FAQs

The Burnett School of Medicine is redefining medical education, abandoning an outdated lecture model and transforming the clinical experience. The School of Medicine offers a one-of-a-kind educational experience, tailored to how students learn best, capitalizing on teamwork and application sessions to retain knowledge, with the patient at the center of all they do.

An M.D. school will provide a solution in our community to the cost, quality and quantity challenges of health care. It will place Fort Worth on the cutting edge of the movement to instruct medical students in the team model of care, which places the patient at the center of attention and enhances communication among caregivers. Additionally, an M.D. school is expected to bring jobs and investments to our community.

We are dramatically changing the way medical education is delivered. Our mission is to transform health care by inspiring Empathetic Scholars®

• The Curriculum is wholly centered on the patient, allowing students to retain the empathy with which they start medical school. During Week 1 they begin seeing patients and have one-on-one mentoring with physicians.
• Students will develop and present a four-year Scholarly Pursuit and Thesis.
• Medical knowledge is advancing rapidly. Students will be trained with the latest advances in Simulation and Cutting-Edge Technology, and prepared to evaluate and integrate discovery into practice.
• Coaching Initiatives will foster a coaching relationship (both academic and executive) that will contribute toward student professional identity formation while providing an additional layer of support toward the student’s academic success.
• Communication is embedded throughout the curriculum to create exceptional communicators and active listeners.

Our graduates will be compassionate, empathetic and prepared to discover the latest knowledge in medical care with the tools to ask and answer the medical questions of the future. Along with the ability to “walk in a patient’s shoes,” these physicians will excel in the science of medicine. Outstanding communicators and active listeners, Empathetic Scholars® are life-long learners and highly valued as physicians, colleagues, leaders and citizens in their community.

Arnold Hall medical education building is located at the northeast corner of South Henderson and West Rosedale streets at the center of Fort Worth’s Medical Innovation District.

The Burnett School of Medicine has been accredited with TCU as the responsible party for operations and governance. The School of Medicine has achieved full accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME).

Each class is comprised of 60 students with a total enrollment at 240 students.

The medical school is anticipated to bring more publicly and privately funded research, more educational resources and more intellectual capital to the TCU campus.

We expect an increased likelihood that graduates will have more opportunities for residency programs in the Fort Worth/North Texas area, thus providing more, and much-needed, practicing physicians as an outcome.

As currently planned, funding for the ongoing operation of the medical school will come from tuition, fees and private support.

In general, accreditation certifies that an educational program meets the requirements and standards of an accrediting body.  Requirements and standards typically revolve around program areas such as governance, faculty, curriculum design and delivery, assessment and evaluation, student support services, resources and facilities. Educational programs must show that their program supports the mastery of general educational and professional competencies that are foundational for the next stage of professional training or education. TCU is accredited by our regional accreditor, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools: Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) and the School of Medicine was awarded preliminary accreditation by the program-specific accreditor, the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) in October 2018. The School of Medicine was awarded provisional accreditation from the LCME on June 21, 2021. In June 2023, LCME granted full accreditation for the full five years possible to the Burnett School of Medicine at TCU.

While the accreditation process usually entails a lengthy self-study and the development and submission of a large amount of data, it is mainly aimed at answering three important questions.

• Has our education program clearly established a mission and program learning objectives?
• Are the education program’s curriculum and resources organized and adequate to meet its mission and objectives?
• What evidence is available that indicates the program is currently meeting its mission and objectives and is it likely to continue to meet them in the future?

LCME

Medical education programs leading to the M.D. degree in the United States and Canada are accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). The LCME is the organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to accredit allopathic medical schools in the United States and Canada. The LCME is an independent organization; however, it is uniquely tied to both the American Medical Association (AMA) and the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). LCME accreditation is a peer-reviewed study conducted to determine whether a medical education program meets established standards. This quality assurance process is an opportunity for self-study and reflection that can foster improvements to our programs and institutions. To gain and maintain accreditation, medical education programs offering an M.D. degree in the United States and Canada must meet the accreditation 12 standards and 94 elements, which can be found in the LCME document Functions and Structure of a Medical School.  The goal of these components is to represent the trends, best practices and provide thresholds of performance as medical education evolves. They are not prescriptive, but a framework that allows for interpretation and flexibility in meeting the needs of an institution and ultimately supporting its mission and objectives. In addition to assuring the quality of an institution’s medical education program, accreditation by LCME establishes eligibility for selected federal grants and programs, including Title VII funding administered by the U.S. Public Health Service. Most state boards of licensure require that U.S. medical schools granting the M.D. degree be accredited by the LCME as a condition for licensure of their graduates. Eligibility of U.S. students in M.D.-granting schools to take the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) requires LCME accreditation of their school. Graduates of LCME-accredited schools are eligible for residency programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).

