Texas is a great study destination for anyone seeking to study medicine, and also where you can find one of the best medical schools in the US to pursue a medical school degree.
There are over 438 universities and colleges in Texas, with 11 of these schools offering graduate programs that lead to a doctor of medicine (M.D.) degree. There’s also a growing demand for doctors, surgeons, nurses, and practitioners, hence the more reason to study medicine in Texas.
The best medical schools in Texas are substantial research universities with significant research expenditures to offer doctoral-level medical programs. They also have numerous laboratory facilities, training spaces, and affiliations with reputable teaching hospitals.
In this easy-to-digest article, we’ve provided some of the best medical schools in Texas, the quality of the schools, their admission rate, affiliations, and lot’s more.
So, here are the 10 best medical schools in Texas.
Best Medical Schools in Texas
- University of Texas Southwestern Medical School (Dallas, TX)
- Baylor University College of Medicine (Houston, TX)
- Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine (Bryan, TX)
- University of Texas McGovern Medical School at Houston (Houston, TX)
- Long School of Medicine at University of Texas-San Antonio (San Antonio, TX)
- University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (Fort Worth, TX)
- Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine (Lubbock, TX)
- University of Texas Medical Branch School of Medicine (Galveston, TX)
- Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Paul L. Foster School of Medicine (El Paso, TX)
- The University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School (Austin, TX)
1. The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School (Dallas, TX):
The first and foremost school on our list is the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School (U.T.S.W. or U.T.U.T. Southwestern). U.T.S.W. is a public, academic health science school located in Dallas, Texas. It is the largest medical school in Texas, with about 13,568 employees, 2,445 faculties, and more than 2.7 million outpatient visits per year.
About 230 students enroll in the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School every year. The average G.P.A. for incoming medical students is 3.84, while the MCAT score is 515. Nearly 4,000 students are trained. The acceptance ratio is 1 in every 20 candidates.
This four-year program combines basic sciences and clinical disciplines throughout three phases: clerkship, pre-clerkship, and post-clerkship. Students learn basic and clinical sciences through lab sessions, didactic courses, and simulation technology in the first year and a half.
Other focus topics include biomedical sciences, body structure, integrated medication, and clinical reasoning. In this phase, you can choose to complete non-credit electives in any field. Later on, in the middle of the second year, 18 months of clinical training will start. This training will mainly include clerkships like research activities and electives and preparation for the U.S.M.L.E. Step 1.
U.T.S.W. offers various credit & non-credit electives designed to enhance your learning experience. The clerkships last 48 weeks and include learning experiences in different medical fields. Lastly, the post-clerkship period begins with complete electives, sub-internships, and a clinical residency designed to prepare every medical student to become a practicing physician.
U.T.S.W. is affiliated with a medical center where over 13,000 employees work, with 2,500 being the college of medicine faculty members. Over 2 million patients are treated in the hospital every year. Medical students in U.T.S.W. get unmatched access to hands-on experiential learning.
The university is one of the best medical schools in Texas as its students are among the most proficient residents of Texas.
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2. Baylor University College of Medicine (Houston, TX):
Baylor College of Medicine (B.C.M.) is a private, independent health sciences center located within the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas. The Texas Medical Center in Houston is the world’s largest medical center. B.C.M. has four schools: the School of Medicine, the School of Health Professions, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and the National School of Tropical Medicine.
Baylor’s College of Medicine is another one of the best medical schools in Texas. It has an accelerated preclinical curriculum that takes only 1.5 years to complete. The tuition cost is meager compared to other private medical schools, and the average G.P.A. for admission is 3.93.
The M.D. program lasts four-year coursework and comprises foundational sciences, simulated learning, clinical rotations, and interprofessional learning experiences. Typically, the medical program begins with 18 months of foundational science courses (including simulated education, didactic lectures, and direct patient care experiences) and then the clinical curriculum. The foundational sciences teach core topics, and students can choose electives from about 300-different courses.
At the end of the foundational sciences curriculum, students who pass the N.B.M.E. exam will proceed to the clinical phase, completing a sub-internship, core clinical clerkships, selective, and electives. Credits must also be earned for D.D.A.S.H., CABS, APEX, and students must pass the BSM CPX and U.S.M.E. exams to graduate from this U.T.S.W. medical school.
You’ll also find the National School of Tropical Medicine inside Baylor’s College of Program.
3. Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine (Bryan, TX)
Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine in Texas A&M University’s medical school. The college offers M.D.M.D., M.D./M.P.H, M.D./Ph.D., M.D./M.B.A., and other M.D./M.S. dual degree programs.
The college majors in medicine, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, and public health. It’s a leading university in medical research with accomplishments such as innovative facial restoration technology, a portable water purification device for the military, and an original diagnostic for tuberculosis. Over a million residents in 254 counties of Texas are served every year.
However, Texas A&M’s College of Medicine admission is difficult. For any prospective student, the typical MCAT score is 512, making it very competitive, while the average G.P.A. is 3.84, an “A” average.
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4. University of Texas McGovern Medical School at Houston (Houston, TX):
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) is a public, academic health science center founded in 1972 by the University of Texas System Board of Regents in Houston, Texas. It is located in the Texas Medical Center.
The six schools it comprises are The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Cizik School of Nursing, McGovern Medical School, UTHealth School of Dentistry, UTHealth School of Biomedical Informatics, and UTHealth School of Public Health.
UTHealth is one of the best medical schools in Texas with over 1,000 students on campus and is affiliated with Memorial Herrmann, the Medical School’s hospital.
This four-year coursework focuses on integrated clerkships, medical science programs, and career focus tracks. Additionally, evidence-based medicine, longitudinal themes of professional ethics, population health, systems of care, and clinical skills are included throughout the program.
During the first year, you will learn medical patient history & physical exam, the foundations of medical science, and concepts in hematology & pathology, pulmonary system, cardiovascular system, and the renal system. There’s also a doctoring program in the first year for students to use their experiences, standardized patients, and simulation to hone their physician skills.
Courses in the second year include the gastrointestinal system, endocrine system, musculoskeletal systems, nervous system & behavior, reproductive systems, and clerkships. The third year focuses on finishing clerkships in various fields and completing elective courses. The fourth-year involves spending career focus tracks and selective before entering residency.
UTHealth medical programs in Texas offer four career focus tracks in acute care, primary care, applied anatomy, or academic career track for incoming students who want to achieve career goals.
McGovern Medical School has other primary medical affiliations: the Lyndon Baines Johnson General Hospital, the Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, and the MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Prospective students enrolling into the University of Texas McGovern Medical School must have an average G.P.A. of 3.9 and an MCAT score of 514.
5. Long School of Medicine at University of Texas-San Antonio (San Antonio, TX):
The Long School of Medicine is an established medical research university and largest physician training center in South Texas.
Other academic and healthcare facilities include:
- The 1,300 square-foot simulation surgery training center.
- Johnson Center for Surgical Innovation.
- The Sam & Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity & Aging Studies facility makes outstanding advancements in age-related diseases.
Long School of Medicine comprises two different phases, a clinical and preclinical curriculum. The preclinical phase starts with Attack & Defense, foundational modules in Molecules to Medicine, and Language of Medicine that lasts 20 months. There are two other longitudinal modules in the preclinical phase; behavior & society, medicine, and clinical skills.
Other courses of study during the preclinical phase include respiratory health, hematology, renal & male reproductive health, mind, brain & behavior, blood circulation, endocrine & female reproductive health, nutrition, the function of the musculoskeletal & integumentary systems, and digestive health.
After that, there are 48 weeks of clerkships, 20 weeks of electives, and eight weeks of selective. The clinical curriculum starts with surgery, core clerkships in medicine, family medicine, pediatrics, gynecology, psychiatry, neurology, and emergency medicine; in March of the second year,
Incoming students enrolling into the Long School of Medicine at the University of Texas-San Antonio must have an average G.P.A. of 3.82 and an MCAT score of 516.
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6. University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (Fort Worth, TX):
University of North Texas Health Science Center is the first private, non-profit osteopathic medical school in Texas. It was first founded as the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (T.C.O.M.) in 1970. It remained the only Osteopathic medical school in the state until the establishment of the University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine in 2015.
In the 2021 list for the U.S, U.S. News, Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine was among the top 75 prominent primary care research schools ranked in the U.S.U.S. for primary care.
There are five colleges with over 2,200 graduate students studying pharmacy, public health, physical therapy, and other medical science programs. U.N.T. Health Science Center is also ranked #1 for research growth amongst all other medical schools in Texas.
The university’s curriculum is divided into three phases; phase one focuses on basic & clinical sciences, phase two focuses on undergoing clinical training, and lastly, phase three centers on completing an internship, a team project, and student-selected elective courses.
