PA · Waco, Texas · private
Baylor University Physician Assistant Program prerequisites
What Baylor University asks for in the 2026-27 cycle, as read from the school's own admissions page. 7 lines differ from the standard PA school set, marked below.
Coursework
- Biology with labrequiredextra here
2 semesters · 8 credits · lab
Eight semester hours of biology, with lab on each course. "The Biology prerequisite can be fulfilled with Biology I and Biology II, or other biology courses designed for science majors that include a lab component. Recommended courses include, but are not limited to, Genetics, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Embryology, Histology, Immunology, and Biochemistry." This block sits beside the anatomy and physiology requirement, not inside it.
- General chemistry with labrequireddiffers
3 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.
Only 3 semester hours of general chemistry for science majors, and the table does not require a lab on it. Well below the two-semester sequence most programs ask for, but the organic chemistry lab is required separately.
- Organic chemistry with labrequiredextra here
1 semester · 4 credits · lab
Four semester hours of organic chemistry with lab, for science majors. Baylor names organic chemistry rather than biochemistry, which is the reverse of the more common PA pattern.
- Biochemistrynot required here
Baylor does not require biochemistry. It names organic chemistry instead, and lists biochemistry only as one of the courses that can fill the 8 hour biology block.
- English or writing-intensiverequireddiffers
1 semester · 3 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 2 semesters · 6 credits and list it as recommended.
Three semester hours, and it "must be a writing intensive or writing flagged course." Required here rather than recommended.
- Statisticsrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
Statistics, not calculus. The exception is regional: several Oklahoma and Texas programs require college algebra instead and do not count statistics, so check those individually.
- Psychologyrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
General psychology. Many programs fold it into a broader social or behavioural science block that sociology or anthropology also satisfies.
- Anatomy and physiologyrequired
2 semesters · 8 credits · lab
Human Anatomy 4 semester hours with lab and Human Physiology 4 semester hours with lab, listed as two separate rows. A combined anatomy and physiology sequence is acceptable if it totals at least 6 semester hours.
- Microbiologyrequired
1 semester · 4 credits · lab
Named by nearly every program, usually 3 or 4 credits. A minority accept it without the lab, so read the school's own line before dropping one.
- Medical terminologyrecommended
1 credits
Listed as "highly recommended" but not required, so it does not gate the application.
Experience hours
- Patient care experiencerequired
500+ hours
"A minimum of 500 hours of direct healthcare experience (paid or volunteer) in the U.S." must be complete before applying. The program's own list of qualifying roles is scribe, therapist, therapist aide, technologist, phlebotomist, EMT, paramedic, pharmacy technician, health educator, nurse, nurse aide, patient care attendant and similar positions involving direct patient interaction, so scribing counts here. Preference is given for more than 500 hours and for "one year or more (>= 1,000 hours) paid professional experience," which is a preference and not a floor.
- Healthcare experiencerecommended
500+ hours
Many programs publish one combined healthcare figure instead of splitting patient care from healthcare exposure; where they do, the number lands here. Median published minimum is 500 hours.
- PA shadowingrecommended
20+ hours
Under a fifth of programs set a shadowing minimum; among those that do the median is 20 hours and a handful ask for 100 or more. Several count shadowing inside their experience total rather than separately, and a few have dropped it from scoring entirely.
Letters
- Science faculty letterrecommended
No published minimum
Only a handful of programs require a science faculty letter by name. An academic letter is welcome nearly everywhere and mandatory almost nowhere.
- PA letternot required here
No PA letter is named. Baylor asks for one letter from a healthcare professional who knows the applicant's clinical performance, which a PA can write but so can a nurse, physician, or other clinician.
- Supervisor letterrequireddiffers
1 letter
Most PA programmes publish no minimum and list it as recommended.
Three letters are required through CASPA and up to five may be submitted. "At least one recommendation must come from a healthcare professional knowledgeable of the applicant's clinical performance," which is this line; the other two writers are not specified.
Also on the school’s page
Baylor publishes a fixed prerequisite table and unusually strict rules around it: "All prerequisite coursework must be complete at the time of application," "Grades below 'C' in prerequisite courses will not be accepted," and everything must have been taken at a regionally accredited institution within 10 years of the application year. "No advanced placement or CLEP credits are accepted for prerequisite or program courses," and "Online labs are not accepted with the exception of labs taken Spring 2020 through Spring 2021." Three GPA floors apply: cumulative 3.00, prerequisite 3.00, and overall science 3.00, the last one required beginning with the cohort entering Fall 2027; an applicant below 3.00 cumulative can qualify with a 3.5 or higher over the last 60 semester or 90 quarter hours. On testing, the GRE is required and the PA-CAT is not used. Scores must be from within the last five years and reported from ETS to CASPA code 1397. There is no minimum score, but preference goes to Quantitative at or above the 60th percentile and Analytical Writing of 3.0 or higher. A bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited U.S. or Canadian institution is required, international students are not accepted, and an approved background check must be completed prior to matriculation.
Check your transcript against this list
Cyclios keeps this list beside your coursework and tells you what Baylor University still needs from you.
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