The School of Medicine was awarded preliminary accreditation from the LCME in October 2018, which allowed the School of Medicine to begin recruiting its inaugural class. The School of Medicine submitted its provisional accreditation materials in November 2020. Due to ongoing coronavirus concerns, the School of Medicine welcomed the survey visit team via a virtual accreditation survey visit February 22-24, 2021. Following this successful survey visit, the School of Medicine was awarded provisional accreditation from the LCME on June 21, 2021. The school will continue the process toward full accreditation, with submission of the accreditation package in mid- to late 2022 and a survey visit and decision in 2023.

SACS COC

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) is the recognized regional accrediting body in the eleven U.S. Southern states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia) and in Latin America for those institutions of higher education that award associate, baccalaureate, master’s or doctoral degrees. The Commission on Colleges’ Board of Trustees is the representative body of the College Delegate Assembly and is charged with carrying out the accreditation process. Texas Christian University is currently accredited by SACSCOC.  To gain or maintain accreditation with the Commission on Colleges, an institution must comply with the standards contained in the Principles of Accreditation: Foundations for Quality Enhancement and with the policies and procedures of the Commission on Colleges. The Commission on Colleges applies the requirements of its Principles to all applicant, candidate and member institutions, regardless of type of institution (public, private for-profit, private not-for-profit). Texas Christian University will pursue a substantive change in accreditation with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools: Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). A substantive change is a significant modification or expansion in the nature and scope of an accredited institution.  Large scale changes, such as adding significantly different programs to the academic curriculum or offering a majority of the coursework needed to complete a degree, certificate or diploma online, may require written notification as well as advance approval of a prospectus; see the Substantive Change policy for details on due dates and on the content of the prospectus.

TCU submitted its Substantive Change Prospectus to the SACSCOC in April 2018. The SACS COC Board of Trustees notified the school of its approval of the program in a letter dated November 8, 2018.  TCU is currently in the process of reaffirmation for SACSCOC to be determined in 2023.

LCME 

The School of Medicine was awarded preliminary accreditation from the LCME in October 2018, which allowed the School of Medicine to begin recruiting its inaugural class. The School of Medicine submitted its provisional accreditation materials in November 2020. Due to ongoing coronavirus concerns, the School of Medicine welcomed the survey visit team via a virtual accreditation survey visit February 22-24, 2021. Following this successful survey visit, the School of Medicine was awarded provisional accreditation from the LCME on June 21, 2021.  In June 2023, LCME granted full accreditation for the full five years possible to the Burnett School of Medicine at TCU.

SACS COC 

TCU submitted its Substantive Change Prospectus to the SACS COC in April 2018. The SACS COC Board of Trustees notified the school of its approval of the program in a letter dated November 8, 2018.  TCU is currently in the process of reaffirmation for SACSCOC to be determined in 2023.

As a private medical school in Texas, we only accept applications via AMCAS.

Applicants who indicate retaking the MCAT exam as posted on the AMCAS will be reviewed once the new score is received, regardless of any prior scored exam. If multiple scores are presented, the highest score will be used. Applicants with more than four exams are not considered for supplemental applications.

Applicants for the entering class of 2025 must have taken the MCAT in 2022, 2023 or 2024.

Yes, you can submit the AMCAS application while you wait for the MCAT score; however, we will not begin reviewing the application until a score is received.

An applicant must have completed at least 90 semester hours (or equivalent quarter hours), including at least 30 semester hours (or equivalent quarter hours) of upper division coursework, by the time of matriculation. All coursework must be completed at a fully-accredited college or university in the United States or Canada by the time of matriculation. A bachelor’s degree is not required.

Applicants can apply prior to having all courses completed prior to June 1, 2025; however, any outstanding courses must be completed and graded prior to the start of medical school. The final official transcript with graded coursework must be received no later than June 1 prior to the start of medical school in July.

Applicants must submit at least one letter of recommendation by December 15, 2024. Three letters are encouraged. Individual letters, letter packets and committee letters are accepted. The Burnett School of Medicine accepts letters of recommendation from any author(s) who can speak to your personal and professional readiness for medical school.

For more information on Arnold Hall please read more on our website.

For information on admission tours for prospective students, please e-mail mdadmissions@tcu.edu

View a virtual tour of Arnold Hall on our YouTube. 

The Office of Admissions is launching a new Webinar Series to replace the MD Chats series. Hear from the Office of Admissions and current medical students on the journey to becoming a Frog Doc. Check our events page for the next scheduled webinar or follow this link to show your interest!

View the recording of our webinar to learn from our Admissions team.