Patricia Gwirtz, PhD, Graduate Advisor
Center for BioHealth Building CBH 345
Phone: 817-735-2079
E-mail: Patricia.Gwirtz@unthsc.edu
The Master of Science program in Medical Sciences is a specialized master’s program designed to provide additional opportunities to those individuals who would like to enhance their credentials for entry into medical, dental, physician assistant (PA), chiropractic or other professional school. This is achieved by offering a strong, challenging biomedical sciences curriculum in the environment of a health science center. The average time to complete the program is twelve months (mid-May through mid-May). Students are only admitted in the summer semester. A comprehensive list of course requirements is available online.
Program Requirements
Each student is responsible for the completion of the requirements for the Masters in Medical Science Program according to the procedures that follow. Each item must be completed in the sequence and time period indicated. Forms are subject to revision at any time and should be obtained from the GSBS Forms and Guidelines website.
- The admissions committee will review all applicants for acceptance into the program. A student must have a bachelor’s degree and must meet the general requirements listed in the catalog in effect at the time of application. In addition, the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT), DAT or GRE is required for admission to this program (depending on the career goals of the applicant) and applicants must have completed the following prerequisites: general or inorganic chemistry (8 SCH), biology (14 SCH), physics (8 SCH), organic chemistry (8 SCH), English (6 SCH), and calculus or statistics (3 SCH). All applications must be completed and received in accordance with the deadlines published in the academic calendar. Electronic application records will be updated before letters are mailed. Applicants may check their application records online at http://my.hsc.unt.edu for admissions decisions. No admissions decisions will be released by phone.
- A student admitted to the Medical Sciences program must follow the lock-step curriculum. A minimum GPA of 3.0 must be maintained in order to graduate.
Program Success
This program has been very successful in assisting student to better their chances for acceptance into medical school. In the class that graduated in 2014, 70% of students who matriculated graduated with a Master of Science degree. Sixty percent of these were successful in gaining admission into medical school at UNT Health Science Center, University of Texas at Houston, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Texas Tech University Health Science Center at El Paso, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Baylor College of Medicine, and University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, in addition to several out of state schools.
Opportunities for Graduates in Medical Sciences
The M.S. in Medical Sciences program responds to the need for generalist graduate study in the medical sciences to provide students with the background required for the pursuit of a variety of careers in the health professions. It is a broad-based curriculum that can provide the student with requirements to pursue medical school, dental school, veterinary school, advanced graduate education, or enter a career in allied health sciences, such as public health and health care administration, or in non-research positions including managerial and biotechnology patent law.
Medical Sciences Specialized M.S.
2-Year Anatomy Track Option
The successful applicant to the Medical Sciences Anatomy Track will have excelled in the requirements for the Medical Sciences degree and expressed a strong interest in anatomy education and/or research. Interested students will interview with anatomy faculty and create a project proposal outline prior to transfer into this track.
In addition to the Medical Sciences curriculum, students will undertake a combination of additional courses and independent project(s), and produce a practicum report on the latter. Students will work with an advisory committee for the production of the practicum report.
Requirements for Transfer to the Medical Sciences Anatomy Track
Students interested in the anatomy track must have a 3.0 GPA, and have earned a grade of A in Histology (CBIM 5400) and Gross Anatomy (PAN 5401).
Students will be selected based on academic performance, interviews with faculty, and students’ ability to articulate a project idea during the interview.