Meredith College is launching a new Master of Arts in Biomedical Sciences (MABMS) program, with students entering in the fall of 2024.

The program’s focus is two-fold. It will enhance students’ academic qualifications for admission to a health professional school. It can also help students who are pursuing careers in the healthcare industry, particularly those who require a master’s degree to advance professionally. 

According to Jason Andrus, professor and department head of biological sciences, the new graduate program is a natural development that will build on the success of Meredith’s pre-health, post-baccalaureate certificate. Graduates of the pre-health certificate program enjoy a 90% acceptance rate to health professional schools.

“While our post-baccalaureate program has been very successful, we have had to turn away some excellent candidates who have taken many of the courses we offer, and thus would not benefit from that curriculum,” said Andrus. “To meet the needs of these applicants, we developed the M.A. in Biomedical Sciences to provide them with a rigorous graduate curriculum that will challenge them and provide the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to handle the work at the professional school level.”

Andrus noted that students in both programs benefit from unique professional development opportunities.

“This program will also continue to provide the professional skills training that Meredith College has developed for both our undergraduate and post-baccalaureate programs,” he said. “Our faculty expertise in the field, coupled with excellence in advising and professionalism, makes this transition to graduate-level programming a natural progression for our department.”