White Coat Ceremony

With a grant from the Arnold P. Gold Foundation of New York, UNT Health began the celebration of a White Coat Ceremony in August of 1996. The White Coat Ceremony is a “rite of passage” for health science center students that encourages a psychological contract for professionalism and empathy. The event emphasizes the importance of the foundational mission of the institution: education, research, patient care and service.

The ceremonies takes place at the Bass Performance Hall in front of family, friends and selected faculty. The incoming students are welcomed by the President, Provost and Deans and will be addressed by an eminent professional role model. The students are then presented, “cloaked,” with their first white coats symbolizing the mantle of their chosen profession. Students swear a professional oath before the assembled group, publicly acknowledging their new responsibilities and their willingness to assume the obligations of their new profession.

The white coat is a symbolic, non-verbal communication used to express and reaffirm a fundamental belief in a system that society observes. The authority of dress is serious and purposeful, not social, casual or random. The dress of healers of primitive societies was an important part of the paraphernalia of healing. The uniform should imply a purely professional interest. It must convey to even the most anxious a sense of seriousness and purpose that helps provide reassurance and confidence that his/her complaints will be dealt with competently and seriously.

It is a cloak of compassion.

2025 White Coat Ceremonies

This year’s White Coat Ceremonies will be Wednesday, August 27, 2025.

Location:

Bass Performance Hall

525 Commerce Street

Fort Worth, Texas 76102

The College of Health Professions (Doctor of Physical Therapy & Physician Assistant) & College of Pharmacy: 10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
The Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (TCOM) & College of Nursing: 3:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Parking 

Early arrival is strongly recommended. Bass Hall is located in downtown Fort Worth, and the ceremony will take place during the work week, so traffic and parking may be busy. Multiple self-parking options are available near Bass Hall – view them here. Please keep in mind that valet will not be an option. Accessible parking is available in all nearby garages, and “curb cuts” are located at both the East and West entrances for convenient wheelchair drop-off.

Bass Performance Hall Policy Information

Visit https://www.basshall.com/plan-your-visit/safety-security/ for more information on event policies at Bass Performance Hall.

Items Not Permitted to Enter:

• Oversized bags, luggage, instrument cases, and backpacks. Bags must fit comfortably under your seat.
• Weapons of any shape or size including (but not limited to) firearms, knives of any kind, throwing stars, machetes, tasers and mace*
• Outside food or beverage including alcohol (empty Bass Hall souvenir cups are permitted)
• Any other items deemed dangerous, hazardous, illegal or inappropriate
• Balloons

Items Subject to Inspection:

• Jackets and coats
• Bags
• Infant care bags, plastic bottles and formula
• Medically necessary items

Flowers will be allowed at Bass Performance Hall.

ADA

Guest services staff will help guests who need wheelchair assistance.

Invitation Letter

If you would like to invite family or friends from abroad, students can provide an invitation letter to their visitor(s) to present with their visa application, we suggest that you, yourself write a letter for the visitor(s).

Consular officials from the U.S. Department of State have stated that B-2 tourist/visitor visa applicants do not need an invitation letter from the school in order to process a visa application and that the letters are not helpful. Invitation letters are not a documentation requirement in order for visitors to apply for a tourist visa.

For specific required documentation, please refer to the specific U.S. Embassy website that your visitor(s) will be going to for their interview: http://www.usembassy.gov

White Coat Ceremony Live Stream 

Unable to attend the White Coat Ceremony in-person? Check out the live stream of the ceremonies here:

The College of Health Professions (Doctor of Physical Therapy & Physician Assistant) & College of Pharmacy: 10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

The Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (TCOM) & College of Nursing: 3:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Closed Captions

• Click on the links above to access the livestream for the ceremony that you would like to watch.
• If you are attending in-person at Bass Performance Hall, please turn off your sound to avoid disturbing others.
• On the livestream, tap the CC button in the bottom right corner to follow along.

White Coat Ceremony Contact

Brianna Smith, M.S.
Assistant Director, Center for Student Life
Brianna.Smith@unthealth.edu