submitted)
2. The applicant must submit the following to the college by March 1.
   • a secondary application, which will be sent to the applicant by the college upon receipt of the AACOMAS application
   • NSU CHPP (postbaccalaureate) application
   • a nonrefundable application fee of $50

After completing your primary application and receiving notification that it is verified, NSU will send you a secondary application to complete. Once submitted, please contact the Office of Admissions and notify the office of your intent to apply to the CHPP program. Students may apply to the CHPP program and the D.O. program concurrently.

Step 2:

A personal interview is a part of the admission process; however, being interviewed is not a guarantee of admission. Not all applicants will be granted an interview. Those selected for an interview will be notified of the date and time of such interview by the Office of Admissions.

Notice of acceptance will be on a rolling or periodic schedule; therefore, early completion of the application is in the best interest of the applicant because of the limited number of spaces available in each class.

After acceptance, final and official documents and requirements must be received by the Office of Admissions within 90 days following the start of the first term. If these final and official documents are not received, or other requirements are not met by that time, the student will not be able to continue his or her enrollment.

NSU is proud to offer the CHPP program with one of the most affordable tuition price points in the country. Tuition for the CHPP program during the 2020–2021 academic year is $19,000. A Health Professions Division general access fee of $145 is required each year. An NSU student services fee of $1,500 is also required annually. There is also a registration fee of $30 each semester. All tuition and fees are subject to change by the NSU Board of Trustees.

Required Courses—Class of 2021

This is a full-time graduate program of study with 18 total credits over 2 semesters.

Please plan on attending one of our virtual open houses. The director of the CHPP program and our inaugural class of students will give a presentation on the program and will be available to answer all of your questions.