What Are Specialty College Programs? BS/MD, BS/DMD, BS/JD, and More

Many high schoolers have no idea what they want to do in the future, whether it be in college or far beyond. But there are always a select few who have always known what the future holds for them, and sometimes that coincides with a rigorous education path, i.e. graduate school. For some of these individuals, they may want to consider applying to a specialty program: one that includes admission not just to an undergraduate program but also a graduate one. If you’re not familiar with specialty programs, that’s pretty common so don’t worry! Here, we’re going to dive into the basics. 

Types of Specialty Programs

The specialty programs that we’re referring to are typically those that require some sort of professional degree. For example, that could include a medical degree, a dental degree, a law degree, or a business degree (MBA). (Typically, these aren’t for individuals who wish to pursue a PhD, however.) They usually (but not always) include a guaranteed admission to graduate school. There are additional programs for undergrads themselves that exist, but we’ll leave those for another time. Let’s talk a little more about the high school programs.

Medical School 🩺

Students who know they want to attend medical school, become a physician, or pursue another advanced healthcare path such as physician assistant studies can apply for a number of different programs depending on their interests. These programs often offer conditional or guaranteed admission to both undergraduate and graduate programs. There are many different programs depending on the university, including BSMD (Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Medicine), BSDO (Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine), and BSMS in PA (Bachelor of Science and Masters of Science as Physician’s Assistant). Some possibilities include Brown’s PLME program (BSMD), University of Pittsburgh’s Guaranteed Admission Program (BSMD), and Michigan State’s OMSP (BSDO), though this is hardly comprehensive. While there are several programs throughout the country that you can apply for, most universities do not offer these programs.

Dental School 🦷

The second best-known type of specialty program is usually dental school. These programs have a host of different names, the most common ones being BSDMD, BSDDS, or BS/DMD programs; the actual degrees depend on the specific dental school. Similar to medical programs, these pathways can offer conditional or guaranteed admission into both the undergraduate institution and the dental school, provided students continue to meet the program’s requirements. Examples of this include UPenn’s 4+3 program, UConn’s Special Program in Dental Medicine, and VCU’s Guaranteed Admission Program for Dentistry. These programs are generally even rarer than BS/MD programs, but they offer a similar type of accelerated or assured pathway and are difficult to get into.

Law School 🧑‍⚖️

For those who eventually want to become an attorney there are similar admissions programs. These programs are usually either BS/JD or BA/JD programs, and they let a student complete both their bachelor’s degree and Juris Doctor degree in a shorter timeframe, often through a 3+3 pathway. A 3+3 pathway is 3 years of undergraduate education followed by 3 years of graduate law school. A couple of possibilities include UConn’s Special Program in Law, and Quinnipiac’s accelerated BA/BS-JD dual degree program. There are also programs that you can apply for once an undergraduate at various schools such as USC (University of Southern California). 

Other programs 🙋‍♂️

While we’ve outlined the 3 most common types of programs students tend to apply for, other specialty pathways may exist in fields such as veterinary medicine, physical therapy, pharmacy, business, engineering, and certain master’s programs. These are generally less common than BS/MD or BS/DMD programs, and many are structured as early assurance, direct-entry, or accelerated pathways rather than full guarantees. Many more universities offer opportunities once you are already an undergraduate. These include programs for the subjects listed above as well as others including specialty masters programs, business school programs, engineering programs, and more. If you have something in mind, be sure to look through all the possibilities!

Who should consider specialty programs and what does it take to get into them?

When we’re talking about high school, we’re talking about students who are often only 17 or 18 years old applying to graduate school. This means they’re often locking themselves in for 7-8 years of additional education and of course the debt that goes with it. (Yes, there are scholarships and grants you can apply for, but understand what you’re signing up for.) 

Since applying is a serious effort, only serious students should apply. That means that you don’t just have an innate feeling that you want to be a doctor or a lawyer, but rather that you’ve put in dedicated time and effort to know what that all entails from a professional and personal perspective.

📣 At Eritus, we recommend only applying for these programs if you know, unequivocally, that you want to pursue a given specialization.

This leads us to the competitiveness of these programs. Because these specialty programs often eliminate the need for you to apply separately to graduate school in 3-4 years, they tend to attract the most capable and serious students, which directly translates to fierce competition. Many students have demonstrated their interest in their chosen field for years through shadowing, volunteering, interning, research, and a number of other activities. Additionally, their academics are often top-notch, from both a transcript and test scores standpoint. Naturally, some programs are more difficult than others, but the most difficult can have acceptance rates in the 1-2% range, having lower acceptance rates than even Harvard, MIT, Stanford, and more. Finally, the application dates for these programs are also often earlier than standard applications. Usually, they’re due in October or November of your senior year of high school so you must ensure your application is buttoned up and ready to go at that time.

So, should you apply? 🫵

If you’re 100% positive in your career path, you’ve worked diligently in school throughout your high school career, and have committed to a series of extracurriculars emphasizing your passion, then go for it! But, if you think you’re only 90% sure, or you think your application could be better in 4 years time, or you’re not sure you’re ready to commit to a given school that far in the future, then go ahead and wait. Going the typical path of going to undergraduate school, then applying for graduate school is perfectly fine—that’s why it’s typical! All in all, there’s no right or wrong answer, but if you’re having trouble deciding and want someone to talk it through with, send us an email at hello@eritus.co or get in touch via the button below!