PA · Boston, Massachusetts · private

Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine Physician Assistant Program prerequisites

What BU asks for in the 2026-27 cycle, as read from the school's own admissions page. 15 lines differ from the standard PA school set, marked below.

Read from the school’s pageCheck it with the school

Coursework

Biology with labrequiredextra here
lab
"General Biology or Zoology with lab," one semester. Two flexibilities: AP credit is accepted in lieu of intro or general biology if noted on the transcript, and "general biology or zoology lab may be substituted with another biology lab (ie, microbiology, genetics, etc)."
General chemistry with labrequired
2 semesters · 8 credits · lab
"General Chemistry with lab," one semester rather than the two-semester sequence. AP credit is accepted in lieu of intro or general chemistry if noted on the transcript.
Organic chemistry with labrequiredextra here
lab
"Organic Chemistry with lab," one semester. One semester only, not the full sequence.
Biochemistryrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
"Biochemistry (preferably at the 300 or 400 level)," one semester. Required outright here, not as an alternative to organic chemistry, which BU requires separately.
English or writing-intensivenot required here
No English or writing requirement appears in BU's prerequisite table.
Statisticsnot required here
No statistics course appears in BU's prerequisite table.
Psychologynot required here
No psychology requirement appears in BU's prerequisite table.
Physiologyrequiredextra here
No published minimum
"Human or Animal Physiology (preferably at the 300 or 400 level)," one semester. This is BU's whole anatomy and physiology ask: physiology alone, no anatomy course and no lab named.
Advanced biologyrequiredextra here
No published minimum
"Upper level biology courses at the 300 or 400 level (or above)," and the requirement is a count, not a credit total: "3, one semester courses." Three separate upper-division biology courses.
Anatomy and physiologynot required here
BU does not require the anatomy and physiology sequence. It names one semester of human or animal physiology instead, recorded on the physiology line.
Microbiologynot required here
Not required by name. Microbiology is offered as an example of an acceptable substitute biology lab and would count toward the three upper-level biology courses, but it is not a prerequisite in its own right.
Medical terminologynot required here
Not listed among BU's prerequisites.

Experience hours

Patient care experiencerecommendeddiffers
500+ hours
Most PA programmes ask for 500+ hours and list it as required.
BU is one of the few programs on this path that publishes no hours floor at all: "We do not have an admission requirement related to a particular number of hours spent with patients," and "While there is no prerequisite for health care experience, successful applicants must demonstrate an understanding of the PA profession and its contribution to the delivery of health care in the United States." The program adds that "one type of experience is not considered to be valued more highly than another." No minimum does not mean no expectation: the required clinician letter still has to be written by someone who has seen you work.
Healthcare experiencerecommended
500+ hours
No number published and no preference between kinds of experience: "one type of experience is not considered to be valued more highly than another."
PA shadowingrecommended
20+ hours
No shadowing hours requirement is published, and BU states no hours requirement of any kind related to time spent with patients.

Letters

Science faculty letternot required here
The academic letter is not restricted to the sciences: BU asks for a "college professor or academic advisor," recorded on the faculty letter line instead.
Faculty letter (any discipline)requiredextra here
1 letter
One of the three required CASPA letters must come from a "college professor or academic advisor." Any discipline answers it, and an academic advisor is an explicitly accepted substitute for a professor.
PA letterrequireddiffers
1 letter
Most PA programmes publish no minimum and list it as recommended.
One of the three required letters must be from a "physician (MD, DO) or physician assistant (PA-C) or nurse practitioner (NP)." A PA is not required specifically; a physician or nurse practitioner satisfies the same line.
Supervisor letterrequireddiffers
1 letter
Most PA programmes publish no minimum and list it as recommended.
The third required letter comes from an "employer supervisor or manager."

Also on the school’s page

BU states its prerequisites in semesters rather than credit hours, so no credit figures are recorded on the lines below where the program publishes none. A bachelor's degree must be conferred prior to application. The one hard number is academic: "The minimum CASPA calculated science GPA is 3.2. Applications with science GPAs below 3.2 will not be considered." No minimum overall GPA is published. Delivery format is restricted: "All pre-requisite courses must be taken in-person or hybrid. Completely remote courses or courses from online universities will not be accepted." AP credit is accepted for the introductory biology and chemistry lines if noted on the transcript. On exams, BU is the reverse of the usual pattern: the GRE and MCAT are "NOT required for application and will not be reviewed," while CASPer IS required, with a "minimum required CASPer score will be the 3rd quartile (50+ percentile)," and the last test date for the cycle is August 25, 2026. TOEFL applies to ESL speakers or applicants without four years of undergraduate education in the US, Canada or UK, with minimums of 26 reading, 26 speaking and 28 writing. Prerequisites must be completed by the September 1 application deadline; no recency window is published. The supplemental application is due September 4, 2026 at 11:59 pm EST.

School

bu.edu/paprogram

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