Anesthesiologist | Cardiologist | Dermatologist | Emergency Medicine | Family Practice | Gasteroenterologist | Gynecologist | Neurologist | Oncologist | Ophthalmologist | Pediatrician | Physician | Psychiatrist | Surgeon | Sports Medicine | Urologist | and more!
Students preparing for a career in medicine are classified as Pre-Medical. To qualify for medical school admission, students must take the necessary prerequisites for each school; a bachelor's degree is also expected and strongly preferred.
Medical or Osteopathic Doctor
In order to become a doctor, an individual must earn a Doctor of Medicine degree, M.D., or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree, D.O. The primary difference between an M.D. and D.O. is the philosophy of delivering medicine. Osteopathic physicians tend to have a holistic approach to treating patients, with an emphasis on preventative care; they are also trained to practice Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine, OMM. UNT Health Sciences Center, located in Fort Worth, Texas, offers the only public D.O. program in Texas.
In addition to a medical degree, passing state-licensure exams and participating in residency programs are required to be licensed as a doctor.
Joint Admission Medical Program, JAMP
JAMP, the Joint Admission Medical Program, is a Texas state-wide program that helps students coming from an underserved or low socio-economic background become physicians. If a student is selected to be a JAMPer and maintains all eligibility requirements, an interview will be extended to the student by each Texas medical school, with a direct entry into one of the medical schools. For more information about JAMP, please visit their website. For current students who would like to learn more about the process of applying to JAMP, please send an email to our JAMP Faculty Director, Dr. Debrah Beck.
JAMP Camp 2019
The 2019 UNT JAMP Camp is a FREE week-long program to help prepare new incoming freshmen pre-medical students for rigorous college courses. The program will provide an introduction to science and math classes, as well as exposure to some aspects of the medical school curriculum through interaction with faculty and medical students at UNTHSC-TCOM.
Place: University of North Texas, (Denton) and UNT Health Science Center-Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (Fort Worth).
Date: June 2 - 9, 2019
Cost: Free to eligible students (see eligibility below)
Deadline for application & supporting materials: April 15, 2019 @ 5:00 p.m.
JAMP Camp activities:
- Medical Faculty Workshops
- UNT College Preparedness student panel
- Classes with Biology, Chemistry, English, Physics and Mathematics faculty
- Medical Ethics Workshop
- Medical Student Mentoring
- Recreational Activities
- Many other activities
- Live in a UNT residence hall from June 2-9, 2019.
- All meals and transportation to the UNTHSC-TCOM are included (students will not be allowed to take their own vehicles).
- All class and laboratory materials will be included at no cost to students.
This HANDOUT will provide you more information on eligibility and deadlines. You can also contact our Academic Counselor, Mardreana Reed at Mardreana.Reed@unt.edu
FAQs
Which major should I select at UNT for a pre-medical path?
Popular majors among pre-medical students at UNT include the following.
- Bachelor of Arts in Biology, College of Science
- Bachelor of Arts in Biochemistry, College of Science
- Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
- Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology—Allied Health Track or General Track, College of Education
- Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in Integrative Studies, College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
Note: Medical schools do not require a particular degree. If you choose a major outside of the sciences, we recommend taking extra courses in biology, in addition to all of the required prerequisites.
For more information about each major, please visit the UNT Catalog and select 'majors, minors, certificates' that is found beneath the link to ‘Catalog Home’.
What courses do I need for medical school?
Please refer to our Pre-Medical Packet for a list of Texas medical school prerequisites. To review prerequisites for medical programs outside of Texas, please refer to each individual school's website.
Timeline: When do I apply to medical school?
Students must apply to medical schools one year before entering a program. On the traditional four-year path, students will apply during the summer after their junior year of college, complete their bachelor's degree at the end of their senior year, and enter medical school the following fall semester.
This timeline will show you an example of the traditional four-year path to medical school.
Note: Each student's timeline is different. Your UNT academic advisor/counselor is committed to creating a plan that accommodates your individual goals and circumstances.
What makes a competitive application to medical school?
Admission to medical school is very competitive and students should create a strategic plan well in advance. Below you will find typical categories of a competitive application. Please contact our advisors in the UNT Office of Health Professions to further explore each competitive characteristic and to create your pre-medical plan.
Call, click or come by for more information!
Office of Health Professions: 940-369-8606 | Hickory Hall, Room 256
| CATEGORY | COMPETITIVE |
|---|---|
| GPA | 3.74, Texas avg. admitted |
| MCAT Score | 510, Texas avg. admitted |
| Shadowing | 100+ Hours |
| Medical Volunteering | 100+ Hours |
| Non-Medical Volunteering | 100+ Hours |
What is the MCAT?
The Medical College Admission Test, MCAT, is the entrance exam that must be taken before applying to medical school. The score range for the MCAT is 472 to 528. We strongly recommend that you not take the MCAT until after all prerequisites have been completed. This includes coursework from the following areas: biology, chemistry, statistics, physics, biochemistry, and psychology/sociology. For more information about the MCAT, please visit the official webpage on AAMC.
