PA · Murfreesboro, Tennessee · public
Middle Tennessee State University Physician Assistant Program prerequisites
What MTSU asks for in the 2026-27 cycle, as read from the school's own admissions page. 13 lines differ from the standard PA school set, marked below.
Coursework
- General chemistry with labnot required here
Not required. MTSU's only chemistry prerequisite is the single organic chemistry or biochemistry course with lab.
- Organic chemistry with labrequiredextra here
1 semester · 4 credits · lab
"Organic Chemistry or Biochemistry with Lab, 4 semester credit hours." One 4 credit course with laboratory satisfies this, whichever of the two subjects it is.
- Biochemistrynot required here
Not a separate requirement. Biochemistry appears only as one of the two subjects that can satisfy the single 4 credit "Organic Chemistry or Biochemistry with Lab" prerequisite.
- English or writing-intensivenot required here
No English or writing course appears among MTSU's four prerequisites.
- Statisticsnot required here
No statistics course appears among MTSU's four prerequisites.
- Psychologynot required here
No psychology course appears among MTSU's four prerequisites.
- Anatomy and physiologyrequired
2 semesters · 8 credits · lab
"Anatomy and Physiology with Lab, 8 semester credit hours," the largest of MTSU's four prerequisites. As a science prerequisite it falls under the ten year window, though a waiver can be requested on a continuous employment history that demonstrates knowledge of the content.
- Microbiologyrequireddiffers
3 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 1 semester · 4 credits · lab.
"Microbiology, 3 semester credit hours." MTSU marks the anatomy and chemistry rows "with Lab" and leaves this one unmarked, so no laboratory is required here.
- Medical terminologyrequireddiffers
1 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 1 credits and list it as recommended.
Required, not recommended: "Medical Terminology, 1 semester credit hour." It is the one prerequisite MTSU exempts from the recency rule, marked "not subject to the 10-year time limit."
Experience hours
- Patient care experiencerequired
500+ hours
Required with no number: "All completed but no designated minimum number of hours needed for holistic faculty application review." MTSU defines the work tightly: "Hours logged to satisfy the direct patient care requirement will only be considered if the experience involves direct responsibility for some aspect of patient care, either by administering, influencing, or providing care in a 'hands-on' capacity." Two exclusions matter: "Medical scribe experience is not accepted as direct patient care" and "direct patient hours CANNOT be completed with a relative or family member." The program recommends hours across various medical settings and says "the focus for DPC will be on the quality of experience."
- Healthcare experiencerecommended
500+ hours
No healthcare experience minimum is published. It appears only in the preference rubric, which weights "healthcare/research experience with documentation of completion" and "continual medical employment greater than one year."
- PA shadowingrequireddiffers
20+ hours
Most PA programmes ask for 20+ hours and list it as recommended.
PA shadowing is its own admission requirement heading but carries no hour figure: "Applicants must identify and initiate all PA shadowing experiences. The program cannot suggest nor arrange shadowing opportunities for prospective students. NOTE: Virtual shadowing is not accepted."
- Non-clinical volunteeringrecommendedextra here
No published minimum
Listed under admission requirements as "Community Service or Mission Work," with "no minimum number of hours required for an interview, but the focus will remain on the quality of experience," and "hours do not need to be health care related." The separate preference rubric weights "volunteer commitment greater than 100 hours," which is the closest thing to a number MTSU publishes.
Letters
- Science faculty letternot required here
Not named. Of the three required letters, the only writer MTSU mentions is a PA, and that one is highly recommended rather than required.
- PA letterrecommendeddiffers
1 letter
Most PA programmes publish no minimum.
Strongly encouraged rather than required: "At least three strong letters of recommendation detailing the potential of the applicant to be a PA are required. At least one letter of recommendation from a PA is highly recommended. Letters from friends or family will not be accepted."
- Supervisor letternot required here
Not named. MTSU requires three letters and specifies only that one from a PA is highly recommended, and that letters from friends or family will not be accepted.
Also on the school’s page
The MTSU program page carries no requirements; the graduate catalog holds them, and it states "the following information applies to the 2026-27 admissions cycle." The prerequisite list is unusually short, only four courses: anatomy and physiology with lab, microbiology, organic chemistry or biochemistry with lab, and medical terminology. Grades must be "B-" or higher, earned inside the bachelor's degree or through a regionally accredited U.S. institution, and "prerequisites may NOT be completed at a foreign institution for credit." Recency runs ten years: "Prerequisite science courses are to be completed within 10 years prior to the date of admission. A waiver of the 10-year requirement for a prerequisite course may be requested by the applicant if the following occurs: there is a continuous employment history that would demonstrate knowledge of the course content." Medical terminology is exempt from that window. Everything must be finished and verified by the end of February of the matriculating year, February 2027, and "online courses and labs are accepted from a regionally accredited U.S. institution of higher learning," while "knowledge-based testing does not satisfy prerequisites." GPA: "Minimum GPA requirement as calculated by CASPA: 3.0 overall," 3.0 for graduate coursework if a graduate degree was completed, and "science GPA will be utilized as preference placement only." No admission test at all: "GRE not required, MCAT not required, PA-CAT not required." The 2026-27 CASPA cycle runs April 30 to December 1, 2026 for a class of 30, and "applicants meeting the required minimums are not guaranteed an interview." MTSU publishes a written preference list that weights, among others, Tennessee residency, MTSU alumni, second career applicants, military service with honorable discharge, continual medical employment greater than one year, volunteer commitment greater than 100 hours, applicants raised in medically underserved areas, bilingual applicants, and first generation college students. Applicants must not have been dismissed from another PA program, and the program accepts no transfers or advanced placement.
Check your transcript against this list
Cyclios keeps this list beside your coursework and tells you what MTSU still needs from you.
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