Pre-Physician Assistant

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Students interested in becoming physician assistants are best suited majoring in either Biology or Chemistry. By choosing one of these majors the student is most likely to get all needed prerequisite courses.

Prerequisites

The prerequisites required for entrance into most physician assistant programs are:

Chemistry:

CHE101, 101L, 102 and 102L- General Chemistry I and II (8 semester hours)
CHE351, 351L, 352 and 352L- Organic Chemistry I and II (8 semester hours)
CHE/BIO 461- Introduction to Biochemistry (3 semester hours)

General Biology:

BIO110 and BIO110L- Principles of Cell and Molecular Biology and laboratory (3 semester hours in LASP + 1 semester hour)
BIO111 and BIO111L- Core Principles of Organismal Biology and laboratory (3 semester hours + 1 semester hour) or BIO101 and BIO101L- Principles of Biology and laboratory (3 semester hours in LASP + 1 semester hour)
BIO102 and BIO102L- General Biology of Whole Organisms and laboratory (3 semester hours + 1 semester hour)

Human Anatomy and Physiology:

BIO227 and BIO328 or BIO327 and BIO328 - Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II (8 semester hours)

Microbiology:

BIO330- Microbiology (4 semester hours)

Statistics:

MAT203- Elementary Statistics (3 semester hours)

Psychology:

PSY101- General Psychology (3 semester hours)

Recommended, but not required:

Genetics:

BIO211- Core Principles of Genetics (4 semester hours)

These courses are the basic prerequisites for most physician assistant programs. Schools vary in their prerequisites therefore, to ensure you have taken everything required investigate your school of choice.

What do I need to do other than classes?

Almost all physician assistant programs require health care experience prior to admission. Investigate your school of choice for the exact requirement.

Admission Test and Application

A student wishing to apply to physician assistant programs will likely take the GRE (Graduate Record Examination) and apply through CASPA (Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants).