Prerequisite questions and answers

Does it matter how long ago I took my prerequisite courses? For example, do you accept courses taken more than 10 years ago?

We do not have an expiration date for our prerequisite courses. However, students are responsible for being prepared for the curriculum.

I noticed on the Admission Requirements Checklist that prerequisite hour requirements are listed in semester credit hours.  What if I attended an institution where college credit was awarded in quarter hours?

Semester credit hours and quarter hours are not equivalent credit hours.  Please refer to the quarter hour to semester hour equivalency chart to calculate your hours. If your quarter hours do not equate to the required semester credit hours, that prerequisite will be considered lacking hours.

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Does it matter if I take my prerequisite courses at a two-year college instead of a four-year university?

• The GPA is calculated the same way, whether it was taken at a community college or a four-year university. No preference is given to courses taken at either institution.
• Vocational and/or technical courses will not satisfy the prerequisite requirements.
• Please note that some required courses may not be offered at two-year colleges due to the academic level of the curriculum.  

Do you accept CLEP or AP courses for prerequisites?

We accept this type of credit as long as your courses have been recognized by your undergraduate institution and the credit is recorded on your undergraduate transcript.

How can I find out if the prerequisite courses I took at my college/university meet the required prerequisites?

Please see our prerequisite equivalency charts for your program of interest. If the course or institution is not listed, to have an admissions officer help determine if a course you will take or have taken can count toward a prerequisite, please email us at shpwelcome@uthscsa.edu and include the following:

For U.S. coursework:

• Your full name
• The program you are interested in
• The prerequisite course you are concerned about
• The name of the college/university where you will take or have taken the course
• The course name, number, number of quarter/semester credit hours and a description or syllabus (Not sure if your course is quarter or semester credit hours? Please check your college/university catalog or contact your college/university registrar’s office.)

EXAMPLE: John Smith, Master of Science in Respiratory Care, Prerequisite: Physics I Lecture & Lab, Taken at: Texas Christian University, Course: PHYS 10153, General Physics I, 3 semester credit hours, “Part of a two-semester survey of general physics recommended for students in the life sciences and premedical program. Topics covered in the sequence include mechanics of solids and fluids, thermodynamics, sound and wave motion, optics, electricity and magnetism, atomic and nuclear physics. Emphasis given to the application of these concepts to problems in the life and health sciences.”

For international coursework:

If you have attended a foreign institution, first you must have all of your foreign transcripts evaluated course-by-course for U.S. equivalency by one of the NACES member Foreign Credentialing Services agencies. After you have received an evaluation, then you may submit the Request for Unofficial Foreign Transcript Evaluation form to shpwelcome@uthscsa.edu along with a PDF copy of your evaluation.

To save you time, be sure to not only cross-reference for an eligible NACES member but also which NACES member Foreign Credentialing Services agencies are endorsed also by CASPA (Physician Assistant Studies), PTCAS (Physical Therapy), or OTCAS (Occupational Therapy) online applications. See the respective websites for full instructions and options.

Please allow six weeks at minimum for this evaluation to be completed. Once we have completed your Unofficial Foreign Transcript Evaluation, the results will be emailed back to you.

What course can I take if my institution does not offer courses in “Human Anatomy” and “Human Physiology?”

If a combined Human Anatomy & Physiology course is taken, applicants must complete both Anatomy & Physiology I and Anatomy & Physiology II with the appropriate laboratories totaling eight semester credit hours. Neither Anatomy & Physiology I nor II, alone, satisfies the Anatomy and Physiology requirements.