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Course Requirements Overview
The following is a guide to common Texas physician assistant course prerequisites. Professional schools have a variety of prerequisites required for admission to their programs. On this page, we will review general requirements, timelines, and the courses recommendations to fulfill these requirements at the University of Texas at Austin.
A few things to note…
- These are general recommendations. Individual schools may require or recommend additional courses. Please check the websites of your target schools for the most up to date requirements.
- All prerequisites must be completed with a letter grade of C or higher.
- Some schools may require a higher minimum grade.
- Schools vary on Credit-By-Exam (AP/IB/CLEP) policies and preferences for prerequisites. Please see "Can I Claim AP/IB Credit?"
- Many programs prefer in-person coursework, and some programs may not allow online coursework. Check individual schools' websites for their policies.
School requirements can change. See individual school websites and admissions guides under Research Physician Assistant Schools Before You Apply
Common PA School Prerequisites
To prepare for most physician assistant studies in Texas, students complete coursework in the following subjects:
- General Biology with labs
- Genetics
- Microbiology with lab
- Human Anatomy with lab
- Physiology with lab
- General Chemistry with labs
- Organic Chemistry with lab
- Biochemistry (Recommended)
- Medical Terminology
- Math or Statistics
- English or Rhetoric and Writing
- Psychology or Sociology
Some PA schools in Texas will have recommended or additional required courses. We strongly recommend taking courses in the following areas to further strengthen your application.
- Additional upper-division science courses, including but not limited to Cell Biology, Immunology, Organic Chemistry II, and/or Biochemistry
- Spanish and/or other language or cultural studies relevant to your career goals
- Writing, interpersonal communications, and presentation skills
- Philosophy and/or Ethics
- Analytical problem-solving skills
- Critical thinking skills
Course Timelines
Completing the pre-PA courses and extra-curricular activities generally requires six semesters or longer, regardless of the student’s age or year in college. Your personal timeline may differ from these samples. Work with your academic advisor to incorporate these courses into your degree plan.
Important Note: These timelines do not contain all course options and details. To be sure that you are fulfilling all your requirements, compare the requirements on your target schools' website.
For a list of all CASPA Participating Programs, visit PAEA's CASPA Program Directory.
Common UT Austin Courses
The following are commonly courses taken at UT Austin to complete the prerequisite requirements. This is not an exhaustive list of the courses that can be taken to complete these requirements.
If you have questions about a specific course, please reach out to your academic advisor or schedule an appointment with the Health Professions Office.
Note: The Health Professions Office cannot make exceptions on UT Austin prerequisites. Please reach out to the course department if you have questions.
| Subject | Course(s) to Fulfill the Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Biology and Genetics |
Lecture
OR
Lab
|
Some schools may only require 3 hours of General Biology; however, at UT Austin, BIO 311D and BIO 325 are part of the sequence to take most upper-division biology courses. Even if these are not required courses for your target schools, they may strengthen your application.
|
| Microbiology |
Lecture
Lab
|
At UT Austin, Genetics (BIO 325 or BIO 325H) is a prerequisite for MBS 326R. CH 302 or CH 302H is also a prerequisite. Even if these are not required courses for your target schools, they may strengthen your application. |
| Anatomy |
Lecture + Lab
|
Calculus I is a UT Austin prerequisite for INB 446L. If you have questions about this prerequisite, please reach out to your academic advisor. |
| Physiology |
Lecture
Lab
|
|
| General Chemistry |
Lecture
Lab
OR
|
|
| Organic Chemistry |
Lecture
Lab
|
Currently, all Texas PA schools require one semester of Organic Chemistry with a lab. Some schools (including out of state programs) may require or recommend Organic Chemistry II with the lab. If you plan to take CH 320N lab, you should register for CH 220C.
**How to Register for CH 120K (Reserved) CH 220C is a combined Organic Chemistry 1 & 2 lab at UT Austin. Therefore, students only taking 1 semester of Organic Chemistry should sign up for CH 120K.
|
| Additional Required or Recommended Science Courses |
|
Some schools require or recommend additional science courses. These additional courses would be listed on the website for your target schools if they are required or recommended.
This is not an exhaustive list. Check the websites of the schools you are applying to for more recommendations. |
| Statistics and/or Math |
|
Other introductory statistics classes may also be accepted. Compare topic lists on your syllabus to the requirements listed on a specific schools' website to which to will apply.
Some PA schools prefer or require that the statistics course be completed in a Math or Statistics department.
Some PA schools may require one semester of college algebra or higher. Most PA schools do not have a math requirement. Check the websites of the schools to which you will apply for more information on their requirements. |
| English and/or Rhetoric and Writing |
|
Some PA schools have an English, Rhetoric, and/or Expository Writing requirement, but many do not. As always check the websites of the schools to which you will apply for their specific requirements.
Remedial or developmental courses are not accepted.
*E 316P is the Masterworks of Literature credit received from AP Credit. Check your target schools' AP Credit policy to ensure this would be accepted. |
| Psychology |
AND
|
PA schools vary on requirements for the behavioral sciences. Generally, schools require no more than 3-6 hours, which for most schools can be fulfilled by a combination of Psychology courses.
Some PA schools require Sociology or other social behavioral science courses, or may allow them to fulfil an additional requirement.
|
| Medical Terminology |
|
Additional Course Information
Finding Specific Course Requirements
As mentioned throughout this webpage, specific requirements for schools must be evaluated. To find CAPSA participating programs and their requirements, you can use the PAEA Participating Programs search function. This includes all schools that participate in the CAPSA application.
AP, IB, Dual Credit, and Transfer Courses
Students should take care when deciding whether to claim AP or IB credit for prerequisite courses. Please see our FAQ with our full recommendations. If you are thinking about taking courses away from UT Austin after you've completed courses at UT Austin, please see our recommendations for where to take courses.
What if I'm a transfer student who took prerequisites at my previous institution?
Our recommendations are different for students who transferred to UT Austin with previous prerequisite courses completed, especially science and math courses. Please see our FAQ for our full recommendations on advising transfer students.
Non-Science Pre-Health Courses at UT Austin
If you are interested in taking additional pre-health related courses to strengthen or diversify your application, we recommend reviewing the approved courses for the Pre-Health Certificate for Science Majors in your catalog.
It is not required for students to pursue the certificate to take these courses. Visit the Pre-Health Certificate website for more information.