Physician Assistant
In general, PA programs require at least the following courses, though each school has variations on this, and may require additional courses. Refer to the Physican Assistant Program Directory for specific information.
Minimum Required Courses:
- General Biology - 1 year
- General Chemistry - 1 year
- Organic Chemistry - 1 year
- Statistics
- Human Anatomy
- Physiology
- Microbiology
- Genetics
- Biochemistry
- General Psychology
- Abnormal Psychology
- English Composition
- Literature
- Cultural Anthropology
- Medical Ethics
Note that specific schools do require some other courses, but this list covers most of the general requirements. A student choosing a Biology BA track would thus meet all the requirements for this major with the courses listed above, and have sufficient room in the schedule to take the additional courses need for the PA programs.
Note also that the GRE must be taken for all the PA programs with Master;'s programs, and all of the programs require medical experience (a minimum of 1000 hours of experience is required, 2000 is common, and some require more hours).
Physican Assistant Program Directory (about $25) lists all the PA programs and their requirements. This is critical to have for reference as you plan your PA preparation, budgets, and course work. It is available from the American Academy of Physician Assistants. Phone orders can be placed through 800-708-7581.
American Association of Physician Assistants
950 North Washington St
Alexandria, VA 22314
AAPA web site (American Association of Physician Assistants)
Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) Students NEED to check with the individual school(s) they are applying to for additional information about supplemental applications or other application requirements. Some schools may require both the CASPA application and a secondary application. There are currently 63 programs participating. That is about 1/2 of the programs.
It is important to remember that each school has specific requirements and may include more than those listed here.