PA · Brandon, Florida · private

Lincoln Memorial University Physician Assistant Program, Tampa prerequisites

What LMU Tampa asks for in the 2026-27 cycle, as read from the school's own admissions page. 10 lines differ from the standard PA school set, marked below.

Read from the school’s pageCheck it with the school

Coursework

Biology with labrequiredextra here
7 credits · lab
"General Biology I and II with lab, 7 credit hours." Both semesters, separate from the anatomy and physiology and microbiology requirements.
General chemistry with labrequireddiffers
7 credits · lab
Most PA programmes ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.
"General Chemistry I and II with lab, 7 credit hours." Both semesters with lab, at a 7 credit floor rather than the usual 8.
Biochemistryrequireddiffers
4 credits · lab
Most PA programmes ask for 1 semester · 3 credits.
"Organic Chemistry/Biochemistry with lab, 4 credit hours." One course either way, and unusually the lab is required, so a lecture only biochemistry course will not satisfy it.
English or writing-intensiverequireddiffers
1 semester · 3 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 2 semesters · 6 credits and list it as recommended.
"English Composition, 3 credit hours," required here rather than recommended. One semester, not two.
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.
Anatomy and physiologyrequireddiffers
7 credits · lab
Most PA programmes ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.
"Human Anatomy/Physiology with Lab, 7-8 credit hours," and LMU accepts the split alternative of a separate anatomy course at 4 credits plus physiology at 3 to 4 credits. Seven credits clears the floor, one less than most programs ask for.
Microbiologyrequireddiffers
3 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 1 semester · 4 credits · lab.
"Microbiology, 3-4 credit hours." LMU writes "with lab" on its biology, chemistry, organic or biochemistry and anatomy and physiology rows but not on this one, so a 3 credit lecture course satisfies it.
Medical terminologyrequireddiffers
1 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 1 credits and list it as recommended.
Required rather than recommended, at 1 credit hour.

Experience hours

Patient care experiencenot required here
LMU Tampa publishes no patient care hour minimum. Its application checklist asks only for "Documentation of any paid direct patient care experience," and the required clinical observer letter means some clinical time is needed in practice even though no number is set. Competitive applicants still bring substantial hours.
Healthcare experiencerecommended
500+ hours
Many programs publish one combined healthcare figure instead of splitting patient care from healthcare exposure; where they do, the number lands here. Median published minimum is 500 hours.
PA shadowingrecommended
20+ hours
Under a fifth of programs set a shadowing minimum; among those that do the median is 20 hours and a handful ask for 100 or more. Several count shadowing inside their experience total rather than separately, and a few have dropped it from scoring entirely.

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
A PA letter satisfies LMU's clinical letter but is not the only writer who can: "One letter/reference must be from a medical professional (PA, MD, DO, NP) who has observed the applicant in a clinical setting." Two professional letters of reference are required in total.
Supervisor letternot required here
No supervisor letter is required. LMU asks for two professional letters, one of which must come from a PA, MD, DO or NP who has observed you clinically; the second writer is unspecified beyond being professional and not a family member or friend.

Also on the school’s page

LMU's Tampa program lists nine prerequisites totalling a minimum of 29 credit hours: general biology I and II with lab 7, general chemistry I and II with lab 7, microbiology 3 to 4, organic chemistry or biochemistry with lab 4, statistics 3, psychology 3, medical terminology 1, human anatomy and physiology with lab 7 to 8 (or separate anatomy 4 credits plus physiology 3 to 4 credits), and English composition 3. "Prerequisite course grades below 'C' will not be accepted." The GPA floors are lower than most PA programs publish: an "Overall cumulative GPA of at least 2.80 and an overall Biology-Chemistry-Physics (BCP) Science GPA of 2.80 or greater on a 4.0 scale." No recency window is stated on the page. On letters, "Applicants are required to submit two professional letters of reference to CASPA" and "One letter/reference must be from a medical professional (PA, MD, DO, NP) who has observed the applicant in a clinical setting"; the page adds that "The program will only evaluate the first three letters that meet criteria submitted if more than three letters are received. Letters of Recommendation from family members or friends will not be accepted." The admissions page does not mention the GRE, the PA-CAT, or CASPer, so no exam policy should be inferred from it either way.

School

lmunet.edu/school-of-medical-sciences/pa-tampa

Check your transcript against this list

Cyclios keeps this list beside your coursework and tells you what LMU Tampa still needs from you.

See it for PA school

Also in Florida

All PA programmes, compared