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Physician Assistant, MS: Prerequisites

The Physician Assistant Master's Program is a full-time, two-year program. The first year begins in the summer, and the program of study includes 106 credit hours over 27 months.

Pre-admissions Requirements

Before applying, applicants are encouraged to review the prerequisite courses for their intended program of study. 

The pre-admissions requirements for the Physician Assistant Program are as follows:

  • Baccalaureate Degree
  • Recommended GPA of 3.0 or greater
  • Completion of prerequisite courses
  • The Graduate Record Exam (GRE)
  • 1000 hours of healthcare-related volunteer or employment experience (direct patient care preferred)
  • An expressed desire to work in rural or medically underserved communities; preference will be given to qualified candidates who originate from these areas.

Prerequisite Courses

The following prerequisite courses must be completed by the time of matriculation. Students may apply if prerequisite courses are in progress or planned to be completed by time of matriculation.

Prerequisites - Physician Assistant, MS

Subject Semester Hours
Anatomy & Physiology I & II* (or a semester of Anatomy and a semester of Physiology) 6-8
General Biology I & II with lab 6-8
General Chemistry I & II with lab 6-8
Organic Chemistry or Biochemistry with lab 4
Microbiology with lab 4
Genetics 3
Statistics 3
English Composition 3
English Elective 3
Medical Terminology* 0-3

Behavioral or Social Science

2 courses from the following: Psychology, Sociology, Cultural Studies, History, Anthropology, Political Science, Economics or Government

6
Notes
  • One biology and one chemistry course need to be taken within 5 years of matriculation into the PA program.
  • Students must complete all courses in the curriculum at SUNY Upstate. Credit from other PA programs will not be accepted.
  • All science courses with the exception of Genetics, are required to have labs.
  • Acceptable grades must be C or better.
  • Accepted applicants must meet the Technical Standards for Physician Assistant Studies.

* Medical Terminology does not have to be taken for college credit. Most students take an online course from universalclass.com Either Medical Terminology 101 OR Medical Terminology 201 will meet this requirement, so long as a certificate of completion is awarded. Once completed, you can email a copy of your certificate to [email protected] and we will upload it to your application.

COVID-19 Policy

If your undergraduate institution required students in spring 2020 to go to Pass/Fail coursework, we will accept this. We realize that some of your prerequisites for the spring 2020 semester may not have allowed you to complete the lab component. We will still give this full consideration and will be as flexible as possible. This will be considered on a case-by-case basis. We also suggest that if you had to take a Pass/Fail in a prerequisite course, that you try to take an additional upper-level science course to demonstrate additional competency in the subject area.


Course Equivalency Guide

A course equivalency guide for the College of Health Professions prerequisites is available online. Please note that applicants are not required to attend any of the colleges listed on the guide.

Articulation & Course Equivalency Guides

Liberal Arts and Professional Electives

Learn more about available Liberal Arts electives and Professional Electives for applicants to the College of Health Professions bachelor's programs.

Liberal Arts & Professional Electives

Health Care Experience Hours

The rationale behind the healthcare experience is that candidates realize the challenges involved in the delivery of health care and demonstrate one's commitment to delivering healthcare. This list is not all-inclusive.

Please contact the Office of Student Admissions with any questions.

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Preferred Experiences

  • Military corpsmen or medic
  • Nursing (ex. certified nurse assistant, nurse’s aide, RN, home health care aide)
  • EMT's employed full time (active hours only for EMT volunteers)
  • Paramedic
  • Massage Therapist
  • Radiation Therapist
  • Respiratory Therapist
  • Phlebotomist
  • X-Ray Technologist
  • Medical Imaging
  • Clinical Counselor
  • Medical Assistant (with direct patient care)
  • Chiropractor
  • Physical Therapist or PT aide
  • Athletic Trainer
  • New Visions
  • Medical Scribe
  • Volunteer Experience (with direct patient care)

Acceptable Experiences

  • Shadowing a health care professional (200 hours maximum)
  • Pharmaceutical Sales with patient contact
  • Health-related research (will be reviewed on an individual basis)
  • Pharmacy Technician (100 hours maximum).

Not Acceptable Experiences

  • Lifeguard
  • Veterinary Technician

Have Questions

Need more specifics about the program? Questions about admissions requirements? Contact the College of Health Professions Admissions Counselor:

Maggie Moore
Graduate Admissions Advisor

Request Advisement

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The Office of Admissions is conducting virtual information sessions for those who are interested in College of Health Professions programs.

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