REQUIREMENTS & RECOMMENDATIONS
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Degree Requirements
Applicants must be awarded a bachelor's degree (or higher) from a regionally accredited U.S. institution of higher education prior to enrollment.
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GPA Requirements
A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 and a science GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale), as calculated by CASPA, are required.
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Prerequisite and Recommended Coursework
Prerequisite coursework must be taken for a letter grade. It is preferred for applicants to complete prerequisite science coursework in-person.
Prerequisite Courses (required grade of B- or higher)
- Human Anatomy and Physiology with lab (8 hrs)*
- Microbiology with lab (4 hrs)*
- General Chemistry I & II plus labs (8 hrs)*
- Psychology (3 hrs)
- Statistics (2 hrs)
- Medical Terminology (1 hr)
Recommended Courses (required grade of C or higher)
- Pharmacology
- Biochemistry
- Pathophysiology
- Spanish
- Genetics
Click here for WSU Course EquivalentsFor information about WSU course equivalencies, please see the following resources:
The PA Program reserves the right to change its prerequisites following closure of our admissions cycle on July 15th.
* Science-based courses
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Terms & Conditions for Prerequisites
Coursework Completion
All prerequisite coursework must be completed at a regionally accredited U.S. institution of higher learning prior to application to the program.
Expiration of Prerequisite Courses
Students with science-based* prerequisite coursework taken more than seven years prior to the application deadline must either repeat coursework or take the PA-CAT (Physician Assistant College Admission Test). Please note that the PA-CAT does not excuse any missing prerequisite coursework at the time of application. Applicants must have previously met the minimum prerequisite course grade requirement (B-) in their expired coursework to receive credit for the PA-CAT. Information about PA-CAT scoring and reporting is provided below.
Transcripts
Prerequisite coursework must be verifiable through official transcripts. Due to the number of applications received, we are unable to review transcript content for prospective applicants. All course requirements and prerequisites are published on this website.
Pass/Fail or CR/NC Courses
All prerequisite coursework must be taken for a letter grade. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, courses taken in the years 2020 and 2021 as pass/fail or CR/NC will be considered by the Admissions Committee on a case-by-case basis.
Substitutions
Students granted admission must fulfill all application requirements; no substitutions for prerequisite coursework will be accepted, including but not limited to the following: credit for experiential learning, courses completed as part of a professional degree, and/or college-level examination program (CLEP) test. A score of 4 or higher is required in order for AP coursework to fulfill prerequisite coursework requirements.
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Clinical Healthcare Experience
A minimum of 500 hours of paid clinical healthcare experience must be accrued within seven years of the application deadline and recorded as part of the official CASPA application. Experiences in inpatient settings and/or those in positions requiring autonomous, high-level, medical decision-making are scored highest. Hours obtained observing or shadowing, or as part of an educational program will not be counted towards the 500 hours.
Healthcare hours and clinical experience are subject to verification, and the program reserves the right to contact supervisors to confirm reported hours.
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PA-CAT
Students with expired pre-requisite coursework may elect to take the PA-CAT (vs. retaking coursework). To learn more about how and where to take the exam, go to the Exam Master PA-CAT website.
- Students must score, at minimum, in the 3rd quintile on the PA-CAT in order to validate expired prerequisite coursework.
- PA-CAT scores are valid for two years.
- To report scores, select Weber State University PA Program in your Candidate Score Portal.
- Applicants must complete the PA-CAT by June 20th in order for scores to be reported by the program's application deadline of July 15th.
- Scheduling the PA-CAT exam may take up to three weeks; please plan accordingly.
Taking the PA-CAT may be advantageous for applicants without expired coursework who are looking to be more competitive.