Most PA graduate programs require a bachelor’s degree, specific prerequisite courses, and 1,000 to 4,000 hours of direct patient care experience. Prerequisites vary, but nearly all PA programs require human anatomy and physiology, a year of general biology with labs, a year of general chemistry with labs, microbiology with a lab, statistics and introductory psychology.
Admission to physician assistant programs is very competitive, so a strong academic background and grades are important. Other factors include:
Some programs require or highly recommend organic chemistry with a lab and/or biochemistry, genetics, physics, or additional psychology courses. It’s important to verify the prerequisites for each school for which you plan to apply early in your Bachelor’s degree.
While you can major in anything, popular pre-PA majors at WSU include biology, including the basic medical science option, and microbiology.
There is a centralized application service called CASPA, which allows applicants to use a single Web-based application and one set of materials to apply to multiple PA programs.