Pre-Physician Assistant

Preparing for a Career as a Physician Assistant

Academic Requirements

Prerequisite Courses: Requirements vary by school. It is the responsibility of each candidate to do their own research on the requirements of each PA school to which they might apply.

Some common prerequisite courses for PA schools are listed below:

Common Requirement	Course Numbers (Examples)	Units of Credit (Total)
Anatomy & Physiology I & II	PSIO 201 PSIO 202	6-8 units
Biology I & II	MCB 181R & 181L ECOL 182R & 182L	8 units
Biochemistry	BIOC 384 or BIOC 385	3-4 units
(General) Chemistry I & II	CHEM 151 CHEM 152	8 units
(Organic) Chemistry I	CHEM 241A & 243A	4 units
English I & II	ENGL 101 & ENGL 102 or ENGL 109H & additional ENGL course	6 units
Genetics	ECOL 320 or upper-level course with "genetics" in course title	3-4 units
Mathematics/College Algebra	MATH 112 or higher	3 units
Medical Terminology	CLAS 116B	3 units
Microbiology	MIC 205A & 205L	4 units
Psychology	PSY 150A1 or PSY 101 (introductory) PSY 200/240 (developmental) PSY 381 (abnormal)	3-9 units (requirement varies across schools)
Statistics/biostatistics	MATH 263 or BIOS 376 are biostatistics courses or other course with "statistics" in the course title	3 units
Additional Required or Recommended Courses	Discuss with a pre-health advisor and confirm by visiting PA school websites	varies across schools
Notes on prerequisite courses: AP courses or courses completed in an online format may or may not be accepted. If accepted, coursework beyond AP is often required. In-person courses (as opposed to online) are often preferred or required for health professions schools. Additional upper-level science or other coursework may be required or strongly recommended; conversely, some schools may not require all courses listed above. Reference the admission requirements of your schools of interest to identify and confirm additional required or recommended courses. Meet with a pre-health advisor each semester to confirm your course selection and plan in relation to your specific timeline and schools of interest.

Application & Degree Pathway

Application Service: The application service for physician assistants is CASPA (Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants). The application service typically opens at the end of April and is typically due by November.

Exams: The most common entrance exam for physician assistants is the GRE (Graduate Record Exam). The GRE is offered year-round. Additional less common exams include the the CASPer (Computer-based Assessment for Sampling Personal Characteristics) which focuses on situational judgment skills and/or the PA-CAT (Physician Assistant College Admission Test) which assesses prerequisite knowledge for PA programs.

Degree and Credential: Students earn a master’s degree after finishing Physician Assistant school. PA education programs are typically two years long. Students must then pass a certification exam to gain licensure and practice under the credentials of Physician Assistant-Certified (PA-C).

Resources

Physician Assistant Education Association Program Directory: https://paeaonline.org/our-programs

Competencies for the PA Profession: https://paeaonline.org/our-work/current-issues/competencies-for-the-pa-profession

University of Arizona Physician Assistant Program (Coming Soon): https://chs.arizona.edu/academics/physician-assistant-program

University of Arizona Pre-Physician Assistant Honorary: https://arizona.campusgroups.com/club717/home/