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Division of Academic and Student Affairs 
Health Professions Advising

Physician Assistant (PA)

Common Requirements for Physician Assistant

The list below shows common basic requirements for most PA programs in North Carolina. To make sure you are fulfilling the prerequisites for the schools you are interested in attending, please check their individual admissions websites. As a reminder, this list is not a substitute for meeting with the Academic Advisor in your College.

In addition, most PA programs will require a minimum of 1,000 hours of direct patient care hours, but most competitive applicants will have 2-3,000+ hours at the time of application.

CourseRequirementFulfilled By*
General Biology2 semesters lecture, 2 semesters labBIO 181
BIO 183
Anatomy + Physiology2 semesters lecture, 1 semester labBIO 240
BIO 245
BIO 242
Microbiology1 semester lecture, 1 semester labMB 251/252
Advanced Biology2 semesters lectureBIO 3xx, GN 3xx,
MB xxx or BCH 3xx
General Chemistry1-2 semesters lecture, 1-2 semesters labCH 101/102
CH 201/202
Organic Chemistry**1 semester lecture, 1 semester labCH 220/222
or CH 221/222**
Biochemistry1 semester lectureBCH 351**
Psychology1-3 semesters lecturePSY 200
PSY 376
PSY 470
Statistics1 semester lectureST 311 or ST 370
Medical Terminology1 semester lectureWLCL 115
*some majors, such as Chemistry or Engineering, may have specific requirements for these courses. Please be sure to check with your Academic Advisor.
**CH 221/222 and 223/224 are prerequisite courses for BCH 351 and BCH 451 at NC State.

In addition to the above minimum requirements, some schools may require:

  • Principles of Genetics (GN 311)

Prerequisites for PA in North Carolina: