Arkansas Tech University and the Arkansas Colleges of Health Education have signed an affiliation agreement that formalizes a pathway for ATU graduates to continue their studies at ACHE.
Dr. Russell Jones, ATU interim president, and Kyle Parker, ACHE president and chief executive officer, signed the agreement on behalf of their respective institutions.
The agreement applies to ACHE graduate programs in biomedicine, osteopathic medicine, physical therapy and occupational therapy. ATU graduates who meet grade point average and specified entrance examination minimums will be extended an interview for the ACHE program of their choice.
“Although this is not a guarantee of admission, it increases the likelihood of acceptance,” said Dr. John Jackson, dean of the ATU College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. “The agreement will also provide greater cooperation between ATU and ACHE with campus visits and student networking opportunities.”
Jackson was joined at the signing by ATU faculty colleagues Dr. Newton Hilliard, Dr. Cindy Jacobs, Dr. Eric Lovely and Dr. Bruce Tedford.
“This initiative is part of a larger ATU student pathways to medical degrees program that was funded through a grant from the Windgate Foundation,” said Jackson. “We created an advanced pre-health profession certificate in biology that will allow a student from any major to meet course entrance requirements and prepare for entrance examinations needed for advanced degrees in medical fields. We also modified the biology curriculum so that, regardless of option, the first three semesters of course work is the same. This allows greater flexibility for the students and time to decide their educational pathway, be it biomedical, biostatistics, environmental or ecology and evolution. These new opportunities will begin in fall 2024.”
Learn more about the ATU College of STEM at www.atu.edu/stem.
