Pre-Physician Assistant
Offered by Health Science Programs
A candidate for admission to the Physician Assistant Program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Union College in Lincoln, NE, Creighton University or College of Saint Mary’s in Omaha, NE must have successfully completed a Bachelor's Degree and the following required courses. Students should check with other schools to which they intend to apply to ensure that all requirements are fulfilled.
The competition to gain acceptance to a physician assistant program is intense and admission is not guaranteed. Admission to a PA program is based on scholastic record, GRE scores, personal recommendations, an interview with members of the admissions committee, shadowing, exposure to health care, patient care experience, and other extra-curricular activities.
Due to the competitiveness, students pursuing a program of study in pre-physician assistant are expected to choose a major so that they can be working towards a baccalaureate degree concurrently with the pre-physician assistant program. This requires a major/minor combination or a comprehensive major as well as completion of the UNK General Education requirements and other degree requirements as set forth in the college catalog.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Requirements | ||
| Take all of the following: | ||
| PSY 250 | Behavioral Statistics | 3 |
| or STAT 241 | Elementary Statistics | |
| BIOL 106 | Biology II | 4 |
| BIOL 211 | Human Microbiology | 4 |
| BIOL 225 & BIOL 226 | Anatomy and Physiology and Anatomy and Physiology | 8 |
| BIOL 325 | Medical Terminology | 1 |
| CHEM 160 & 160L | General Chemistry and General Chemistry Laboratory | 4 |
| CHEM 161 & 161L | General Chemistry and General Chemistry Laboratory | 4 |
| CHEM 250 & 250L | Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry and Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry Lab | 5 |
| CHEM 351 | Biochemistry I | 4 |
| ENG 101 | Introduction to Academic Writing | 3 |
| ENG 102 | Special Topics in Academic Writing and Research | 3 |
| PSY 203 | General Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 230 | Human Development | 3 |
| PSY 231 | Abnormal Behavior and Society | 3 |
Recommended Electives: | ||
| College Algebra | ||
| Genetics | ||
| Principles of Immunology | ||
| Electives | ||
| Select additional electives from the humanities and social sciences in areas such as psychology, sociology, critical reasoning, literature and foreign language. See advisor for elective suggestions. | ||
| Graduate Record Exam (GRE) | ||
| Scores from the GRE are required for admission to many physician assistant programs. See advisor for more information. | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 52 | |
Some physician assistant programs do not require a bachelor's degree for admissions. However, students who are accepted into physician assistant school prior to completing a baccalaureate degree at UNK may be eligible to receive a BS Degree in Applied Health Sciences if they have completed all General Education requirements and have at least 85 semester credit hours completed in pre-PA studies.