Preparation for Health Professions Programs

While UTSA does not provide any specific health professions programs, the University Health Professions Office (UHPO) provides academic guidance and support to students interested in pursuing careers in the health professions. Services include individualized appointments and personal guidance to help students through the process of preparing for professional school.

UTSA offers courses that fulfill entrance requirements to most health professions fields, including Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Dental Hygiene, Respiratory Care, Occu­pa­­tional Therapy, Physical Therapy, Physician Assistant, Pharmacy, Veterinary Medicine, and Optometry. Admission to professional schools is highly competitive and involves separate application processes. Admission to UTSA does not guarantee admission into health professions programs at UT Health San Antonio (UTHSCSA) .

Students are encouraged to seek advice and consult with the UHPO advising staff early in and throughout their college career. The UHPO is located at the Main Campus, Student Union SU 2.02.04.  For more information about the UHPO, including appointment and on-call options, call 210-458-5185, or visit the website at https://www.utsa.edu/healthprofessions/.

Medical and Dental Schools

In general, medical and dental school admissions committees do not state a preference about a student's choice of undergraduate major, allowing students to choose a degree program suited to their special abilities and interests. The vast majority of entrants have completed four years of college with a baccalaureate degree. In exceptional cases, students with outstanding records and a high degree of maturity can be admitted to dental school without a degree.

Admission requirements for Texas medical and dental schools are representative of admission requirements for most American medical and dental schools. These requirements typically include one year of college English; two years of biology as required for college science majors (one year must include laboratory work); one year of physics as required for college science majors, including laboratory; one year of general chemistry and one year of organic chemistry as required for college science majors, including the corresponding laboratories; and one semester of college statistics.

Applicants to medical school must take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), while dental applicants must take the Dental Admissions Test (DAT). The application cycle for both medical and dental schools in Texas begins in May for admission in August of the following year. While many students take their MCAT or DAT during or immediately after their junior year, the UHPO encourages students to take their exams after completion of their program prerequisites and approximately six months of preparation. Additionally, students are encouraged to meet with a Health Professions Advisor regularly to determine the best time for their individual application and testing.

Applications for all Texas medical and dental schools, with the exception of Texas Christian University School of Medicine and the University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine, are processed by the Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service (TMDSAS), 702 Colorado Street, Suite 6.400, Austin, Texas 78701 (www.utsystem.edu/tmdsas/). Application services for other health professions schools as well as out-of-state medical and dental schools are: Osteopathic Medicine – American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Service (AACOMAS), which includes the University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine; Podiatric Medicine – American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine Application Service (AACPMAS); Dentistry – Associated American Dental Schools Application Service (AADSAS); and Allopathic Medicine – American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS), which includes Texas Christian University School of Medicine.

Nursing School

Admission requirements for UT Health San Antonio School of Nursing are representative of admission requirements of most nursing schools in Texas and across the United States. A minimum of 60 semester credit hours is required, including 6 semester credit hours of college English, 9 hours of behavioral sciences, 6 hours each of history and government, 3 hours of college mathematics, 3 hours of statistics, 3 hours of humanities, 3 hours of visual and performing arts, and 19 hours of natural sciences, including chemistry, anatomy, physiology, microbiology, and nutrition. Students interested in nursing should seek information about these prerequisites on a regular basis, as they are subject to change. Additional information and advising may be obtained at the UHPO.

Special Programs

Joint BSN-MDST Pathway to Nursing Program  (FANS)

UTSA provides a pathway for students who are interested in a Nursing degree through a 2+2 pathway with UT Heath San Antonio. UTSA students who qualify and get accepted into the BSN Nursing program at UTHSA, pending qualifying grade point average and test scores, will receive a B.S. degree in Multidisciplinary Studies (MDST) from UTSA and a B.S. degree in Nursing from UT Health San Antonio upon successful completion of the program. Students are eligible to take the Registered Nurse licensing examination after they earn their BSN from UTHSA. Admission to FANS is selective and limited. Students must meet with a health professions advisor throughout their time at UTSA to review coursework and eligibility. Information about program requirements is available at the UHPO.

