deadlyweeds,
There are many MT students at UTA - there have been in the past and there are at present. It is a WISE choice to choose the MT program at UTA. I do not agree that the course load at UTA is exeptionally difficult than other places in Texas. However, I do agree that some states like Oklahoma, Louisiana, Nebraska, Alabama have lesser course load and lesser time period than Texas. and that's because UTA's standard is higher than those colleges (those colleges are great colleges, but just that UTA has been recognized better than them, and thus a higher standard course loads).
Here's how the MT program works at UTA:
1. first you need to complete all prereq courses. You can take a lot of those prereq courses at a community college but you also have to take around 40 credit hours at UTA that are higher level courses - like 3000 or 4000 level courses.
2. then you apply at MT schools: there are only 2 MT schools in the DFW area. Tarleton State University's MT school in Fort Worth and UT Southwestern Medical Center's MT School in Dallas. UTA's MT program has a direct affiliation with the Tarleton MT program and majority of MT students from UTA have transfered to Tarleton's MT school. You can (and should) also apply at the UT Southwestern MT school in Dallas, but the trend has been (mostly among UTA students) to go to Tarleton's MT School.
Tarleton is very competetive and it is tough to get admissions there; its course load is also harder than UT Southwestern's, but it is a very highly recognized MT School - widely recognized in hospitals in the region and else where nationwide. So, it is worth to get that "difficult" course load at Tarleton than at UT Southwestern.
Both colleges - Tarleton and UT Southwestern - have 16-month long MT programs. You will go to the MT school for the first 10 months, and you will work at a hospital assigned to you by the school in the last 6 months as practicum. At Tarleton, the class schedule is Mon thru Fri 8 am to 5 pm., and when you work at the hospital (in the last 6 months of the program), it is 6 am to 230 pm.
As F-1 you will not be authorized to work in the hospital unless you have work permit from the school. Currently, it is not very easy to find MT jobs, but people have been getting them after doing some job hunt or moving to diff places - but jobs are available!
Good Luck!
