PA · Tucson, Arizona · public

University of Arizona Physician Assistant Program prerequisites

What Arizona 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.

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Coursework

General chemistry with labrequireddiffers
3 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.
One semester and the lab is genuinely optional: "three semester credit hours or four quarter credit hours, with or without laboratory." Arizona does not ask for the second semester of the general chemistry sequence.
Biochemistrynot required here
Arizona's prerequisite list names only anatomy and physiology, general chemistry and microbiology among the sciences. Neither biochemistry nor organic chemistry appears.
English or writing-intensivenot required here
No English composition or writing requirement is listed. The non science prerequisite block covers medical terminology and Spanish and nothing else.
Statisticsnot required here
No statistics or mathematics course appears anywhere in Arizona's prerequisite list.
Psychologynot required here
Psychology is not a prerequisite here. The only non science prerequisites are medical terminology and Spanish.
Anatomy and physiologyrequireddiffers
6 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.
Lighter than the baseline on credits and silent on the laboratory: "Three semester credit hours or four quarter credit hours of Human Anatomy AND three semester credit hours or four quarter credit hours of Human Physiology" OR "Six semester credit hours or eight quarter credit hours of combined Human Anatomy and Physiology." Split or combined, six semester credits answers it. Must be finished with final grades on the official transcript before CASPA submission, and taken within ten years of matriculation.
Microbiologyrequireddiffers
3 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 1 semester · 4 credits · lab.
"three semester credit hours or four quarter credit hours, with or without laboratory." Three credits rather than the baseline four, and no lab required.
Medical terminologyrequireddiffers
1 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 1 credits and list it as recommended.
Required here, not merely recommended as in the baseline: "one semester credit hour or two quarter credit hours of coursework in applied modern medical terminology for the health care setting." It is a non science prerequisite, so the deadline is July 1 rather than CASPA submission.
Foreign languagerequiredextra here
2 semesters · 6 credits
The requirement no other PA program on this list carries: "a minimum of six semester credit hours or eight quarter credit hours of Spanish language," satisfiable instead by placement exam scores at the intermediate level. The program closes the door on workarounds: "There are no language substitutes." CLEP Spanish is accepted here even though CLEP is rejected for every other prerequisite. Due by July 1 rather than at CASPA submission.

Experience hours

Patient care experiencerecommendeddiffers
500+ hours
Most PA programmes ask for 500+ hours and list it as required.
Arizona publishes no patient care hour minimum and does not separate patient care from healthcare experience. The only statement on the page is a preference factor, "Strong history of health care experience," with no number attached. Bring hours anyway, but nothing here is a stated floor you can fall below.
Healthcare experiencerecommended
500+ hours
The program lists "Strong history of health care experience" as a preference factor without defining it or attaching an hour figure, so it does not draw the usual line between hands on patient care and other healthcare work. It separately lists "Strong history of volunteer or community enrichment" as another preference factor.
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 letterrecommendeddiffers
1 letter
Most PA programmes publish no minimum.
"science professors" are one of the three writer types Arizona names as ideal, alongside clinicians and mentors, but none of the three is mandatory. Three letters minimum, five maximum.
PA letterrecommendeddiffers
1 letter
Most PA programmes publish no minimum.
Not required by title. Arizona asks for "A minimum of three and a maximum of five letters of recommendation" and names no specific writer: "Letters should come from individuals who can speak to the applicant's academic, professional or clinical qualifications, ideally clinicians, science professors or mentors." A PA is one of the clinicians that wording invites.
Supervisor letterrecommendeddiffers
1 letter
Most PA programmes publish no minimum.
No supervisor letter is named. The three to five letters may come from clinicians, science professors or mentors, and the one hard exclusion is personal: "Letters from personal friends or family members will not be accepted."

Also on the school’s page

Arizona's prerequisite list is unusually short and unusually specific, and it is the only one on this path that requires a language. Three science prerequisites, anatomy and physiology, general chemistry and microbiology, plus two non science ones, medical terminology and six credits of Spanish. Everything needs a "minimum grade of C or higher" and "must be completed within 10 years of matriculation," a ten year recency window that is longer than the five year windows common elsewhere. Timing splits by category: the science prerequisites must be completed before CASPA submission with final grades on official transcripts, while the non science ones are due by July 1. Citizenship is a hard gate, not a preference: applicants must be "U.S. Citizens or permanent residents of the U.S.," and "A bachelor's (baccalaureate) degree is mandatory by matriculation." On grades, the page publishes no minimum, only a preference factor, "Overall GPA of 3.0 or higher or an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher in the most recent 60 credit hours," so treat 3.0 as a competitiveness marker rather than a cutoff. The page names neither the GRE nor the PA-CAT anywhere, so no test is stated as required. Delivery mode is open but credit sources are not: "All coursework can be in person or virtual. All prerequisite coursework must be completed at an educational institution accredited by" a recognized regional body, and alternative credit providers, "Sophia Learning, CLEP, DSST, StraighterLine, Study.com," are not accepted as original sources, with the single exception of CLEP Spanish toward the language requirement. This program holds ARC-PA provisional accreditation.

School

healthprofessions.publichealth.arizona.edu/academics/physician-assistant-program

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