UNT Home | Undergraduate Majors and Interests | College of Arts and Sciences | Health-Related Preprofessional Programs
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University of North Texas
Undergraduate Admissions
1155 Union Circle #311277
Denton, Texas 76203-5017
E-mail: dbeck@unt.edu
or lindseyfields@unt.edu
Phone: 940-565-2051
Fax: 940-565-4529
Debrah A. Beck, Ph.D.
Health Professions Coordinator
University of North Texas
College of Arts and Sciences
1155 Union Circle #305189
Denton, Texas 76203-5189
Lindsey Moore-Fields, M.S.
Counselor for the Health Professions
University of North Texas
College of Arts and Sciences
1155 Union Circle #305189
Denton, Texas 76203-5189
Undergraduate Majors and Interests
A degree from the University of North Texas can prepare you for medical, dental, veterinary, optometry, physician's assistant and physical therapy schools. UNT also offers prerequisite courses for the following allied health school programs, but does not award degrees in these areas:
A bachelor's degree may be required to enroll in some allied health schools. Others require 60 to 90 credit hours before transferring to that school.
To become a physician, four years of medical school and three to seven years of a hospital-based residency program must be completed after earning your bachelor's degree. During the last years of medical school, a specialty such as family practice, internal medicine or pediatrics must be chosen. Special consideration is often offered to those considering service to underserved areas.
If dentistry is the chosen profession, four years of dental school must be completed beyond the bachelor's degree. Once training is complete, a practice may be established concentrating on detection and diagnosis of disease, surgical restoration, aesthetic improvements or general dentistry.
Veterinarians must complete four additional years of training at a veterinary medicine school after earning a bachelor's degree. Many veterinarians specialize in small animal practice, while others choose careers in large animal treatment. The U.S. Public Health Service and the Department of Agriculture also employ veterinarians.
Several UNT departments offer courses in preparation for enrollment in health-related professional programs. The major for the bachelor's degree may be in any program, as long as prerequisite requirements for application are met. The health professions counselors in the College of Arts and Sciences should be contacted for details on the profession of interest. Some of the required course work for pre-medical and pre-dental students includes two years of biology, one year of inorganic chemistry, one year of organic chemistry and one year of physics. Other courses relating to the field of interest may also be helpful. Specific details may be found at www.cas.unt.edu/advising/health.
Some of UNT's most distinguished faculty members teach the courses required for preparation for a health-related professional school. Several of these faculty members have been named Regents Professors for their excellence in research and teaching. Regents Professors devote half of their teaching load to introductory-level courses. Other faculty members have received Student Association Honor Professor awards for their teaching.
The faculty members involved in UNT's health-related preprofessional programs are outstanding researchers. Many of the faculty members are considered experts in their fields and have written articles and books about their area of expertise. Opportunities to participate in these professors' research projects are available, but this work must be arranged with the individual professor.
For admission to medical, dental and veterinary schools, it is important to maintain an excellent grade point average (3.6 or higher).
Specialized standardized tests, including the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or any other professional examination, such as the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) or the Dental Admission Test (DAT), should be completed about one year before you plan to attend a professional school.
Eight medical schools, three dental schools, one veterinary medical school, one optometry school and several health care professional schools are located in Texas. Among those medical schools is the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine at the UNT Health Science Center at Fort Worth. UNT and the UNT Health Science Center offer a special program in which the bachelor's degree and medical school may be completed in seven years instead of the usual eight.
Involvement in UNT's chapter of Alpha Epsilon Delta, the pre-health profession's national honor society, is encouraged if you are interested in a health care career. The society is involved in several health-related activities, such as tours of medical and other health-related schools, programs exploring career opportunities and discussions with health professionals from the health care community. AED also offers opportunities to perform community service, which is an important part of the medical application process. The group also sponsors social activities throughout the school year.
Before application to medical, dental or other health-related professional programs, it is important for you to work at a hospital, clinic or other health care institution. Work in an animal shelter or veterinary clinic should be arranged if admission to veterinary school is desired.
Upon completion of 12 semester hours at UNT with at least a 2.5 GPA, you may work in a job related to your major through UNT's office of Cooperative Education and Internships. You may earn academic credit and money for your college expenses while gaining valuable work experience.
If you are a high school student, we suggest you prepare for college by becoming computer proficient and taking:
You will need to take courses in most of these subjects under the university core curriculum required of all undergraduates, in addition to your major courses. Talk with your high school counselor about preparing for college, including the entrance exams (SAT Reasoning Test or ACT) that you should take during your junior year.
High school classes in health education, human biology, psychology and sociology are also beneficial.
As a benefit for transfer students, UNT participates in the Texas Common Course Numbering System. This system makes it easier to transfer credits for general academic courses from one Texas institution to another.
If you're attending a Texas community college, you should consult the UNT Transfer Guide, the UNT Undergraduate Catalog and an academic counselor to discuss your degree plan. Proper planning will help you receive the maximum amount of transfer credits.
The Preprofessional Advisory Committee (PPAC), whose members include the Director of the Health Professions and faculty members from the biological sciences and chemistry departments and the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science, may be a valuable resource if you want to attend a health-related professional school. Members of the PPAC can assist with applications to the professional schools.
Academic and career advice is available from the Director of the Health Professions in the College of Arts and Sciences Student Advising Office in the General Academic Building, Room 220. Counselors and the Director of the Health Professions will be at new student orientations to help in planning for a career as a health care professional.