January 16, 1998
FORT WORTH AND DALLAS AGREE ON SEVEN-YEAR MEDICAL EDUCATION PROGRAM
FORT WORTH, Texas -- Earning a degree in medicine usually means four years of
college and four years of medical school. For those dedicated to becoming
physicians or surgeons, a program to decrease the time in school while still
receiving a medical education is now available.
Education forces in Fort Worth and Dallas are now offering a seven-year degree
program. Developed by the University of North Texas Health Science Center's Texas
College of Osteopathic Medicine (TCOM) in Fort Worth and The University of Texas
at Dallas (U.T. Dallas), the institutions will make it possible to earn a
bachelor's degree after three years at U.T. Dallas plus one year of medical
school at TCOM, then the medical degree is awarded after three additional years
at TCOM.
To allow students to transition into the medical school environment while still
fulfilling their undergraduate education, the fourth and final year of
undergraduate studies will be combined with the first year of medical school.
According to Dr. Ronald Yasbin, Head of the Department of Molecular and Cell
Biology at U.T. Dallas, most college seniors take elective courses during the
last two semesters, so the first year of the medical school's curriculum fits
into their schedules without taking away important college course requirements.
"Using the collaborative approach developed by TCOM and U.T. Dallas, students
will be able to receive their bachelor's degrees from U.T. Dallas after finishing
their first year of medical school," said Dr. Yasbin. "An early focus on their
medical education at TCOM will greatly benefit the many pre-med students at U.T.
Dallas, especially those with an interest in becoming primary care physicians."
The summer prior to students' junior years, they would take the Medical College
Admissions Testing (MCAT) exam and complete a preliminary application to be
considered for TCOM admission. During their junior years at U.T. Dallas, they
would be notified of whether they were accepted to TCOM.
By the end of their junior years, the U.T. Dallas undergraduate students would
have completed their required core courses and TCOM admission requirements.
Prerequisite courses at U.T. Dallas that are accepted by TCOM include biology,
chemistry, calculus and physics.
"During their three years of undergraduate work at U.T. Dallas, students are
encouraged to interact at the health science center and learn more about TCOM in
clinical settings, research labs, and internships," said Dr. David Richards,
president of the UNT Health Science Center. "Allowing U.T. Dallas students to
expand their education and receive medical training at TCOM gives the students a
real career advantage and it gives the institutions a real recruiting advantage."
The program is expected to begin this year. Both U.T. Dallas and the UNT Health
Science Center are committed to promote the program starting with the present
recruitment season. In addition, faculty from U.T. Dallas are including the
fundamentals of osteopathic medicine and the research interests of the health
science center in their discussions with students at U.T. Dallas.
For more information on the seven-year degree program, contact TCOM's Admissions
department at (817) 735-2204 or U.T. Dallas' Admissions department at (972)
883-2342. The U.T. Dallas website also includes information at
www.utdallas.edu/dept/biology.
U.T. Dallas provides outstanding education and research programs from the
freshman through Ph.D. levels and ranks among the top Texas public institutions
in terms of student achievement and faculty research. The U.T. Dallas freshman
class regularly ranks first or second in average SAT scores among Texas public
universities. Additionally, U.T. Dallas students often are most successful in
achieving entrance to professional schools. Specifically, last year, 72 percent
of the students from U.T. Dallas who applied to medical or dental schools were
admitted.