Gap Year Planning
A large majority of applicants are electing to take time between completion of their undergraduate degree and matriculation to health professional programs to prepare for their programs and strengthen their applications. At NU, about 84% of accepted candidates to a health graduate program have taken at least one gap year! Many future applicants are hesitant to take a gap year not because they think it’s a bad idea, but because they aren’t sure what they will do.
Explore options and learn how to make the most of your gap year experience by reviewing our Leveraging Your Gap Year Workshop below:
Leveraging Your Gap Year PowerPoint Presentation
You may also review the following resources in planning for your gap year:
Experiential Preparation
Ensuring that you are committed to your intended healthcare program requires first hand experiential preparation in areas related to your future profession. Having robust experiences in clinical, research, and community engagement settings demonstrates your readiness for a rigorous health professional program and confirms your desire to pursue a healthcare career. Thus, it is common for people to engage in additional experiential preparation after completion of an undergraduate degree in order to be a competitive applicant. Areas for additional experiential preparation and opportunities are listed below.
Northeastern-Supported Clinical Gap Year Opportunities
The Roux Institute at Northeastern University Post-Baccalaureate, Pre-Clinical Healthcare Gap Year Program in Maine
Fueled by a grant from the Maine Department of Labor, Northeastern’s Roux Institute and Bouvé College of Health Sciences have partnered with Maine’s premier healthcare systems and community health clinics to host a Post-Baccalaureate, Pre-Clinical Gap Year program. This innovative non-degree program allows aspiring healthcare professionals to gain valuable experience in providing direct patient care or essential behind-the-scenes services.
Mass General Brigham Clinical Gap Year Employment
The Northeastern University PreMed & PreHealth Advising Program is partnering with the Mass General Brigham (MGB) hiring team to help promote clinical gap year opportunities for Northeastern alumni interested in working as Medical Assistants within Massachusetts-based MGB clinical settings. Through this partnership, Northeastern applicants will have a direct pathway to be considered for a variety of Medical Assistant openings across the MGB system, providing valuable hands-on clinical experience prior to beginning their health professional programs.
Applications will be reviewed and forwarded to Mass General Brigham hiring teams at the end of each month, beginning May 2026, based on current openings and hiring needs. This process will continue on a rolling basis throughout the summer (August 2026). Applicants should apply before the end of a given month to be considered for employment opportunities as early as the following month (e.g., apply by the end of May for potential June opportunities; apply by the end of June for potential July opportunities).
External Opportunities
CapYear (search engine for clinical gap year positions)
Certified Nursing Assistant Training
McLean Hospital Post-baccalaureate Child and Adolescent Clinical Fellowship Program
Northeastern-Supported RESEARCH Gap Year Opportunities
Fulbright U.S. Student Program
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international exchange program, offering graduating seniors, graduate students, recent alumni, and young professionals the opportunity to conduct research, pursue graduate study, or teach English abroad in more than 160 countries.
Northeastern applicants most commonly pursue either a Research/Study Grant, which supports independent research, creative projects, or study at a host institution, or an English Teaching Assistantship (ETA), which places grantees in classrooms assisting with English language instruction. Applicants must be U.S. citizens (or in the process of becoming citizens), hold a bachelor’s degree by the start of the grant period, and demonstrate the academic, cultural, and personal qualifications needed to succeed abroad. Veterans are especially encouraged to apply.
Students apply approximately one year before the award period begins; for example, students applying in Fall 2026 would begin their Fulbright grant in 2027.
Students seeking full support through Northeastern should work with the Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships and submit their applications through Northeastern’s Internal Fellowship Portal by the internal deadlines:
- August 17, 2026 for Research/Study Grants
- September 4, 2026 for English Teaching Assistantships
Applicants will receive feedback from Northeastern’s Fulbright Committee through an interview process designed to strengthen applications before national submission. For detailed eligibility requirements, application components, deadlines, and advising resources, please visit the Undergraduate Research and Fellowships Fulbright website.
External Opportunities
NIH Postbac Intramural Research Training Award
NIH Intramural Research Program
Research and Mentoring for Postbaccalaureates in Biological Sciences (RaMP)
Northeastern-Supported Community Engagement Gap Year Opportunities
Fulbright U.S. Student Program
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international exchange program, offering graduating seniors, graduate students, recent alumni, and young professionals the opportunity to conduct research, pursue graduate study, or teach English abroad in more than 160 countries.
Northeastern applicants most commonly pursue either a Research/Study Grant, which supports independent research, creative projects, or study at a host institution, or an English Teaching Assistantship (ETA), which places grantees in classrooms assisting with English language instruction. Applicants must be U.S. citizens (or in the process of becoming citizens), hold a bachelor’s degree by the start of the grant period, and demonstrate the academic, cultural, and personal qualifications needed to succeed abroad. Veterans are especially encouraged to apply.
Students apply approximately one year before the award period begins; for example, students applying in Fall 2026 would begin their Fulbright grant in 2027.
