An A&P class is a college-level Anatomy and Physiology course that teaches how the human body is built and how it functions. It’s one of the most common prerequisites for nursing, physical therapy, physician assistant, and other healthcare programs. Most schools split it into two semesters: A&P I covers foundational concepts and structural systems, while A&P II focuses on the organ systems that keep you alive day to day.
What Anatomy and Physiology Actually Covers
The course pairs two closely related disciplines. Anatomy is the study of the body’s physical structures, from bones and muscles down to individual cells. Physiology is the study of how those structures work. In practice, you learn both together: studying the heart’s chambers (anatomy) alongside how blood pumps through them (physiology). This integration is deliberate. Teaching structure without function wouldn’t prepare you to understand what happens when something goes wrong in a patient.
What You Learn in A&P I
The first semester builds a foundation before tackling major organ systems. A typical A&P I syllabus moves through these topics in order:
- Chemical and cellular organization: basic chemistry relevant to the body, cell structure, and how cells communicate
- Tissues: the four main tissue types (epithelial, connective, muscle, nervous) and where they appear in the body
- Integumentary system: skin, hair, and nails
- Skeletal system: bone structure, the axial skeleton (skull, spine, ribs), the appendicular skeleton (limbs, shoulders, hips), and joints
- Muscular system: muscle tissue types, how muscles contract, and the major muscle groups
- Nervous system: neurons, the brain, spinal cord, and how nerve signals travel
A&P I is heavy on memorization. You’ll need to identify dozens of bones, their surface features, muscle attachment points, and the names and locations of major muscles. The nervous system portion introduces more complex physiology, including electrical signaling and neurotransmitter function.
What You Learn in A&P II
The second semester covers the organ systems that regulate internal processes. A standard A&P II course includes:
- Endocrine system: hormones and the glands that produce them
- Cardiovascular system: the heart, blood vessels, blood composition, and circulation
- Lymphatic and immune systems: how the body fights infection
- Respiratory system: lungs, gas exchange, and breathing mechanics
- Digestive system: how food is broken down and nutrients absorbed
- Urinary system: the kidneys, fluid balance, and waste removal
- Reproductive system: male and female reproductive anatomy, hormonal cycles, and development
A&P II tends to be more physiology-heavy than the first semester. Understanding how the kidneys filter blood or how hormones regulate blood sugar requires you to follow multi-step processes, not just memorize structures. Many students find this shift challenging if they relied purely on memorization in A&P I.
Why It’s Required for Healthcare Programs
Nearly every health science pathway requires at least one semester of A&P, and most require both. Nursing schools, physical therapy programs, occupational therapy programs, physician assistant programs, and optometry schools all list a full year of anatomy and physiology as a prerequisite. Among physical therapy programs specifically, 97% require at least one A&P course for admission.
Beyond those fields, dental hygiene, paramedic certification, athletic training, and respiratory therapy programs also commonly require it. The course gives you the shared vocabulary and baseline knowledge that clinical training builds on. If you’re pursuing any career that involves understanding the human body, A&P is almost certainly on your course list.
Prerequisites and Grade Expectations
Most colleges require general biology (and sometimes introductory chemistry) before you can enroll in A&P I. The biology prerequisite ensures you already understand basic cell biology and scientific terminology. Some schools waive the chemistry requirement, but having a grasp of basic chemical bonds and pH helps significantly in the early weeks of A&P I.
Healthcare programs typically require a C or better in both A&P courses for the credits to count toward admission. Competitive programs like nursing often expect a B or higher in practice, even if the official minimum is a C. Some schools impose a time limit on A&P credits, requiring that courses be completed within the last five to seven years, though this varies by institution. Check the specific requirements of the program you’re applying to, since policies on grade minimums and course recency differ widely.
Why the Course Has a Reputation for Difficulty
A&P courses traditionally have high failure rates, leading to frequent repeat enrollments. The volume of material is the primary challenge. In a single semester, you may need to memorize hundreds of anatomical terms, understand complex physiological pathways, and apply that knowledge to lab practicals where you identify structures on models or specimens.
The course also moves fast. Each body system gets roughly one to two weeks of lecture and lab time before you’re tested and moving on. Students who fall behind early often struggle to catch up because later material builds on earlier concepts. The jump from general biology to A&P catches many students off guard, particularly if their study habits worked for lower-volume courses but can’t scale to the density of A&P.
Successful students tend to study in shorter, more frequent sessions rather than cramming before exams. Drawing and labeling diagrams, using flashcards for terminology, and teaching concepts back to a study partner are strategies that align well with the mix of memorization and applied reasoning the course demands.
What the Lab Component Looks Like
Most A&P courses include a lab section that meets separately from lecture, often for two to three hours per week. Labs reinforce what you learn in lecture through hands-on work: examining tissue slides under microscopes, identifying structures on anatomical models, dissecting preserved specimens (commonly cats, fetal pigs, or sheep organs), and running simple physiology experiments like measuring reflexes or blood pressure.
Many schools now supplement traditional labs with virtual tools. Digital dissection platforms, virtual reality headsets, and life-sized touchscreen anatomy tables let students rotate, zoom into, and manipulate 3D models of the body. A 2024 study found that students using virtual dissection tools scored significantly higher on neuroanatomy and cardiac anatomy quizzes compared to those using only traditional cadaver dissection, and rated their learning experience higher across multiple categories. These technologies are increasingly common as supplementary tools alongside physical specimens, not full replacements for hands-on dissection.
Lab exams, often called practicals, are a distinct format. You move from station to station, each with a pinned or tagged structure on a model or specimen, and have a limited time (usually 60 to 90 seconds) to identify it and answer related questions. Practicals test recognition and recall under pressure, which is why regular lab attendance and practice with physical models matter as much as textbook study.