The Pre-Physician assistant Program serves students from any major who are interested in pursuing a career as a Physician Assistant (PA). The program ensures that students have access to the courses they need (over a 4 year time period) to meet their pre-professional requirements as well as providing support and guidance along the way.
Physician Assistant Graduate Programs
General Recommendations
While no one major is prescribed for admission to a PA program, you should build a strong foundation in biological and natural sciences. That doesn’t mean that you’re tied to a science major, though. Liberal arts majors that develop analytical reading, writing and critical thinking abilities can have very competitive applications.
Physician assistant programs give preference to applicants who complete a rigorous course of study and demonstrate academic excellence in all course work, particularly the core biology, chemistry and physics courses. Applicants must also provide competitive admissions test scores and should be able to demonstrate a long-term, growing commitment to serving others. As an active participant in the Pre-Physician assistant Program, you will learn to balance a rigorous academic schedule with meaningful extracurricular activities.
Regardless of the major you choose, your course load should be challenging and well-rounded. We also strongly recommend volunteering at a physician assistant clinic to gain practical experience and exposure to the profession. The ideal physical therapist has an in-depth and up-to-date knowledge of medicine, understands the nuances of society, and can communicate well.
Common Requirements
There is no universal curriculum recommended for physician assistant graduate program applicants, but most schools want to see several years of healthcare experience and that you’ve completed the following courses:
- General Biology
- Microbiology
- Anatomy and Physiology
- General Chemistry
AP credit in the sciences should be supplemented with upper level course work. Some physician assistant graduate schools have requirements not listed here so don’t wait until it’s too late to determine specifically what classes you should take.
The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA, www.aapa.org) and the Physician Assistant Education Association website (http://www.paeaonline.org/) list accredited programs and detail the specific requirements for application to physician assistant graduate programs. We strongly suggest that all prospective applicants take a look at these resources.
We recommend that students seeking to apply to a Physician Assistant Program begin by using the Physician Assistant Education Association website (http://www.paeaonline.org/) which lists accredited programs. It is important to learn early the specific application requirements for the program (or programs) in which you are interested in applying. Most programs have application deadlines between November and March of the year prior to commencing study.
Degree Offerings
While we typically recommend majoring in biochemistry or biology, you may select another major. Pre-Physician Assistant is a program of study, not a major at Maryville University.
Admission Requirements
If you’re interested in joining our Pre-Physician Assistant program, you need to meet the general admissions requirements for the University. Specific course requirements will be defined by the major you choose.
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