Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center-El Paso

What is the history of Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center-El Paso?

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso became a separate university in the Texas Tech University System in 2013. Its roots reach back to Texas Tech health sciences education and clinical training in El Paso, which developed to serve the border region.

The Paul L. Foster School of Medicine welcomed its first class in 2009, before the El Paso institution gained independent status. The university subsequently expanded beyond medicine and nursing: the Woody L. Hunt School of Dental Medicine welcomed its first class in 2021. That progression helps explain its identity today as a specialized health sciences university rather than a broad-based undergraduate campus.

What are the faculties and departments at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center-El Paso?

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso organizes its degree programs around health professions and biomedical science. Its schools are the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, Gayle Greve Hunt School of Nursing, L. Frederick Francis Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and Woody L. Hunt School of Dental Medicine.

Prospective students can explore nursing degrees, graduate biomedical science programs, the Doctor of Medicine, and the Doctor of Dental Medicine. The admissions path depends on the credential: professional degrees require substantial prior college coursework, while nursing offers an undergraduate route. Applicants should use the catalog and admissions requirements for their particular school rather than assume that one university-wide set of prerequisites applies to every program.

What is the location of Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center-El Paso?

The university is in El Paso, Texas, on the U.S.-Mexico border. Its health sciences campus is part of El Paso's medical district, placing students near clinical training and health care settings rather than on a conventional residential college campus.

El Paso's location is particularly relevant to applicants interested in border health, bilingual care, or working with patients from varied communities. Students arranging a commute or clinical placement should check the location of their specific classes and rotations; travel needs can change during a health professions program.

What is the mission and vision of Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center-El Paso?

The university describes its mission in terms of health professions education, research, and service that address health needs in El Paso and the surrounding border region. Its stated priorities include preparing a health workforce and improving health through clinical and scientific work.

Those priorities help explain the institution's concentration on medicine, nursing, dentistry, and biomedical sciences. They are statements of institutional purpose, not a promise that every student will receive a particular clinical placement, research position, or job.