Medical School Electives
UT Southwestern Medical School offers a robust roster of elective courses – both credit and non-credit – that enable students to round out and enrich their medical school experience.
Any registered student is eligible to enroll in non-credit electives, no matter their year of study. For-credit electives are offered only to clerkship and post-clerkship students as they must choose four, four-week electives to fulfill graduation requirements.
For-Credit Electives
During the Clerkship Phase, students are able to take six weeks of elective time, and during the Post-Clerkship Phase, students complete eight weeks of selectives (subinternships, critical care and emergency medicine rotations), and 12-16 weeks of electives across all medical disciplines. The for-credit elective program aids students who may be undecided in making a career choice. Or, if a career choice has already been made, electives offer an opportunity to build strengths in related fields.
Overall, more than 100 elective courses are offered by more than 20 departments and divisions. Included are “non-traditional” courses, such as:
- Diabetes Camp
- Ethics
- Law, Medicine, and Literature
- Philosophy of Medicine
- Public Policy and Health Care Financing
The number of elective courses varies. For a list of current fourth-year electives by department, see D2L.
Non-Credit Electives
A variety of courses in the areas of medical humanities and other medical-related topics are offered as seminars and small group discussions on a non-credit basis. Each elective is organized by a faculty member and interested students, and the schedule of classes rotates.
Non-credit course offerings have included, among others:
Medical Humanities
- Art of Observation
- Community Service Learning
- Designing Health Care Solutions
- International Service Learning
- Literature & Medicine
- Medical Ethics
Other Subjects
- Applied Nutrition
- Basic Elements of Research
- Economics and Finance
- Global Health
- Health Care Economics
- Medical Finance
- Medical Law
- Medical Spanish Web resource
- Public Health
- Spanish Interpreter Apprenticeship Program (SIAP)
For a list of non-credit electives currently being offered, along with a course description, see D2L.
