A Breakthrough Pathway into the Health Sciences

The new University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is poised to launch a breakthrough pathway into the health professions.

UT RGV’s BS in Biomedical Sciences, which has just enrolled its first cohort of students, offers a prototype for the future of higher education.

Designed by UT RGV faculty, in conjunction with the ITL and medical faculty System-wide, this first-of-its-kind program offers a holistic solution to the challenge of increasing the number of health professionals across one of the fastest growing regions in the United States.

The program combines elements that have been shown to dramatically improve student success.  It delivers a degree with a clear value proposition: A pathway into medical school or other health occupations.  It also offers a coherent curriculum that eliminates redundancies and wasted credit hours.

An integrated set of general education courses in the medical humanities, medical ethics, the history of medicine and public health, and health care policy will nurture students’ professional identity and cultivate the writing, analytic, observational, and reflective skills needed by well-rounded, humane health professionals .

Delivered in a hybrid and bilingual format, the program combines the advantages of a face-to-face education – faculty mentorship and a supportive community of learners – with a next generation digital learning experience, offering personalized learning pathways, advanced simulations, and a high degree of interactivity.

Block scheduling allows students to concentrate their time on campus, making it easier to balance their studies with their work and family obligations.

To ensure student success, the program supports students with life coaches, to assist with financial aid and non-academic challenges, and instructional facilitators, who provide academic support.  

Sophisticated learning analytics allow faculty to monitor student engagement, understanding, and performance and to intervene in real time when students are off track.

The BS in Biomedical Sciences is the first component in the nation’s largest and most comprehensive initiative to tackle the challenge of student success.  Breakthrough programs in computer science, engineering, nursing, and other high demand fields are under development at UT campuses in Arlington, Dallas, El Paso, Permian Basin, San Antonio, and Tyler. 

With their career focus and emphasis on mastery of the knowledge and skills needed to tackle real-world challenges, these programs will greatly expand the number of leaders in high growth sectors of the economy.