Pre-physician Assistant

Master of Physician Assistant (PA) Science

Choosing an Undergraduate Major

  • Pre-PA students must choose an undergraduate major.
  • Commonly chosen majors include biology, biochemistry, chemistry, and neuroscience.
  • Any major is acceptable, as long as the student completes all of the PA prerequisite requirements.

Recommended Attributes for PA Applicants

  1. Competitive GPA of 3.6 or higher (cumulative and prerequisite)
  2. Excellent communication skills

Related Links

Prerequisite Courses

All prerequisite science courses must be designed for science majors. Other courses will not be accepted.

General Biology with lab (1 semester)

  • BIOL 107 OR BIOL 119 (preferred) May include cell biology

Microbiology with lab (1 semester)

  • BIOL 110 with one additional hour of research (preferred but not required) OR BIOL 430 (preferred)

Anatomy and Physiology with lab (2 semesters)

  • EXSS 112 and 113 OR BIOL 112 and 113
  • May include one semester of anatomy and one semester of physiology or two semesters of combined anatomy and physiology
  • May be comparative

General Chemistry with lab (2 semesters)

  • CHEM 118 Principles of Chemistry
  • CHEM 280 Inorganic Chemistry I

Organic Chemistry with lab (2 semesters)

  • CHEM 240 Organic Chemistry I
  • CHEM 341 Organic Chemistry II

Psychology

  • PSYC 121 Introduction to Psychology

Social Science

  • One additional social science
  • Examples: Anthropology, Cognitive Science, Communication, Economics, Gender and Women's Studies, Political Science, Sociology

Medical Terminology

  • PT 100 Medical Terminology

Minimum Application and Admission Requirements (All)

  • Submit a completed application through the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA).
    • The application for January 2025 entry into the PA Program will be available in late April 2024.
    • To be considered for an interview, the application must be marked as “complete” by CASPA by August 1, 2024.
    • Verification of an application by CASPA could take four weeks.
  • Completion of a bachelor's degree by time of matriculation into the PA Program.
    • Applicants may apply prior to obtaining their degree.
    • There are no specific required degree or majors to gain entrance.
  • A minimum GPA of 3.0 (overall and prerequisite).
  • A grade of C or higher in all prerequisite course work.
    • A grade of C- does not meet the requirement.
  • All but two prerequisite courses must be completed at time of application submission.
    • The remaining prerequisites must be completed by the end of the fall semester (December) prior to entering the program.
    • Final transcripts must be submitted no later than December 21.
  • Complete an on-campus interview in mid-September.
  • Meet technical standards.
    • UE welcomes all students and will provide reasonable accommodations to those students with documented need to meet this standard.
  • Complete a criminal background check.
    • Criminal background checks are required each year for physician assistant students.
  • Health care experience.
    • There are NO requirements for prior health care experience, however, priority will be given to applicants with direct patient care experience.
    • Experiences may be paid, volunteer, or completed as part of degree requirements and may include “shadowing” and medical scribe hours.

Students selected for the B/PA Program must meet additional requirements throughout their undergraduate experience to maintain their position. See Pathway 1: B/PA Program.

The University of Evansville Physician Assistant Program reserves the right to make all final admission decisions.