Gerneral Undergraduate prerequisite courses for Texas PA schools:

• 8 hours General Biology
• 8 hours General Chemistry
• 4 hours Organic Chemistry
• 3 hours Genetics
• 4 hours Microbiology
• 4 hours Human Anatomy
• 4 hours Human Physiology
• 3 hours of Psychology
• 3 hours of Statistics
• Additional advanced courses are recommended and often include Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Immunology, Medical Terminology, and Advanced Psychology courses.
  
  Note:
• Above courses are the generally accepted prerequisites but PA schools have not developed a set of core prerequisites. It is important for students to check specific prerequisites at multiple programs.
• Human Anatomy and Human Physiology prerequisites might be satisfied by lower division Human Anatomy and Physiology I & II or by separate upper division coursework in Physiology and Anatomy. Again, it is important for the student to ensure proper anatomy and physiology prerequisites are met.
• Out-of-state medical schools may have different prerequisite requirements.

In the College of Science and Mathematics, a degree in Biomedical Science provides the most direct path for completing prerequisite coursework in the context of a 120-hour degree. Other degrees outside of this are perfectly acceptable, however, it is always important for the student to ensure that proper prerequisite coursework is being completed for any PA program of interest to the student.

Not all PA schools require an admissions exam. For those PA programs that do require an exam, it is the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). The GRE is administered by the Educational Testing Service. For most schools you will want to score at or above the 60th percentile in the quantitative and verbal sections. A score of approximately 155 in each of the sections roughly translates to about the 60th percentile. You will also strive to achieve a score of 4 or above on the writing sample. As a result, an overall score of approximately 314 or above should result in a competitive score as long as it is a balanced score (not low in one section and high in the other).

PA programs generally place a very high value on quality experiences. These experiences can arise from direct patient care or healthcare related experiences. While most schools do not require a minimum number of hours, you should be aware that many applicants will have hundreds of hours of experience. Direct patient care can be obtained from work as a CNA, EMT, paramedic, corpsman, army medic, athletic trainer, dietician, nutritionist, or possibly as a medical scribe. Healthcare experiences can include volunteering at a hospital, orderly jobs at hospitals, helping at free clinics, etc. PA programs also expect significant shadowing hours, which is considered as a separate category by CASPA, the application service. You should be thinking about gaining upwards of 100 hours of shadowing experience. You should develop at least one key relationship with a PA because most programs will expect you to provide a letter from a practicing PA in your application package.

Students applying to PA programs will utilize the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA). Typically, students will apply in the summer following the third year of college.