JANUARY 21, 2020 — UTSA has entered into a joint agreement with UT Health San Antonio to create the Respiratory Care Early Acceptance Program. The program allows undergraduate students to earn a bachelor of science degree from UTSA and a master of science in respiratory care from UT Health in five years, instead of six.

“This program will allow UTSA students an opportunity to further their education in the fast-growing field of health care, where they can fulfill their desire to help others,” said Heather Shipley, UTSA’s senior vice provost for academic affairs. “This program allows them to study at a top university that focuses on the clinical experience and has dedicated, experienced faculty.”

“We want to increase the opportunities for our students who want to go into health care or related fields.”

—HEATHER SHIPLEY, Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs

Students in the program will spend three years at UTSA, majoring in either biology or the kinesiology health sciences concentration. After completing the program requirements at UTSA, students will then matriculate to UT Health’s School of Health Professions to complete a two-year curriculum there.

“The new three-plus-two model is a great example of an outstanding collaborative effort between UT Health and UTSA,” said David Shelledy, dean of the School of Health Professions at UT Health San Antonio. “For students interested in pursuing respiratory care as a career, this new program represents a wonderful opportunity.”

According to Shipley, the partnership will benefit both UTSA and UT Health San Antonio.

“We want to increase the opportunities for our students who want to go into health care or related fields,” she said. “RCEAP also allows UT Health to recruit our top students into their programs and fosters continued collaboration between our two campuses.”

⇒ Learn more about the program on the UTSA Health Professions Office website.

The program prepares students for a career as respiratory therapists. According to the American Association for Respiratory Care, demand for respiratory therapists is expected to increase dramatically over the next decade, and their projected average salary is over $62,000 a year.

To be admitted into the RCEAP, applicants must be full-time UTSA students majoring in biology or kinesiology, have completed between 12 and 60 semester credit hours, and have an overall UTSA GPA of at least 3.0 along with a GPA of at least 3.0 in all college science and math coursework.

Interested and eligible students can apply by April 1 for the fall 2020 application cycle.