Health professor leads medical admission program for UHV students
The University of Houston-Victoria is adding a Joint Admission Medical Program effective this semester to promote admission to medical school for economically needy students.
“I think the program is going to get students who may not have the opportunity to go to medical school the drive and support they’ll need to get there during their undergraduate program,” said Michael Wiblishauser, assistant professor of health studies and coordinator of the program. “We hope to locate students, encourage and build confidence in them and give them the tools to be successful here, in graduate school and later in life.”
The Joint Admission Medical Program was created by the Texas Legislature to encourage and support Texas resident students who are academically qualified as well as economically disadvantaged. The goal is to promote becoming a physician if the students are qualified, although the program remains competitive. Students are not guaranteed a spot in the JAMP program. If accepted, each student will receive a scholarship for undergraduate studies and acceptance into one of the following medical schools in Texas: Baylor, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, University of North Texas, University of Texas at Houston, University of Texas at San Antonio, University of Texas at Galveston, and University of Texas Southwestern.
“As the coordinator of JAMP, my role is to be the middle man between the program and the university and to locate students qualified to apply for JAMP,” Wiblishauser said. “I encourage all students who think they meet the program’s requirements to apply, and the program’s board in Austin will make final admission decisions.”
The program is intended for students from Texas who have completed 27 college credit hours or are transitioning from freshmen to sophomores. Another option is the early admission track for high school seniors who take college-level courses during high school and complete 27 college credits.
Additional requirements include maintaining a 3.25 minimum cumulative GPA and a 3.25 GPA in biology, chemistry, physics and math courses. They also must have an expected family contribution of $8,000 or below, SAT/ACT scores higher than the state average, be enrolled full time and be a U.S. citizen or permanent Texas resident.
For more information about the program, contact Wiblishauser at 361-570-4178 or wiblishauserm@uhv.edu.
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 80 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.
