School of Health Professions
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Ph.D. in Health Sciences

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General graduate admissions standards and program-specific admissions standards are listed below.  Applicants must have completed a bachelor’s or graduate degree (master’s or professional doctorate) in a relevant allied health discipline such as emergency health sciences, medical laboratory sciences, occupational therapy, physical therapy, physician assistant studies, respiratory care, or speech-language pathology or another relevant field (e.g. public health, imaging sciences, radiation therapy, dental hygiene or another health-related discipline).  Students entering with a bachelor’s degree must take an additional 30 semester hours of graduate-level course work, as approved by the individual student’s major advisor and the program director as a part of the student’s program plan. These hours may be taken from existing graduate programs offered by UT Health San Antonio as part of one of the existing allied health professional degree programs, or graduate courses offered by the School of Nursing, Long School of Medicine, or Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. 

Students entering the program with a master’s degree in an allied health-related discipline from a regionally accredited college or university will receive credit for up to 30 semester hours of their master’s degree-professional program.  Acceptance of transfer credits from another graduate program must be approved by the Registrar and the student’s major advisor and program director.

With permission from their major advisor and the program COGS, students entering the program with a professional doctorate (e.g. audiology doctorate [AuD], Doctor of Physical Therapy [DPT], or Occupational Therapy Doctorate [OTD]), may apply for credit from their professional doctoral degree towards the 30-credit hour requirement.  These students may also apply up to 9 SCH of additional doctoral-level professional coursework towards the Ph.D. specialization area requirements with permission. A limited number of students may be allowed to enroll concurrently in the School of Health Professions professional doctoral programs (e.g. OTD/Ph.D., DPT/Ph.D.).

Applicants must provide official transcripts from each college or university attended and documentation of appropriate certification and/or licensure (as applicable) in their health profession by a major U.S. certification/licensing agency.

Courses taken outside the United States may be considered for transfer with the approval of the program director, but all such courses must be evaluated by a NACES member and be judged equivalent by U.S. standards.

Applicants must:

  • Possess a minimum overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
  • Submit official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended.
  • Complete any prerequisite courses (where required) with a grade of 3.0 or better.  Students entering with a bachelor's degree must take an additional 30 semester hours of graduate-level course work and graduate professional program course work will require specific undergraduate prerequisites.  Students entering with a master’s degree or higher in an allied health discipline will not be required to complete additional prerequisite courses.
  • Documentation of certification and/or license in allied health or allied health-related discipline (as applicable).
  • Three letters of recommendation from persons who are knowledgeable about the quality of the applicant’s scholarly activities and/or work experiences. 
  • Acceptable healthcare experience in the professional area of study is required for admission.  Prior research experience, especially in a health sciences environment, will also be considered and can increase the candidate's understanding of the biomedical research process.
  • Transcripts from institutions outside the United States must be submitted in the original language and must be accompanied by an acceptable evaluation agency translation for each course (NACES®, e.g. WES or ECE).
  • International applicants only: Submit Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores; minimum scores 84 (Internet-based test) or IELTS advanced version Band score of ≥ 7.0
  • Specific admission requirements may be waived by the Graduate Faculty Council. Requests for waivers will be addressed on a case-by-case basis.

The PhD in Health Sciences program is an online program. International students may not be eligible for visas.

Scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) are strongly encouraged, but not required.

For more information email the School of Health Professions at shpwelcome@uthscsa.edu