How do I apply to medical school?
Medical schools in the United States use three application services to obtain your information: TMDSAS, AMCAS and AACOMAS.
Texas Medical & Dental Application Service, TMDSAS
Schools using TMDSAS
UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
UT Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas
McGovern Medical School, Houston, Texas
Long School of Medicine, San Antonio, Texas
Dell Medical School, Austin, Texas
UT Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine, Edinburg, Texas
Texas A&M HSC, College of Medicine, Bryan, Texas
Texas Tech HSC Schools of Medicine, Lubbock, Texas
UNT HSC Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, Fort Worth, Texas
Texas Tech HSC Paul L. Foster Schools of Medicine, El Paso, Texas
American Medical College Application Service, AMCAS
Schools using AMCAS
Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
TCU and UNTHSC School of Medicine
M.D. Programs Outside of Texas
American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, AACOMAS
Schools using AACOMAS
University of Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine, San Antonio, Texas
D.O. programs outside of Texas
Does UNT offer an HPAC?
Yes! Our Office of Health Professions provides a Health Professions Advisory Committee service, HPAC. This committee produces a committee letter of recommendation that is strongly preferred by medical school admissions committees. A Committee Letter of Recommendation is one of the letters of recommendation included in a letter packet when applying to medical school, and is an evaluation of your competitiveness by a group of faculty members across the UNT campus.
As an HPAC applicant, the Office of Health Professions will also submit all of your letters of recommendation to your medical application services. These letters are included with the Committee Letter, also known as the Committee Packet. Once all letters of recommendation are received by our office, the Committee Packet will then be uploaded to the application services.
When to participate in HPAC
HPAC is offered each spring semester for those applying to medical school the following summer. Students will have 1 interview with our Assistant Dean, Dr. Debrah Beck, and 1 interview with a faculty member on the committee. The committee then meets to discuss each applicant, and the feedback is used to write the Committee Letter of Recommendation.
Qualifications for HPAC
To participate in HPAC, you must meet the following qualifications:
- 3.2 Overall GPA
- 15 hours of UNT course credit
If you do not meet the minimum requirements, please schedule an appointment with our Senior Academic Counselor, Todd Lang, to discuss your individual situation.
How to send letters of recommendation
For those currently particpating in HPAC, below you will find a form that needs to be submitted to each reference from whom you are requesting a letter of recommendation. Your reference needs to submit the form and letter to Todd at Todd.Lang@unt.edu. CAUTION: Letters will only be accepted directly from your reference (mail or e-mail). If you choose to deliver the letter, it must be sealed in an evelope with the reference's initials or signature on the seal.
Letter of Evaluation Form
If your references are sending the letters by mail, please have them address the envelope accordingly:
Todd Lang, M.S.
University of North Texas
COS Student Advising
Hickory Hall, Rm. 256
1155 Union Circle, #311365
Denton, TX 76203
Or...
Debrah Beck, Ph.D.
University of North Texas
COS Student Advising
Hickory Hall, Rm. 256
1155 Union Circle, #311365
Denton, TX 76203
Are there any scholarships available to pre-medical students?
Yes! The following scholarships are specifically available to pre-medical students:
Dr. Glenn Mitchell Memorial Scholarship:
To qualify, a student must be a pre-medical student, should have completed 60 ours of pre-medical coursework, must demonstrate academic excellence, and must be competitive for admission to a medical school. This scholarship application is available February through March of each year. The scholarship is awarded for the following fall or spring semesters. For more information about this scholarship, please contact Dr. Debrah Beck.
Rafes Pre-Medical Scholarship:
To qualify, a student must be a full-time UNT pre-medical student, should currently be enrolled in freshmen biology and/or chemistry, demonstrate scholastic excellence and be competitive for admission to medical school.This scholarship application is available February through March of each year. The scholarship application is awarded for the following fall or spring semesters. For more information about this scholarship, please contact Dr. Debrah Beck.
These are not the only scholarships available to students interested in going to medical school. General scholarships are also offered through each department and college across campus. Below you will find scholarship webpages for some of the popular majors listed above:
- Biology and Biochemistry Major Scholarships
College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences:
- Psychology Major Scholarships
- Integrative Studies majors should click on the 'College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences' link for more information.
- Kinesiology majors should click on the 'College of Education' link for more information.
If you do not see your major listed under one of the three colleges listed above, please visit the scholarship website of the college that houses your major.
Who can help me create a plan for this career path?
If you are a current student, please visit appointments.unt.edu, to schedule an appointment. If you are a prospective student interested in learning more about the pre-medical path at UNT, please contact one of our advisors.
Debrah Beck, Ph.D., Assistant Dean of Health Professions, JAMP Faculty Director
email: Debrah.Beck@unt.edu
Todd Lang, M.S., Senior Academic Counselor
email: Todd.Lang@unt.edu
Mardreana Reed, M.Ed., Academic Counselor
email: Mardreana.Reed@unt.edu