PA · Galveston, Texas · public

University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston Physician Assistant Program prerequisites

What UTMB Galveston asks for in the 2026-27 cycle, as read from the school's own admissions page. 9 lines differ from the standard PA school set, marked below.

Read from the school’s pageCheck it with the school

Coursework

General chemistry with labnot required here
General chemistry is not among UTMB's nine prerequisites. The chemistry required is organic chemistry with lab plus biochemistry.
Organic chemistry with labrequiredextra here
1 semester · 4 credits · lab
Organic chemistry with lab, 4 credits, for science majors. UTMB requires organic chemistry and biochemistry both, where most programs take one or the other.
Biochemistryrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
Roughly half the programs that ask for an upper chemistry accept either biochemistry or organic chemistry for the same single line, so one course often covers both entries on this list.
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.
Psychologynot required here
UTMB asks for 3 credits of behavioral sciences rather than psychology by name. Psychology is one way to satisfy that broader block, which is recorded on its own line here.
Geneticsrequiredextra here
1 semester · 3 credits
Three credits of genetics, designated for science majors. No lab required.
Anatomy and physiologyrequired
2 semesters · 8 credits · lab
Listed as two separate 4 credit courses with labs, human anatomy with lab and human physiology with lab, both for science majors. Online or distance learning versions are accepted. Must be completed within 10 years of the September 1 deadline.
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 terminologyrequireddiffers
1 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 1 credits and list it as recommended.
Required here rather than recommended, one credit, and it counts toward the 29 credit prerequisite total. Work experience does not substitute for it.
Social sciences and humanitiesrequiredextra here
1 semester · 3 credits
The prerequisite table names "Behavioral Sciences, 3 credits" rather than psychology specifically, so the requirement is written broadly. Confirm your course counts before relying on it, since "The program does not pre-review course equivalencies."

Experience hours

Patient care experiencerecommendeddiffers
500+ hours
Most PA programmes ask for 500+ hours and list it as required.
"UTMB's PAS admissions process does not require a minimum number of direct patient care or shadowing hours. Applicants should use their experiences to demonstrate readiness and alignment with the profession. While not required, these hours are taken into consideration as part of the holistic review and can strengthen an application." For context only, and not a minimum: the program reports a five year mean of 1,995 patient contact hours for its enrolled classes.
Healthcare experiencerecommended
500+ hours
No minimum. UTMB counts "healthcare or patient-care experience" among its additional considerations and reports both separately in its class data: a five year mean of 1,056 health care hours alongside 1,995 patient contact hours. Both are averages of admitted students, not thresholds.
PA shadowingrecommended
20+ hours
Named in the same sentence as patient care: the program "does not require a minimum number of direct patient care or shadowing hours," though shadowing is among the additional considerations in holistic review.

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.
"Physician Assistant applicants are required to submit a minimum of three individual letters of evaluation directly to CASPA." No writer is named, so a PA letter counts toward the three without being required. Letters must be on letterhead, signed, dated, in English, and carry the evaluator's phone or email; "Any letters that do not meet these standards will be rejected."
Supervisor letterrecommendeddiffers
1 letter
Most PA programmes publish no minimum.
Not specified. Three letters minimum through CASPA with no required writer, though the Admissions Committee weighs the date of each letter during review.

Also on the school’s page

UTMB lists nine prerequisites totalling 29 credits, all sciences "designated for science majors": microbiology or bacteriology with lab 4, biochemistry 3, genetics 3, human anatomy with lab 4, human physiology with lab 4, organic chemistry with lab 4, behavioral sciences 3, statistics 3, medical terminology 1. General chemistry and English are not required. Coursework rules: "Letter grade of C or better, completed within 10 years of Sept 1 deadline." "Prerequisites may be taken at any regionally accredited U.S. college or university, including online or distance learning," which is unusually permissive for the labs. "The program does not grant advanced placement, credit by exam, or pass/fail to fulfill prerequisites," prior learning from other PA or health programs and CE, CME and workforce credits do not count, and "The program does not pre-review course equivalencies." All prerequisites and the bachelor's degree must be finished by the end of the spring semester of the matriculation year. Academics: a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited US institution with no waiver for international degrees, overall GPA at or above 3.0 and science GPA at or above 3.0, and "Priority review will be given to candidates with an overall and science GPA >= 3.2." Exams: Casper, not the GRE. "All applicants applying to JSSOM's PAS are required to complete the Casper exam via Acuity Insights. Successful completion of Casper is mandatory to maintain admission eligibility. Casper tests must be taken by September 1." The page names neither the GRE nor the PA-CAT. Letters: "Physician Assistant applicants are required to submit a minimum of three individual letters of evaluation directly to CASPA," and letters are rejected unless they are on letterhead, dated, signed, written in English, and carry the evaluator's contact information and the applicant's name. Applicants also complete a JSSOM PAS supplemental application, fee $35, by invitation after CASPA processing, and no one is interviewed without it. CASPA must be verified by September 1. Interviews are in person on Galveston Island in a multiple station format, four 6 minute stations with 2 minutes of scenario reading before each. Rolling admissions run September to December. The program states that "interview preference is given to Texas residents, first-generation college students, students with GPAs above 3.2, students with environmental and economic disadvantages, and military service," and 96 percent of recent enrolled students were Texas residents. The program is unable to accept DACA students. BLS or BCLS certification is required upon enrollment.

School

utmb.edu/som/physician-assistant

Check your transcript against this list

Cyclios keeps this list beside your coursework and tells you what UTMB Galveston still needs from you.

See it for PA school

Also in Texas

All PA programmes, compared