Requirements & Prerequisites

(ARC-PA Standard 5^th A3.13b, A3.13c, A3.13d)

Requirements & Prerequisite Checklist (completed by application deadline)

* Please note, these are the minimum requirements. To be a competitive applicant, please review the Selection Factors and Preferences page.

• Non-US citizens must have permanent resident visas.
• Applicants must have earned a baccalaureate degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution of higher learning in the United States. (Currently, foreign degrees, including equivalency evaluations, do not satisfy the academic prerequisites).
• Qualifying GPA- 2.75 or better

Required Courses: completed from a regionally accredited institution of higher learning in the United States. Must receive a minimum of a B- in each course.** Advanced Placement courses will not be accepted. View the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) course equivalencies.

The program strongly recommends that prerequisite courses be taken within the last seven years. The PA program is dedicated to the success of its students. Because much of the information taught in the basic science courses is highly technical, the program feels that students should be current in anatomy and physiology, biology, chemistry, and statistics. In addition, a very large amount of material is taught over a short period of time. Without a solid background, students may struggle to keep pace with the program.

We accept both upper and lower division credits to meet specific prerequisite courses.

*Convert semester credits to quarter credits: Multiply semester credits by 1.5
*Convert quarter credits to semester credits: Divide quarter credits by 1.5

• Human Anatomy and Physiology

• • Human Anatomy & Human Physiology I & II or 1 Semester of Human Anatomy and 1 Semester of Human Physiology
  • Minimum 6 semester credit hours or 9 quarter credit hours
  • Human Anatomy and Physiology in-person lab –highly recommended (this will be required for the application cycle of 2025-2026) Minimum 8-semester credits or 12 quarter credits by the 2025-2026 application cycle

• Biology
  • Minimum 3 semester credit hours or 4.5 quarter credit hours
  • Microbiology with lab– highly recommended (this will be required for the application cycle of 2025-2026)
  • Minimum 4-semester credits or 6 quarter credits by the 2025-2026 application cycle

• Chemistry
  • Minimum 3 semester credit hours or 4.5 quarter credit hours

• Statistics
  • 3 semester credit hours or 4 quarter credit hours

*Additional recommended courses (not required)

• Genetics
• Immunology
• Medical Terminology
• Spanish
• Abnormal Psychology
• Public Health
• Biochemistry

Paid Direct Hands-On Clinical Patient Care- Minimum 2000 hours

Paid hands-on direct patient care experiences may come from a variety of places. The extent to which an applicant is actually involved in patient care will be weighed based on the description of the applicant's duties during those hours. The title of a position is not as important as the duties the applicant performed in terms of patient contact and interaction with patients and other healthcare providers (physicians, PAs, nurses, etc.)."

**Examples of paid direct patient care experiences may include but are not limited to EMT, paramedic, medical assistant, scribe, patient care tech, nurse, surgical tech, athletic trainer, physical therapy aide, etc.

PA Shadowing Recommended (not required)

Supporting Documents

• Official College Transcripts from every university or college attended
• Three Current Letters of Recommendation
• Updated CV/Resume

* Please note, all application prerequisites and requirements must be complete and verified by the application deadline.