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50 Years of Advancing Health Professions

• Origins of the School of Health Professions

  The Texas Legislature created the South Texas Medical School (now the Long School of Medicine) in 1959.

  • Medical School: First class admitted in 1966
  • Dental School: authorized in 1969, accredited 1978
  • School of Nursing: authorized in 1969, became part of the Health Science Center in 1976
• The School of Allied Health Sciences is authorized in 1972

  When the Board of Regents reorganized all existing biomedical units within in 1972, they created The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, one of four such institutions in the UT System.   

  Each UT System Health Science Center was to have:

  • A medical school, graduate school of biomedical sciences and school of allied health sciences and
  • At least one of the following: a school of nursing, a school of public health or a dental school.
• School of Allied Health Sciences, School of Nursing integrate into the Health Science Center

  In 1976, the Health Science Center consisted of five schools:

  • School of Medicine
  • Graduate School of Biomedical Science
  • School of Dentistry
  • School of Allied Health Sciences
  • School of Nursing

  The first three programs to admit students were Dental Assisting, Dental Hygiene, Dental Laboratory Technology. The first students in these programs graduated in 1978.

• Three allied health programs develop at ������Ƭ��ҹ���� of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) in 1975

  They were:

  • Medical technology (now medical laboratory sciences)
  • Occupational therapy and
  • Physical therapy

  As these programs began to develop at , accreditation standards pointed to the need to collaborate with the Health Science Center. The Health Science Center and UTSA went on to develop a jointly awarded baccalaureate degree.

  The School of Allied Health Sciences assumed administrative responsibility for these three programs in 1980.

• The evolution of the Department of Emergency Health Sciences

  The Department of Emergency Health Sciences, (formerly Department of Emergency Medical Technology), originated in the School of Medicine’s . The department began offering EMS certification programs in 1974. 

  • In 1983, the program was one of the first to be nationally accredited. 
  • In 1989, the department transferred to the School of Allied Health Sciences.
  • In 2000, the state approved the Bachelor of Science in Emergency Health Sciences program — the first in Texas.
• School of Allied Health Sciences programs earn departmental status
  • School of Allied Health Sciences programs earned departmental status in 1991.
  • In 1992, program directors became department chairs.
  • That same year (1992), the School began awarding its own Bachelor of Science degrees in: 
    • Clinical Laboratory Sciences, 
    • Occupational Therapy and
    • Physical Therapy
• Helping people breathe better: the development of the Department of Respiratory Care
  • The Department of Respiratory Care was established in 1993. , a registered respiratory therapist, was the inaugural department chair.
  • The first cohort of Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Care students were admitted in August 1994 and graduated in 1996.
  • The entry-to-practice Master of Science in Respiratory Care degree was first offered in August 2015, with the first MSRC cohort graduating in 2017.
  • The program went on to offer online bachelor’s and master’s degree advancement programs for working respiratory therapists.
• Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy programs advance to master’s level degrees
  • The Master of Physical Therapy degree was offered for the first time in fall 1995.  
  • The Master of Occupational Therapy degree first offered in 1999. 
• The Physician Assistant (PA) Studies program develops the Bachelor of Science in Physician Assistant Studies, which began in 1996 through a collaborative agreement with the U.S. Army. 
  • The Department of Physician Assistant Studies began offering a “stand-alone” baccalaureate curriculum in the fall of 2000.  
  • In 2003, the Department of Physician Assistant Studies began offering a master's curriculum.
• 2008 brings a name change — and the move to a doctoral PT program
  • In 2008, the School of Allied Health Sciences became known as the School of Health Professions (SHP). 
  • That same year, the Department of Physical Therapy began offering the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree. 
• Master of Science in Medical Laboratory Sciences offered

  Beginning in fall 2016, students interested in a career in medical laboratory sciences now had the option of an entry-to-profession master’s degree in addition to the bachelor’s degree option. The first Master of Science in Medical Laboratory Sciences cohort graduated in 2018.

• The MS in Speech-Language Pathology and the Doctor of Occupational Therapy degree launch
  • The first Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology class of 15 students begins classes in in January 2018. The second cohort followed in August 2018. The first cohort graduated in 2019.
  • Following a three-year planning and approval process, the Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) welcomes its first class in May 2018.
• School of Health Professions moves to Long Campus

  The School of Health Professions moved from the Greehey Campus to the Dental Building on the Long Campus in 2018. In addition to relocating the school’s administration, the move allowed the physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech-language pathology programs the opportunity to design new, state-of-the-art teaching labs and facilities that best complemented their professions. 

• One program, two campuses: Physician Assistant Studies program offered in Laredo

  The Master of Physician Assistant Studies extended its curriculum to Laredo in 2007. After a pause, the program was reestablished in 2021 and is offered at , part of ������Ƭ��ҹ���� of Texas System.

• Bachelor of Science in Medical Sciences launches to prepare students for health professions graduate programs
  • The Bachelor of Science in Medical Sciences program was designed for students planning to apply to graduate programs in healthcare fields, including medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, respiratory care, medical imaging and other health professions. 
    • The first cohort of BS in Medical Sciences students began in 2022 and graduated in 2024.
• Advanced medical imaging program launches

  The innovative, entry-to-professions Master of Science in Imaging Sciences program was created to train imaging technologists in radiography, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to address the technologist shortages in the health care system. The program’s first cohort began in August 2023 and graduated in May 2025.

• 2026 - Present Day (50th Anniversary)

  Today the School of Health Professions includes seven departments:

  • Communication Sciences and Disorders

  • Emergency Health Sciences

  • Health Sciences (including the Division of Medical Laboratory Sciences, PhD in Health Sciences, Bachelor of Science in Medical Sciences and Master of Science in Imaging Sciences)

  • Occupational Therapy

  • Physician Assistant Studies 

  • Physical Therapy

  • Respiratory Care

  Together, these departments offer three doctoral degrees, five master’s degrees, four bachelor’s degrees and three certificates.