PA · Dallas, Texas · public
The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Physician Assistant Program prerequisites
What UT Southwestern asks for in the 2026-27 cycle, as read from the school's own admissions page. 7 lines differ from the standard PA school set, marked below.
Coursework
- General chemistry with labrequired
2 semesters · 8 credits · lab
The two-semester sequence with lab. Around a fifth of programs want only one semester or skip general chemistry entirely and start at organic or biochemistry.
- Organic chemistry with labrequiredextra here
1 semester · 4 credits · lab
Organic chemistry, 4 credit hours, starred, so it must be the science majors course with a lab. UT Southwestern requires organic chemistry outright and only recommends biochemistry, the reverse of the usual PA pattern.
- Biochemistryrecommendeddiffers
1 semester · 3 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 1 semester · 3 credits and list it as required.
Biochemistry appears on the "Recommended Electives" list, not the prerequisite list. The required chemistry beyond general chemistry is organic chemistry.
- English or writing-intensiverecommended
2 semesters · 6 credits
English composition, usually two semesters where it is asked for at all.
- 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
Three credit hours of genetics, a named prerequisite. Not starred, so no lab and no science majors restriction.
- Anatomy and physiologyrequired
2 semesters · 8 credits · lab
Split into two named courses, human anatomy 4 credit hours and human physiology 4 credit hours. Both are starred, so both must be for science majors and carry a lab. A combined A&P I and II sequence is not what the page names.
- Microbiologyrequired
1 semester · 4 credits · lab
Named by nearly every program, usually 3 or 4 credits. A minority accept it without the lab, so read the school's own line before dropping one.
- Medical terminologyrecommended
1 credits
Required outright by nearly half of programs, which is more than its recommended level here suggests. Several refuse a certificate or a free online course and want transcript credit; a few teach it after acceptance instead.
- Additional science creditsrecommendedextra here
No published minimum
No required block, but the admissions page describes the field this way: "the typical candidate has earned a bachelor's degree with more than 50 hours of science courses, with a science and overall required grade-point average of at least 3.0."
Experience hours
- Patient care experiencerecommendeddiffers
500+ hours
Most PA programmes ask for 500+ hours and list it as required.
"Clinical experience that includes direct hands-on patient care is strongly recommended. Applicants should demonstrate evidence of completion of patient care experience prior to submitting the CASPA application. We do not require a minimum number of hours." Accepted examples include "EMT, paramedic, nurse, scribe, medical assistant, CNA, ER tech, physical therapy aide, phlebotomist, pharmacy tech, clinical research assistant," and student training roles may be counted. The program says outright that "student training, 'shadowing,' laboratory testing with no patient contact, nonclinical research, lifeguard, or clerical work are not as valuable as hands-on clinical hours."
- Healthcare experiencerecommended
500+ hours
No hours figure, but the program says "Evidence of community service in a health care setting (such as in a hospital or hospice, a clinic for underserved populations, or in the medical mission field) is highly valued."
- PA shadowingrecommended
20+ hours
"We encourage applicants to 'shadow' a physician assistant to gain insight into the PA's role, although this experience is not required." No hours figure is published.
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 letterrecommendeddiffers
1 letter
Most PA programmes publish no minimum.
The program's published pages ask for "enthusiastic letters of reference" and count "strong letters of recommendation" in its holistic review, but name neither a number nor a writer. Letters go through CASPA.
- Supervisor letterrecommendeddiffers
1 letter
Most PA programmes publish no minimum.
Not specified by UT Southwestern. Given how heavily the program weighs hands-on patient care, a supervisor from that work is a natural writer, but the program does not require one.
Also on the school’s page
UT Southwestern lists eight prerequisites: general chemistry 8, genetics 3, human anatomy 4, human physiology 4, microbiology 4, organic chemistry 4, psychology 3, statistics 3. "All required science classes must be for science majors and include a laboratory component," which here covers general chemistry, human anatomy, human physiology, microbiology and organic chemistry. Recommended electives are listed as biochemistry, cellular biology, human sexuality, immunology, medical terminology, pharmacology and Spanish. Coursework rules: "All prerequisite courses must have been completed within the past 10 years from the date of anticipated matriculation," all prerequisites must be finished by the date the application is submitted, and "Pass/Fail will not be accepted for prerequisite courses; all prerequisites will require a letter grade." The program will not review transcripts in advance: "All course requirements and prerequisites are as stated on the web page." From the program's admissions page: a baccalaureate degree from an institutionally accredited US or Canadian institution by the end of May of the matriculation year, graduate coursework not accepted toward prerequisites, and "a required minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in science and overall," with all required courses passed at C or better. Exams: GRE scores are required by September 1 of the application year, institutional code 6686, and "The GRE is not required of applicants who have a U.S.-accredited Bachelor's and Master's degree or higher." No PA-CAT requirement is published. Neither page states a number of letters of recommendation or names who must write them. The application deadline is September 1 through CASPA, interviews are in person and use a 10 station Multiple Mini Interview, and the program applies a two interview maximum per applicant across cycles.
Check your transcript against this list
Cyclios keeps this list beside your coursework and tells you what UT Southwestern still needs from you.
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