Application, Requirements, & Deadlines

• Link to CHS Compliance Website

Interested applicants are welcome to call the Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Ph.D. Program Office at 915-747-7256 for information regarding the application process.

Check the status of your application with the Graduate School here .

In order to apply to the Interdisciplinary Health Science (IHS) PhD Program, you must complete the Graduate School application and submit additional required documents including your personal statement, curriculum vitae, and the names and email addresses for three professionals who will provide your letters of recommendation. You, the applicant, are responsible for ensuring that the graduate school has received all of the required documents needed to process your application before the application deadline of January 29th .

1. Graduate School Application

Download the Graduate School application from: APPLY NOW

Submit the completed application form to the UTEP Graduate School including fee payment. Please note that you have the option to select a pay-by-check option if you do not wish to use a credit card online .

The application to the Graduate school requires:

Graduate Record Examination Scores ( GREs ). If you are an international student , you must also submit your TOEFL score. A minimum TOEFL score of 550 is required for consideration. ( UTEP Graduate School Admissions Requirements ). The official test scores must be submitted to the UTEP Graduate Office from the testing agency. The Institutional Test Code for UTEP is 6829 . The applicant may also enter “unofficial” scores where indicated that reviewers may consider if official GRE scores are delayed. Final admission decisions however cannot be made until official scores are received.

Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate coursework.  If you are currently in a degree program, submit a current official transcript of courses completed and work in progress.  If you are accepted for admission, a final official transcript showing final grades, the degree awarded and the date that the degree was conferred must be submitted directly to the Graduate School. Applicants who have completed academic coursework at UTEP do not have to submit official transcripts from UTEP.

Evidence of a completed Master’s degree (MS or MA) or other professional terminal degree equivalent to or higher than the master’s level.

In addition to the above materials, you must also upload into your application package the following:

2. 500-word personal statement in which you describe the following:

• research interests
• research experiences
• career goals and aspirations
• plans for how you will use the education and degree that you seek with us
• knowledge gaps and needs in your field of study that you hope to address through your research
• personal qualities, characteristics and skills that will contribute to your success in the IHS PhD program and later career.
• statement regarding your choice of faculty mentor

Please note: In preparation for application to the IHS PhD Program, you must identify at least one potential faculty mentor who is currently conducting research that overlaps your research interests and who is willing to be your research mentor . You must contact and talk with the potential mentor, describe your research interests and background, and determine whether the person would be willing to serve as your mentor. Our faculty are highly responsive to potential doctoral students and do their best to help guide applicants towards appropriate mentors. Begin this step of the application process early. You must identify a potential faculty mentor in order to be considered for admission into the IHS PhD Program.

Click here for our list of PhD faculty and their current research programs:
Faculty Profiles

3. Curriculum Vitae documenting your academic and work history, professional accomplishments, experiences, presentations and publications (if any).

4. The names of at least three people who will write a letter of recommendation for you. When you provide the name and email of a recommender, the Graduate School automatically generates an email to the person with a link to the website. Choose your recommenders carefully. Your recommenders should be professionals who are qualified to evaluate your academic or professional work, and who are able to assess and attest to your potential for doctoral-level work.

The Graduate School will evaluate the contents of each application for completeness. When an application is deemed complete it will be forwarded to the IHS Ph.D. program office.

The Interview Process
Upon receipt of a completed application, the IHS Ph.D. Executive Council Admissions Committee will carefully review your application. If all of the required elements have been submitted we will schedule an in-person interview with you. Interviews typically are held during the last week of February. If you are not within easy travelling distance of our university, the IHS PhD Executive Council will offer you an interview via Skype.

Applicant interviews take approximately one hour. Following the completion of all interviews, the Admissions Committee will meet to determine which candidates will be offered admission for the coming fall semester. You will be notified by email and post as soon as admissions decisions are final. Admissions decisions are typically finalized by the first week in April.

Questions regarding the submission and completion of the Graduate School application may be referred to:

Mr. David Vizcaino, Admissions Counselor, CHS/School of Nursing Representative
Office of the Graduate School
Academic Services Building, Rm. 223
500 W. University Ave
El Paso, Texas 79968
dvizcaino@utep.edu
915-747-7859