From the start of the program, you get a profound learning experience with patient care opportunities focused on optimizing learning objectives in medical knowledge, patient-centered care, communication & collaboration, systems & service, critical appraisal, professionalism, and personal & professional formation.
In phase 1 of the program, you’ll be educated on basic, behavioral & clinical sciences. As a part of a healthcare team, Phase 2 of the program involves in-patient rotations and outpatient settings. This phase leads to the U.S.M.L.E. Step 1 exam, after which you progress to the third phase of the program.
The university also sponsors community programs such as the beloved Cowtown Marathon, the Hispanic Wellness Fair, and many other activities.
7. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine (Lubbock, TX)
The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (T.T.U.H.S.C.) is a public medical school-based located in Lubbock, Texas, with additional campuses in Amarillo, Abilene, Dallas, Permian Basin, and El Paso.
T.T.U.H.S.C. is one of the best medical schools in Texas that has made a massive impact on West Texas healthcare. The university is deeply connected to western Texas, so incoming students should focus on their connection to the people and healthcare while writing their essays.
Texas Tech Health Sciences Center comprises four schools specializing in pharmacy, nursing, and general medicine. There are also unique audiology, athletic training, and speech-language pathology specializations.
Incoming students enrolling into the Texas Tech University Health Sciences medical school must have an average G.P.A. of 3.87 and an MCAT score of 512.
8. University of Texas Medical Branch School of Medicine (Galveston, TX)
The University of Texas Medical Branch (U.T.M.B.) is a public, academic health science center established in 1891 as the University of Texas Medical Department in Galveston, Texas. It is part of the more excellent Texas, the University of Texas System, the largest medical complex globally with a 2.1 square mile medical district in Houston.
In 2019, the university received an unprecedented $560 million endowment fund to advance the school’s facilities and the healthcare system.
The U.T.M.B. School of Medicine medical facility spends over $1 billion on medical and research every year. There are currently has over 70 buildings, which houses over 2,500 students, and 1,000 faculty members! The university has made an enormous impact on the healthcare system in Texas and the U.S.U.S. in general.
The University of Texas Medical Branch School of Medicine is one of the best medical schools established in Texas.
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9. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Paul L. Foster School of Medicine (El Paso, TX)
The Paul L. Foster School of Medicine is one of the unique universities we can’t omit from our list of best medical schools in Texas. It is the 9th medical school in Texas and is located at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in El Paso, Texas.
Over the years, Paul L. Foster School of Medicine has received countless financial donations and state funds that have enabled the university to expand, purchase elaborate training equipment, construct new buildings and hospitals, and hire reputable professors in the U.SU.S.
Paul L. Foster School of Medicine permits students to do clinical science work starting from their first year, unlike other medical schools where medical students have to wait till the third year.
Also, medical students at Foster receive exceptional clinical training in the TECHS facility, one of the best facilities in all of Texas. The Training and Educational Center for Healthcare Simulation (TECHS) has more than 24,000(!) square feet of simulation space created for experiential medical learning.
10. The University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School (Austin, TX)
Dell Medical School is the youngest medical school in Texas and one of the best medical schools in Texas. The graduate medical school was founded six years ago, in the summer of 2016, at the University of Texas at Austin.
Being four years of the program, you will take courses in liberal arts, learn through case studies, and focus on value-based healthcare systems science. UT Austin Dell Medical curriculum is exceptional. It is divided into four phases: The Essentials, Growth, Delivery, and Exploration.
The first year, the Essentials phase lasts 12 months and focuses on teaching the essentials of accelerated pre-clinical coursework to develop solid clinical skills. In the second year, medical students take part in an 8-week clerkship throughout Austin-area hospitals and clinics.
The third year, the Growth phase is when students can specialize in a particular medical field, treat patients in Central Texas, and engage in learning experiences in the Central Texas community.
The fourth-year is when students get ready to enter medical residency.
Despite being a young school, the acceptance rate is 1%, with just 50 students being selected out of 5,000 total applicants in the year Dell Medical School was inaugurated. Currently, incoming students must submit official transcripts, complete prescribed coursework, score a minimum GPA of 3.2, submit MCAT scores, and complete the pre-requisite courses.
Yet, there have been a lot of exceptional accomplishments from the school over the last few years.
Conclusion
Texas is home to the best medical schools to pursue a medical school degree in the U.S. These medical schools are either public or private institutions with laboratory facilities, training spaces, and affiliations with reputable teaching hospitals. Students who graduate from these medical schools become proficient doctors and physicians.
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