3-4 Dental Early Admission Program (DEAP)

The Dental Early Admission Program is a joint program between The University of Texas at San Antonio and UT Health San Antonio Dental School. This program offers students with an interest in dentistry the opportunity to receive early conditional acceptance to the dental school and to earn both a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at UTSA and a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree at UT Health San Antonio within seven years. Students apply during the second semester of their freshman year at UTSA and must have completed at least 12 hours at UTSA during their first freshman semester. Students with more than 30 total hours, including advanced placement and dual credit coursework, will be considered on a case-by-case basis. A list of the requirements for acceptance into the program and for its completion, as well as application forms and procedures, are available in the UHPO.

Joint Admission Medical Program (JAMP)

The Joint Admission Medical Program was created by the Texas Legislature (Texas Education Code, § 51.821 et seq.) to provide services to “highly qualified, economically disadvantaged students” who want to be physicians. If selected for JAMP, a student will receive numerous benefits throughout college and into medical school: a scholarship each semester of college (beginning in the spring of the sophomore year), a stipend each summer to attend two medical school enrichment (internship) programs, mentoring during college and into medical school, and admission into a Texas medical school (if all requirements are met). Students must apply by the stated deadlines on the JAMP website during their sophomore year, must have completed 27 hours of undergraduate credit during their freshman year, and earned no less than a 3.25 grade point average. Contact the UHPO for more information and advising and visit the JAMP website for additional details.

3+2 Respiratory Care Early Acceptance Program (RCEAP)

The Respiratory Care Early Acceptance Program offers academically outstanding undergraduate students from The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) with an interest in respiratory care an opportunity to be granted conditional acceptance to the School of Health Professions at UT Health San Antonio. Upon completion of the program, students will receive a Bachelor of Science in Biology or a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology (Kinesiology and Health Science Concentration) at UTSA and a Master of Science in Respiratory Care at UT Health San Antonio within five years. 

Eligible applicants must be full-time UTSA students majoring in a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology or Kinesiology (Kinesiology and Health Science Concentration) who have completed at least 12 semester credit hours of coursework at UTSA in their program of study. Applications can be submitted by students who have earned between 12 and 60 semester credit hours in their program of study for Biology or Kinesiology. Applications must be submitted by students on or before the completion of 60 semester credit hours at UTSA. Information about program requirements for acceptance into the program and for its completion are available at the Health Professions Office.

3+2 Medical Laboratory Science Early Acceptance Program (MLSEAP)

The Medical Laboratory Sciences Early Acceptance Program offers academically outstanding undergraduate students from The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) with an interest in medical lab sciences an opportunity to be granted conditional acceptance to the School of Health Professions at UT Health San Antonio. Upon completion of the program, students will receive a Bachelor of Science in Biology or Microbiology and Immunology, or a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry at UTSA, and a Master of Science in Medical Laboratory Science at UT Health San Antonio within five years.

Eligible applicants must be full-time UTSA students majoring in Biology, Microbiology and Immunology, or in Chemistry who have completed at least 12 semester credit hours of coursework at UTSA in their program of study. Applications may be submitted by students who have earned between 12 and 60 semester credit hours in their program of study for Biology, Microbiology and Immunology, or Chemistry. Applications must be submitted by students on or before the completion of 60 semester credit hours at UTSA. Information about program requirements for acceptance into the program and for its completion are available at the Health Professions Office.

3+3 Physical Therapy Early Acceptance Program (PTEAP)

The Physical Therapy Early Acceptance Program offers academically outstanding undergraduate students from The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) with an interest in physical therapy an opportunity to be granted conditional acceptance to the School of Health Professions at UT Health San Antonio. Upon completion of the program, students will receive a Bachelor of Science in Biology or Kinesiology (Kinesiology and Health Science Concentration) at UTSA and a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) at UT Health San Antonio within six years. The PTEAP reduces the time of completion for the DPT degree by one year.

Eligible applicants must be full-time UTSA students majoring in Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology or Kinesiology (Kinesiology and Health Science Concentration) and have completed at least 60 semester credit hours (SCH) of coursework at UTSA but not more than a total of 75 semester credit hours in one of the approved programs of study. Applications must be submitted by students on or before the completion of 75 semester credit hours at UTSA. Information about program requirements for acceptance into the program and for its completion are available at the Health Professions Office.