Students seeking full support through Northeastern should work with the Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships and submit their applications through Northeastern’s Internal Fellowship Portal by the internal deadlines:
- August 17, 2026 for Research/Study Grants
- September 4, 2026 for English Teaching Assistantships
Applicants will receive feedback from Northeastern’s Fulbright Committee through an interview process designed to strengthen applications before national submission. For detailed eligibility requirements, application components, deadlines, and advising resources, please visit the Undergraduate Research and Fellowships Fulbright website.
External Opportunities
AIF Banyan Impact Fellowship | Leadership & Social Impact Program
Public Allies AmeriCorps Full-time Apprenticeships
Service Year (often allows for deferral of student loans)
Health Career Connection Paid Summer Internship
National Cancer Institute Communications Fellowship (for students in or who have recently completed a graduate program)
healthcare focused
- AAMC Summer Undergraduate Research Programs Database
- AAMC Medical Pathways & Enrichment Opportunities Database
- BioSpace (biotech research)
- Mass General Brigham
general
- NUworks – Northeastern’s online job database for current students and alumni.
- Indeed
- SimplyHired
Academic Preparation
Being admitted to a professional healthcare program takes years of preparation and mastery of difficult science coursework. Thus, it is common for people to pursue additional education after completion of an undergraduate degree in order to be a competitive applicant. The two most common forms of additional education are either a Special Master’s program or a post-baccalaureate program. Both are described in detail below.
If you’re unsure about the best academic plan for you, we encourage you to use the included Pre-Health Post-Baccalaureate Pathways flow chart to explore your options and choose based on your unique academic needs.
Special Master’s Program
Completion of a special/medical master’s program signals to professional schools an applicant’s capability to excel in rigorous advanced science coursework akin to that of a terminal degree program. It serves as an advantageous pathway for individuals who have fulfilled the prerequisites for their health graduate program but seek to bolster their readiness through further coursework and improved grades.
A special master’s degree is an effective form of additional education for many reasons. Upon completion of the program, students will earn an advanced degree. Having an advanced degree will help applicants stand out during the admissions process for a professional healthcare program. Furthermore, good grades (typically As and Bs) in graduate-level courses can enhance an applicant’s GPA and demonstrate a positive upward trend in academics.
You can search from a database of special master’s programs designed for people going into health professions:
Additionally, attending a special master’s program at a university with a terminal degree program in your intended health profession (MD, DO, Dental, etc.) can provide a directed pathway to that program. Examples include:
- Brown University Gateways Program at the Warren Alpert Medical School
- Boston University MS in Medical Sciences Program at the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine (MAMS)
- Boston University MS in Oral Health Sciences
- Drexel University Pathway to Medical School (DPMS) program*
- Duke University Master of Biomedical Sciences (MBS)
- Eastern Virginia Medical School Medical Master’s, MS Program*
- Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine Master of Biomedical Sciences (MBS) program
- Georgetown University Special Master’s Program in Physiology
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Master of Science in Biomedical Science
- Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine Master of Medical Science Degree (multiple campuses)
- Loyola University Master of Science in Medical Physiology (MSMP) Program
- Midwestern University Master of Biomedical Sciences Program (multiple campuses)
- North Carolina State University Interdisciplinary Physiology Graduate Program
- Nova Southeastern University Master of Biomedical Sciences
- Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences program
- University of Pittsburgh Biomedical Master’s Program*
- Rosalind Franklin University Biomedical Sciences (MS) Program
- Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine Master of Science Program in Interdisciplinary Studies in Biological and Physical Sciences (Multiple campuses)
- Tufts University School of Medicine MS in Biomedical Sciences (MBS) Program
- Western Michigan University Hal B. Jenson MD Master of Biomedical Sciences*
* Prioritizes applicants from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine and/or those who have experienced significant hardship.
Post-Baccalaureate (Post-Bacc) Programs
A post-baccalaureate program is tailored for individuals who need to fulfill or reinforce their prerequisite coursework required for admission to a health graduate program. These programs offer a structured curriculum designed to cover essential subjects such as biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics, ensuring students are adequately prepared for the rigorous academic demands of their desired health profession.
Northeastern University has a Post-Baccalaureate Premedical Certificate Program in the College of Professional Studies.
Aside from the Northeastern Post-Bacc program, there are several other Post-Bacc programs across the country that can provide students with unique support services on their pathway to a health graduate school (financial, mentorship, etc.), these include:
- Pre-Matriculation Program – Rosalind Franklin University*
- Associated Medical Schools of New York (AMSNY) Post-baccalaureate Enrichment Program
You can also search from databases of Post-Bacc programs designed for people going into health professions:
* Prioritizes applicants from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine.
PlusOne programs allow current Northeastern students the opportunity to pursue both a bachelor’s and master’s degree successively in a condensed period of time.
Many PreMed and PreHealth students have academics interests that are related to their intended career path where obtaining a Master’s Degree before beginning their health professional program can benefit their future career aspirations. PlusOne programs can refine and deepen an individual’s knowledge and skills in a specific area of interest, without necessarily focusing on the academic competencies for health graduate programs. These programs offer a comprehensive exploration of the chosen field, providing advanced coursework and learning opportunities tailored to enhance expertise and proficiency, within an accelerated timeframe.