Ponce Health Sciences University
About
Ponce Health Sciences University is answering a need for more healthcare professionals by preparing more students for jobs with a world-class, culturally-competent education across 4 locations in Puerto Rico, The British Virgin Islands and St. Louis, Missouri, USA. We offer a number of degree programs including Doctor in Medicine, Doctor of Dental Medicine, Clinical Psychology, Biomedical Sciences, Public Health and Nursing. Depending on the location programs are taught in English or Spanish. Our institution is widely recognized in Puerto Rico and other nations for its strong focus on health sciences, incorporating a robust scientific research component that addresses health disparities within the Latino community and other minority groups.
Introduction
Ponce Health Sciences University is dedicated to providing the highest quality graduate medical education programs available. This goal, in addition to the university’s research and health services programs, continues a 40+ year tradition of enhancing our profession and contributing to our community.
Recognized both in Puerto Rico and abroad for educational service and research achievements, the university continues its focus in the disciplines of Medicine, Clinical Psychology, Biomedical Sciences, Public Health and Nursing. To meet future challenges in the healthcare industry, the university is launching an innovative selection of master's and certificate programs specifically designed to fill service gaps within the profession and enhance the healthcare community with highly trained practitioners.
Our commitment to educational excellence is an underlying value that leads the university to seek and recruit not only outstanding faculty but also outstanding students. By combining expanded academic and professional educational offerings in a cooperative and intimate learning environment, Ponce Health Sciences University continues to graduate highly competent healthcare professionals dedicated to their community and the expanding future needs of their profession.
Mission
The mission of Ponce Health Sciences University is to provide a world-class, culturally-competent, health sciences education to the population we serve, through innovative adaptive learning environments focused on the success of its students to become ethical practitioners and scientists.
Vision
The PHSU vision is to build upon its reputation as a prestigious academic and research leader by continuing to educate underrepresented diverse populations while focusing research efforts on solving health disparities.
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Admissions
Applicants to Ponce Health Sciences University are selected on the basis of scholastic achievement, fitness and aptitude for the study and other personal qualifications. The Admissions Committees also give consideration to the use of language, special aptitudes, mechanical skills, stamina, perseverance and motivation. Students are admitted on the basis of individual qualifications, regardless of handicap, sex, race, religion, age, national origin, marital status, or sexual or political orientation.
PHSU Admissions Office and the Admissions Committees act by “Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990” which includes changes made by the ADA Amendments Act of 2008, which became effective on January 1, 2009. Once the candidate is accepted, if he/she needs special accommodations, he/she is responsible for contacting the Academic Affairs Office for further information. It is the student’s responsibility to make his/her condition known to PHSU Administrators and to seek out assistance.
Applicants with disabilities will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis in accordance with the medical technical standard guidelines as suggested by the Association of American Medical Colleges. All students must possess the physical and emotional capabilities required to independently undertake the full curriculum and to achieve the levels of competence required by the faculty.
International Application Requirements
Each academic program has its own set of admissions requirements. International students will need to meet those requirements in addition to those outlined below.
Transcripts – Applicants who completed coursework outside the U.S. must submit their transcript(s) for evaluation to the service listed below. They will in turn evaluate the individual courses and indicate whether each is considered undergraduate, graduate or professional. All foreign transcripts must be evaluated course-by-course with letter grades, pass/fail, or credit/no credit, and must specify which courses are considered undergraduate, graduate and professional. The completed evaluation must be sent directly to Ponce Health Sciences University- Admissions Office from the evaluation service.
- World Education Services (WES)
P.O. Box 5087, Bowling Green Station
New York, NY 10274-5087
(212) 966-6311 - Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE)
101 W. Pleasant St. Suite 200
Milwaukee, WI 53212-3963
(414) 289-3400
For programs with prerequisites, the student must also provide the applicable Catalog from the precedence school and/or course descriptions for those courses.
Language Proficiency – Applicants to PHSU locations in St. Louis or BVI must demonstrate English language proficiency. International students whose principal language is not English must submit scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The minimum scores accepted are:
- 600 on the paper-based test
- 250 on the computer-based test
- 100 on the internet-based test
- For more details about the exam, visit our website
Applicants to PHSU locations in Puerto Rico must be bilingual in English and Spanish to be eligible for admission to the MD Program, given that PHSU’s partner hospitals and clinics in Ponce serve a predominantly Spanish-speaking population. A Language Assessment Evaluation may be required.
