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PREPROFESSIONAL COURSES OF STUDY IN LAW, BUSINESS, OR MEDICINE

Students interested in legal, medical, dental, or nursing careers are encouraged to select undergraduate courses of study that comply with the specific program requirements of professional schools. Students planning to apply to graduate professional programs should consult UTSA faculty with experience in and knowledge of those professional fields.

As a general guide, minimum requirements are set forth below. However, satisfactory completion of these minimums does not guarantee admission to any professional school or program. Specific professional schools may have more specialized requirements, and the selection process for admission to professional schools is highly competitive.

Preparation for Law School. Students interested in preparing for and gaining admission to law school should contact the UTSA Institute for Law and Public Affairs or one of UTSA’s pre-law faculty advisors, a list of which can be obtained by contacting the Office of Career Services. Most law schools do not recommend that pre-law students major in or concentrate on any particular area or discipline, although they do recommend that students acquire and develop certain skills as undergraduates, including strong analytical and writing skills. Most law schools encourage a broad, diverse, liberal undergraduate education as preferable to one that is narrowly specialized or vocational. Student programs of study that approach subjects on a theoretical level, rather than concentrating exclusively on practical aspects, are often considered good preparatory training for law school. It is also advisable, however, for students to take some law-oriented courses at the undergraduate level to assess for themselves, their aptitude for legal studies and potential for success in law school.

To discover what a particular law school recommends, students should review that school’s catalog or Web site. Students will find a wealth of information on law school admissions and preparation at the Law School Admission council’s Web site: http://lsac.org and in materials maintained by the UTSA Institute for Law and Public Affairs. The Institute offers a minor in Legal Studies and an intensive Summer Law School Preparation academy that pre-law students may consider. Students who wish to discuss pre-law curriculum or their law school plans should contact the Institute or one of UTSA’s pre-law faculty advisors.

Preparation for Graduate Study in Business. Nonbusiness majors who are interested in pursuing a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) degree are encouraged to use the electives in their degree program to complete the requirements for an outside field of business. Completion of this outside field may offer students the opportunity of gaining direct admission to many M.B.A. programs.

Health Professions Preparation Programs.

The Health Professions Office and the College of Sciences Undergraduate Advising Center support students interested in the health professions by offering prehealth information about programs, application procedures, available professional testing, opportunities in health disciplines, and academic advising for course scheduling. UTSA offers courses that fulfill preacceptance course requirements for programs such as Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Physician Assistant, Pharmacy, Veterinary Medicine, Podiatry, Chiropractic, and Optometry, as well as premedical and predental school prerequisite courses. Students interested in professional programs and/or professional schools must apply; admission is competitive. Admission into UTSA does not guarantee admission into The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio health professional programs.

Medical and Dental Schools. In general, medical and dental school admission committees do not state a preference about an undergraduate major field, leaving the student free to choose a degree program suited to the student’s special abilities and interests. The vast majority of entrants have four years of college with a baccalaureate degree. A few students with outstanding records and a high degree of maturity are admitted to medical or dental school after completing 90 semester credit hours.

Admission requirements for The University of Texas Medical and Dental Schools are representative of admission requirements for most other American 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-half year of college calculus (not required for dental school).

Each applicant is required to take the Medical College Admission Test or the Dental Admission Test. The preferred time to take these tests is at the spring test date before late spring application for admission.

Students are encouraged to consult with the chairperson of the Health Professions Advisory Committee (HPAC) through the Health Professions Office, Department of Biology or the College of Sciences Undergraduate Advising Center early in their college career for advisement and information concerning professional school requirements.

Applications for all University of Texas System Medical and Dental Schools are processed by the Medical and Dental Application Centers, 201 West Seventh Street, Suite 712, Austin, Texas 78701.

Nursing School. Admission requirements for The University of Texas Schools of Nursing (outlined in the UTHSCSA Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree plan) are representative of admission requirements for most other American nursing schools. A minimum of 62 semester credit hours is required, including 6 semester credit hours of college English, 9 hours in behavioral sciences, 6 hours in history and government, 3 hours of college mathematics, 3 hours in statistics, 3 hours of humanities, 3 hours of visual and performing arts, and 23 hours in natural sciences which must include chemistry, anatomy, physiology, microbiology, and nutrition. Students interested in Nursing must seek information about these prerequisites on a regular basis because they are subject to change.

Additional information and advisement may be obtained from the chairperson of the Health Professions Advisory Committee through the Health Professions Office, Department of Biology, or the College of Sciences Undergraduate Advising Center.

Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Programs. Physical and occupational therapy programs are offered at other institutions and typically are master’s level programs. UTSA offers prerequisite courses for these programs. General admission prerequisites for certain physical and occupational therapy schools are available in the Health Professions Office and the College of Sciences Undergraduate Advising Center.(TOP)

Early Admissions Programs.

3-4 Dental Early Admission Program (DEAP). This is a joint program between The University of Texas at San Antonio and The University of Texas Health Science Center at 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 receive both a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at UTSA and a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree at UTHSCSA within seven years. Applicants must have completed fewer than 30 semester credit hours of coursework to qualify for early admission. 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 Health Professions Office or the College of Sciences Undergraduate Advising Center.

Joint Admission Medical Program. The Joint Admission Medical Program (JAMP) was created by the Texas Legislature as Senate Bill 940 to provide services to “highly qualified, economically disadvantaged students” who want to be a physician. If selected for JAMP, a student will receive numerous benefits throughout college and into medical school: a scholarship each semester of college (beginning sophomore year); a stipend each summer to attend three medical school enrichment (internship) programs; mentoring throughout college and into medical school; admission into one of Texas’ medical schools (if all requirements are met); a stipend to attend a prematriculation program the summer before medical school, if required; a scholarship to attend medical school. Students must apply by December 31 in the freshman semester during which one must take 15 semester credit hours and earn a Grade Point Average of more than 3.25. Contact the UTSA JAMP Faculty Director through the Health Professions/JAMP Office and visit the JAMP Coordinator’s Office web site at www.utsystem.edu/JAMP for advising and additional details.

Facilitated Admissions For South Texas Scholars (FASTS) Program. The University of Texas Medical School at San Antonio and the University of Texas at San Antonio have a partnership to select outstanding students from UTSA for a program for facilitated admission to the Medical School of the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio (UTMSSA). This program provides early acceptance to UTMSSA based on academic/MCAT performance and offers an opportunity to return to South Texas for clinical training in the third and fourth year of medical school at the Regional Academic Health Center-associated clinical facilities. Contact the Health Professions Office at UTSA for guidance and additional information.(TOP)

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