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Essential Functions

All individuals, including people with disabilities, who apply for admission to the Graduate School must be able to perform specific essential functions in order to complete a graduate program curriculum, including original research. No applicant who can perform the essential functions – either with or without reasonable accommodations – will be denied consideration for admission. Information regarding how to request reasonable accommodation due to disability and UT Southwestern’s Learners with Disabilities Policy is available from Student Academic Support Services. This information is also included in the material sent to all accepted applicants.

The following are essential functions for graduate students at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Each graduate program may require additional essential functions related to unique aspects of that program, and such requirements may be subject to change.

  1. Communication: Graduate students must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently orally and in writing. Candidates also must be able to read and comprehend written material.
  2. Intellectual and Cognitive Abilities: Graduate students must able to measure, calculate, reason, analyze, synthesize, integrate, and apply information. Problem solving, the main challenge in research, requires these intellectual abilities.
  3. Behavioral and Social Attributes: Graduate students must possess the emotional health required to use their intellectual abilities fully, including good judgment, maintaining an appropriate work schedule, and meeting program expectations on schedule. Graduate students must be able to tolerate challenging workloads and function effectively under stress. They must be able to adapt to changing circumstances and learn to function in the face of uncertainties and ambiguities inherent to the research enterprise. Integrity, concern for others, and interpersonal skills are all needed for success in graduate studies.
  4. Ethical Standards: Graduate students must demonstrate professional demeanor and behavior and must perform in an ethical manner in all dealings with peers, faculty, and staff of UT Southwestern Medical Center and with patients, where appropriate.

Evaluation of Applicants

Admissions decisions will be made in accordance with UT Southwestern’s institutional admissions policy and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences admissions policy, and based on the program-specific requirements and procedures outlined herein.

Admission Committees for individual graduate programs conduct an individualized, holistic review of each applicant and consider all of the following factors (in no specific order):

  1. Academic performance in college as reflected in the grade-point average;
  2. Recommendations from appropriate professors and/or mentors;
  3. Scores on the Graduate Record Examination General Test if provided (required for Clinical Psychology);
  4. The applicant’s personal statement and the motivation indicated therein; and
  5. Experiences in clinical and/or scientific research activities, where appropriate for the program sought.

All programs within the Graduate School’s Division of Biomedical Science (e.g., Biological Chemistry, Biomedical Engineering, Cancer Biology, Cell and Molecular Biology, Genetics, Development and Disease, Immunology, Molecular Biophysics, Molecular Microbiology, Neuroscience, and Organic Chemistry) use the same admissions process. In addition to the five factors above, the Division of Biomedical Science considers the following factors (in no specific order):

  1. Ability to communicate in English;
  2. Personal integrity;
  3. The rigor of the undergraduate curriculum and its appropriateness as preparation for study in the graduate program sought;
  4. Socioeconomic background; and
  5. Race or ethnicity.

The Graduate School’s Division of Clinical Science (Clinical Psychology) uses a separate admissions process. In addition to factors 1-5 above, the Division of Clinical Science also uses the following two factors (in no specific order):

  1. Personal suitability for a career in clinical psychology; and
  2. Factors that contribute to diversity, such as socioeconomic background, race, ethnicity, bilingualism, and life experiences.

A personal interview may be initiated by invitation from the appropriate Admissions Committee. The Committee interviews applicants who are viewed as having the greatest likelihood of succeeding in graduate study based on the listed considerations. The interview provides further evidence of an applicant’s qualifications.

Individual programs may have one or more additional requirements specific to the area of training. Any additional requirements or considerations can be found in descriptions of individual programs.

Use of Race or Ethnicity in Admissions

The Admissions Committees of all Programs of study in the Graduate School consider race or ethnicity as one factor or part of one factor in an individualized, holistic approach to identify applicants whose qualities, attributes, and accomplishments indicate that they will contribute to the missions of the Graduate School and be successful in their course of study. The Graduate School’s Admissions Policy and Affirmative Action Plan are available from the Dean’s Office.