PA · Nashville, Tennessee · private
Trevecca Nazarene University Physician Assistant Program prerequisites
What Trevecca asks for in the 2026-27 cycle, as read from the school's own admissions page. 15 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 labrecommendedextra here
No published minimum
"Organic Chemistry I & II" appears on the additional upper-level science list rather than in the prerequisites, and it is unstarred, so the program rates it below biochemistry, genetics and immunology in relevance. No credits or laboratory are specified because it is not required.
- Biochemistryrecommendeddiffers
1 semester · 3 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 1 semester · 3 credits and list it as required.
Not a prerequisite at Trevecca. "Biochemistry I & II" sits on the additional upper-level science list and carries the program's star for courses that have "demonstrated greater relevance to PA curricula," so it is the strongest optional science you can bring here.
- Physics with labrecommendedextra here
No published minimum
"Physics I & II" is on the additional upper-level science list, unstarred. Trevecca is one of the PA programs that names physics at all, but only as a way to strengthen a file.
- English or writing-intensivenot required here
No English, composition or writing requirement appears on the prerequisite list or in the admission requirement summary.
- Statisticsnot required here
No statistics or mathematics course appears on Trevecca's prerequisite list, which runs to five items: anatomy and physiology, general chemistry, microbiology, general psychology and medical terminology.
- Psychologyrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
"General Psychology, 3 credits," and only general psychology: "Developmental psychology is no longer a prerequisite requirement." Psychology is one of the two prerequisites Trevecca lets you take online, the other being medical terminology.
- Geneticsrecommendedextra here
No published minimum
One of the three starred courses on the additional upper-level science list, which the program marks as having "demonstrated greater relevance to PA curricula." Recommended, never required.
- Advanced biologyrecommendedextra here
No published minimum
Not required, but the program says plainly that competitive files carry more science than the prerequisite list: "Accepted students typically complete an average of 3-7 additional upper-level science courses." Its named list includes Cellular Biology, Molecular Biology, Immunology and Pathophysiology, with Immunology among the three it stars as having "demonstrated greater relevance to PA curricula."
- Anatomy and physiologyrequired
2 semesters · 8 credits · lab
"Human Anatomy and Human Physiology with lab, 8 credits," the same eight hours the baseline assumes, but with two Trevecca specific catches. It must be taken in person, and "A refresher course(s) is recommended for applicants whose coursework in these subject areas was completed five or more years from the start of the program," two years tighter than the seven year expiration that governs the other sciences.
- Microbiologyrequireddiffers
3 credits · lab
Most PA programmes ask for 1 semester · 4 credits · lab.
"Microbiology with lab, 3 or 4 credits." Three credits satisfies it where the baseline assumes four, the laboratory is not optional, and a course labeled survey or introductory will not be accepted.
- Medical terminologyrequireddiffers
1 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 1 credits and list it as recommended.
Required here rather than recommended as in the baseline, and cheap to satisfy: "Medical Terminology, minimum one credit/certificate." A certificate counts, and it may be completed online.
Experience hours
- Patient care experiencerequireddiffers
250+ hours
Most PA programmes ask for 500+ hours.
A genuine minimum, and a low one: "All applicants must log a minimum of 250 hours of direct patient care at the time of submission of the application." The hours must already be in the CASPA application when it is submitted, not promised. Qualifying titles are listed: "Medical assistant, patient care technician, surgical technician, first assistant, scribe; CNA, LPN, RN, EMT/paramedic, OT/PT or OT asst./PT asst., AT-C, phlebotomist, RT, ER technician; Lab technician, certified pharmacy technician, clinical dietician," with the caveat that "These job titles may only be used if phlebotomy or direct patient care is the majority of job description." Scribing counts as direct patient care here, which many programs do not allow.
- Healthcare experiencerecommended
500+ hours
Trevecca publishes no separate healthcare experience number and no second bucket. Only the 250 hours of direct patient care are counted and audited, so work in a healthcare setting without hands on responsibility does not move the file toward the stated minimum.
- PA shadowingrequireddiffers
10+ hours
Most PA programmes ask for 20+ hours and list it as recommended.
Required rather than recommended, and specifically PA shadowing: "PA Shadowing: A minimum of 10 hours at the time of application." Like the patient care hours, "All PA shadowing and direct patient care minimum hours must be reflected within the application at the time of submission to CASPA."
Letters
- Science faculty letterrecommendeddiffers
1 letter
Most PA programmes publish no minimum.
No faculty letter is named anywhere in the admission requirement summary. Three letters total, one of which must come from a clinician who has directly observed you, and the remaining two are open.
- Physician letterrecommendedextra here
1 letter
One of four writers who can satisfy the mandatory clinician letter: "Three letters of recommendation including one from a PA/MD/DO/NP who has directly observed you in a healthcare setting." An MD or DO answers it, so a physician letter is sufficient without being required on its own. Note the wording asks for direct observation in a healthcare setting, not a classroom acquaintance.
- PA letterrecommendeddiffers
1 letter
Most PA programmes publish no minimum.
A PA letter satisfies the mandatory clinician letter but is not the only writer who can: "Three letters of recommendation including one from a PA/MD/DO/NP who has directly observed you in a healthcare setting."
- Supervisor letterrecommendeddiffers
1 letter
Most PA programmes publish no minimum.
Trevecca constrains only one of its three letters, the PA, MD, DO or NP letter. The other two writers are unspecified, so a patient care supervisor is a natural choice but not a stated requirement.
Also on the school’s page
Trevecca runs a short prerequisite list, five courses, and puts its weight on GPA and on how the courses were taken rather than on how many. No test is wanted: "The program does not require the GRE or the PA-CAT." The GPA floors are real cutoffs, not preferences, "Cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.25 or higher" and "Overall science GPA of 3.25 or higher," and the admitted class clears them comfortably, with the 2026 cohort at a 3.77 cumulative average across a 3.37 to 4.0 range and a 3.68 science average across a 3.27 to 4.0 range. The recency window is seven years and is defined against a specific date: "Science courses are considered expired if completed seven or more years prior to May of your program start year." An expired course is not fatal but must be refreshed with "at least one semester of the expired science course or a higher-level version of that course," and one semester refreshes a whole two course series. Separately, "If your anatomy and physiology courses are more than five years old at the time of matriculation, we strongly recommend completing an updated or refresher course." Delivery mode is the sharpest constraint here: "No online or hybrid courses for science prerequisites will be accepted" outside the COVID-19 policy, and "Online course options may only be used to complete the psychology course requirements and/or medical terminology course." Course rigor is policed too, since "Science courses labeled as 'survey' or 'introductory' will not be accepted." A bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited four year United States university is required, applications must reach "completed" status in CASPA by October 1, interviews begin in mid summer and run until the fifty seat cohort fills, and a $500 deposit plus a second $500 deposit two months later holds a seat. International applicants must complete fifteen semester hours at a regionally accredited United States institution, nine of them prerequisite science, and a TOEFL of at least 80 with at least 20 on every section. This program currently holds ARC-PA Accreditation-Probation status, which the program states does not affect the degree or PANCE eligibility.
Check your transcript against this list
Cyclios keeps this list beside your coursework and tells you what Trevecca still needs from you.
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