Public Health

Any applicant or current TAMS student interested in medical student and the 3+4 DO pathway MUST read the information and requirements listed below. The UNT Health Science Center established these guidelines, and the UNT Office of Health Professions consults with students to ensure that students meet all requirements each semester. TAMS has NO role in developing the provisions because the UNTHSC know far better than TAMS what prospective 3+4 applicants should achieve prior to their applying to the 3+4 program.

Additionally, prospective TAMS applicants MUST read the information published by UNT’s Office of Health Professions at the Office of Health Professions Advising and Accelerated Programs.

The 3+4 DO program is extremely intense, and two TAMS students have applied for the UNTHSC medical program directly from the TAMS-UNT 3+4 DO pathway during the four years TAMS has collaborated with UNTHSC. Most students who begin the 3+4 pathway as a TAMS student decide NOT to pursue the pathway because (a) they must meet eligibility requirements each semester, including GPA and pre-professional obligations yet (b) they have no room in their class schedules to explore other academic fields; in other words, the 3+4 program prohibits students’ pursuit of a double major, a minor, or even elective classes that do not serve a dual purpose of counting toward their 3+4 program requirements. Nationally, TAMS wants prospective students to know that most universities have eliminated or are eliminating their 3+4 programs because of the course enrollment limitations and because the pressure to perform is so high relative to undergraduate education.

Thus, TAMS does not recommend the 3+4 pathway unless a student has a family member or friend of the family in a health profession or has been actively volunteering and observing health professionals for at least a year. Those students have a more realistic idea of the demands that will be placed on them from the first day and are better primed to cope with that stress. Since students are already racing through two years by coming to TAMS, I generally encourage them to take the chance to explore while they are at TAMS or to find out that their dreams may have changed or need to evolve some, not lock themselves into such a rigid and demanding curriculum.

In collaboration with UNT's Office of Health Professions, TAMS does not allow students starting in MATH 1650 Precalculus to formally pursue the DO pathway. These students, however, can pursue the General Science and Math pathway, which allows students to complete nearly the same courses required for the DO pathway but without the stress of taking 18-19 hours each semester and taking MATH 1720 Calculus 2 during Summer. Students can use their elective each semester to take a course required for the 3+4 DO pathway, specifically Anatomy and Physiology and/or Organic Chemistry. Additionally, TAMS students cannot take courses and conduct research during the same Summer term, and TAMS decided that compelling students to choose one or the other so early in their educational career is anathema to TAMS's goal of helping students explore opportunities not present in traditional high schools. All TAMS-required courses in biology, chemistry, math, physics, and perhaps psychology satisfy requirements for degrees in those subjects and are prereqs for nearly every medical school,

nursing program, pharmacy program, and/or physical therapy school. Thus, students who want to pursue the 3+4 DO program but start in precalculus should NOT fret; the TAMS Academic Counselors and the advisors in UNT's Office of Health Professions will care for you.

Students may elect to change pathways ONCE at the end of their first semester but before the first day of class of the second semester. This excludes the Music track as the College of Music requires a student to audition during the TAMS admissions process. Changing tracks may require students to complete Summer courses between their first year and second year at TAMS in order to "catch up" with the requirements of the new pathway curriculum. Students considering a change in pathway MUST meet with their Academic Counselor and MUST receive approval before enrolling in courses for their second semester.

Students who ultimately decide to pursue the 3+4 DO pathway will complete the TAMS program, complete one (1) year of courses at UNT Denton, apply for the DO program at the UNT Health Science Center in Fort Worth and, if accepted, begin attending courses at UNTHSC their fourth year. In order to be eligible for the 3+4 DO program, a student must meet the following requirements:

• Successfully complete a minimum of 15 credit hours each fall and spring semesters, for 6 consecutive semesters
• Maintain continuous enrollment at UNT during long terms
• Complete a minimum of 90 semester credit hours of undergraduate curriculum at UNT, of which 24 must be advanced and completed at UNT, irrespective of any course credits earned through dual credit, advanced placement examinations, or transferred from other institutions
• Earn a B or better in all attempted prerequisite courses and all attempted BCPM courses taken at UNT ("BCPM" is defined as any course with a prefix of BIOL, BIOC, CHEM, PHYS, and MATH); Re-taking any prerequisite or BCPM course, and earning a B or better in a subsequent attempt, will not fulfill this eligibility requirement
• Earn a grade in each course that contributes to degree requirements, with the exception of electives; any elective can be graded as Pass/No Pass, but no more than three credit hours can be graded as Pass/No Pass in a semester
• Earn both a cumulative and BCPM GPA of 3.75 or higher by the end of the first semester at UNT
• Maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.75 or higher
• Maintain a GPA of 3.75 or higher in all BCPM courses
• Earn a semester GPA of 3.5 or higher in all 6 semesters at UNT
• Participate in the UNT Health Professions Advisory Committee (HPAC) process throughout the second year at UNT

Pharmacy Reverse Articulation Agreement

UNT students can now earn a BA degree in Biology using coursework taken during the first year of Pharmacy School at the UNTHSC. This is not a guaranteed admission program, but for students who go to UNTHSC, they can reverse articulate coursework to complete the BA. Interested students should seek additional information from the UNT Office of Health Professions.

* One of these courses must be advanced level (3000-4000)

IMPORTANT NOTES:

This plan is unofficial and may change based on each student's needs or program updates: Changes must be approved by your advisor.

The science classes in bold must be taken in this order. If you have any questions, please contact Todd Lang.

Email:Todd.Lang@unt.edu

Remember: Good grades are NOT enough to get accepted into Medical School!!! Please regularly talk with your advisors about shadowing, volunteering, and other ways to stand out on an application.

The Department of Rehabilitation and Health Services offers a Bachelor of Science in Public Health degree program that prepares professionals to promote health and identify, prevent and solve health problems at community, local, national, and global levels. Public Health prepares students to promote health using knowledge and skills from the social, behavioral, and health sciences. The degree program is well suited for students invested in building healthy communities in the DFW area, nationally, and/or globally. Due to the broad, generalist focus of this program, upon completion individuals may pursue careers within various public hospitals, health departments, health insurance companies, as well as non-profits in the public health care industry. They can also continue with graduate school education for advanced degrees in Public Health. The TAMS Public Health pathway creates a "2+2" plan—two years as a TAMS student and two years as a traditional UNT student—for students who want to pursue a baccalaureate degree in Public Health at UNT. Students who choose this pathway are NOT obligated to remain at UNT to complete their degree; students may simply complete the curriculum shown below and then move on to their next educational institution. Students may elect to change tracks/pathways ONCE at the end of their first semester but before the first day of class of the second semester. This excludes the Music track as the College of Music requires a student to audition during the TAMS admissions process. Changing tracks may require students to complete Summer courses between their first year and second year at TAMS in order to "catch up" with the requirements of the new pathway curriculum. Students considering a change in pathway MUST meet with their Academic Counselor and MUST receive approval before enrolling in courses for their second semester.

*Denotes course offered only online