Physician assistants (PAs) practice medicine under the supervision of licensed physicians and are qualified to perform approximately 80 percent of duties commonly done by primary care physicians. PAs, however, practice in almost all health care settings and in many medical and surgical specialties. They must pass a national certifying examination which is open only to graduates of accredited PA programs.
The PA degree is a master's-level degree based on a curriculum involving both classroom instruction and clinical rotations. Therefore, most students entering a PA program have already completed a baccalaureate degree, usually in a medically related field such as nursing, or in a science area. The average entrant has had approximately four years of health care experience (some experience is at least highly recommended, and is required by many programs) and has a grade point average of 3.40. Attributes such as a demonstrated caring attitude toward others, communication skills, emotional stability under stress, and problem solving ability are important selection factors.
Advisement checklist and suggested course sequence (PDF) Revised Fall, 2012
Tentative course offerings
For additional information, please visit the following website:
Necessary Undergraduate Coursework
Typical minimum academic requirements for entry into a physician assistant program include:
| Biology Courses |
|---|
| BIO 1100 - General Biology - 4 Semester Hours |
| BIO 2200 - Human Anatomy - 4 Semester Hours |
| BIO 2001G Human Physiology - 3-4 Semester Hours OR BIO 3520 - Animal Physiology |
| BIO 3300 - General Microbiology - 4 Semester Hours |
| Chemistry Courses |
| CHM 1310, 1315; CHM 1410, 1415 - General Chemistry - 8 Semester Hours |
| CHM 2430, 2435 - Organic Chemistry - 4 Semester Hours |
| CHM 3450 - Biochemistry - 3 Semester Hours |
| Psychology Courses |
| PSY 1879 - Principles of Psychology - 3 Semester Hours OR PSY 2000 - Intro to Psychology - 3 Semester Hours |
