The School of Medicine formally opened in 1972. The first medical students entered class in Amarillo in 1978. The School of Nursing was initiated with the first class in 1981.
Nursing education is focused in Lubbock and Odessa.
In 1993, the 73rd Texas Legislature approved an expansion of the School of Allied Health, which was established in 1983, and a new School of Pharmacy. Pharmacy is the first academic program of the University to be administratively based outside the main campus in Lubbock. These two schools have expanded the missions of Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at Amarillo. The Allied Health curriculum at Amarillo currently is divided into two programs, physical therapy and occupational therapy. Other programs offered by the school at other campuses include Medical Technology, Communications Disorders, and Emergency Medical Technology.