PA · Ruskin, Florida · private

Gannon University Physician Assistant Program, Ruskin prerequisites

What Gannon Ruskin asks for in the 2026-27 cycle, as read from the school's own admissions page. 9 lines differ from the standard PA school set, marked below.

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Coursework

General chemistry with labrequired
2 semesters · 8 credits · lab
"General Chemistry (or above) including 2 credits of lab: 8 credits." Higher chemistry coursework counts toward the 8 credits, and the lab portion must be at least 2 of them.
Biochemistrynot required here
No biochemistry or organic chemistry row appears in Gannon's prerequisite table; the chemistry requirement is 8 credits of general chemistry or above.
English or writing-intensivenot required here
No English or writing requirement appears in the prerequisite table.
Statisticsrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
Statistics, not calculus. The exception is regional: several Oklahoma and Texas programs require college algebra instead and do not count statistics, so check those individually.
Psychologyrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
General psychology. Many programs fold it into a broader social or behavioural science block that sociology or anthropology also satisfies.
Geneticsrequiredextra here
1 semester · 3 credits
"Genetics (200 level or above): 3 credits." An introductory survey course will not clear the 200 level condition.
Anatomy and physiologyrequired
2 semesters · 8 credits · lab
Gannon lists these as four separate rows: human anatomy 3 credits with a 1 credit lab, and human physiology 3 credits with a 1 credit lab. The footnote accepts the usual alternative: "Anatomy & Physiology 1 and Anatomy & Physiology 2 course and lab sequences are acceptable." Ten year recency applies.
Microbiologyrequired
1 semester · 4 credits · lab
"Microbiology (Medical Preferred): 3 credits" plus "Microbiology Lab: 1 credit." A medical microbiology course is preferred but general microbiology is not excluded.
Medical terminologyrequireddiffers
1 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 1 credits and list it as recommended.
Required rather than recommended, listed as "Medical Terminology: 1-3 credits," so a one credit course satisfies it.

Experience hours

Patient care experiencenot required here
Gannon publishes no direct patient care hour minimum. Its only experience line is "30 hours of documented volunteer/paid medical experience or 30 hours of shadowing a Physician Assistant," which does not require hands-on responsibility for patients. Competitive applicants still bring patient care hours; the program simply does not set a floor.
Healthcare experiencerequireddiffers
30+ hours
Most PA programmes ask for 500+ hours and list it as recommended.
Gannon's entire experience requirement is small and does not separate patient care from healthcare experience: "30 hours of documented volunteer/paid medical experience or 30 hours of shadowing a Physician Assistant - Documentation will need provided and signed by preceptor on organizational letterhead or the Gannon University hours template on CASPA." Volunteer hours count, paid hours count, and PA shadowing alone satisfies the whole requirement.
PA shadowingrecommendeddiffers
30+ hours
Most PA programmes ask for 20+ hours.
Not a separate requirement: 30 hours of shadowing a PA is one of the two ways to satisfy Gannon's 30 hour experience requirement, the other being volunteer or paid medical experience. Documentation must be signed by the preceptor.

Letters

Science faculty letterrecommended
No published minimum
Only a handful of programs require a science faculty letter by name. An academic letter is welcome nearly everywhere and mandatory almost nowhere.
PA letternot required here
Gannon asks only for "Recommendation forms from three evaluators" and names no writer type, so no letter must come from a PA.
Supervisor letternot required here
No supervisor letter is specifically required. The requirement is a count, three evaluators, submitted on Gannon's recommendation forms.

Also on the school’s page

Gannon's Ruskin campus publishes a short prerequisite table in credits: general chemistry or above including 2 credits of lab 8, human anatomy 3 with a 1 credit lab, human physiology 3 with a 1 credit lab, genetics at the 200 level or above 3, medical terminology 1 to 3, statistics 3, microbiology 3 with a 1 credit lab, and psychology 3. A footnote says "Anatomy & Physiology 1 and Anatomy & Physiology 2 course and lab sequences are acceptable" in place of the separate anatomy and physiology courses. Recency is strict: "Course prerequisites must have been completed within the last ten years." Three GPA floors apply, all at 3.0: "A minimum 3.0 overall GPA is required," "A minimum 3.0 science course GPA is required," and "A minimum 3.0 prerequisite course GPA is required." Also required: a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution, "Recommendation forms from three evaluators," the Acuity Insights Casper assessment, and "A personal interview." The application deadline is December 1. The page does not mention the GRE or the PA-CAT, so no exam policy should be assumed from it in either direction.

School

gannon.edu/academic-offerings/health-professions-and-sciences/ruskin/physician-assistant

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