Do I have to finish all the prerequisites before I can apply?
The six required prerequisite courses — General Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Human Anatomy, Human Physiology, and General Psychology — must come from a regionally accredited institution, but they may be taken concurrently with your TCM coursework once enrolled. An applicant missing one or two of them can typically still begin the program and finish the science requirement alongside it.
No — you don't have to have them all finished before you apply. This is one of the most common worries, and it's a reasonable one to have, but Five Branches' own admissions policy is actually built around flexibility here.
The six required prerequisite courses — General Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Human Anatomy, Human Physiology, and General Psychology — must come from a regionally accredited institution, but they may be taken concurrently with your TCM coursework once enrolled. An applicant missing one or two of them can typically still begin the program and finish the science requirement alongside it.
| What matters | Detail |
|---|---|
| Must all six be done before applying? | No — up to a few may be completed concurrently |
| Where they must come from | A regionally (or institutionally) accredited school |
| Can they be taken online? | Yes — accreditation is the rule, not delivery format |
| Lab courses (Anatomy/Physiology) | Need an acceptable lab component — at-home kits or virtual labs from accredited providers work |
| Prior coursework at an accredited school | May transfer — submit transcripts for evaluation |
This is the school's own published admissions policy (Five Branches, checked 07/2026) — your exact plan (which courses you're missing, and how to sequence them alongside your first term) is worth confirming directly with Admissions once you're ready, since they'll map it to your specific transcript.
Is there a particular prerequisite among the six you're wondering about — maybe one you're not sure you've already covered?
Sources
- Five Branches University — Educational Requirements checked 2026-08
- Five Branches University — published materials checked 2026-07
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