PA · Riverside, California · private

California Baptist University Physician Assistant Program prerequisites

What Cal Baptist asks for in the 2026-27 cycle, as read from the school's own admissions page. 12 lines differ from the standard PA school set, marked below.

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Coursework

General chemistry with labrequired
2 semesters · 8 credits · lab
The two-semester sequence with lab. Around a fifth of programs want only one semester or skip general chemistry entirely and start at organic or biochemistry.
Biochemistrynot required here
Neither biochemistry nor organic chemistry appears on the prerequisite list. Chemistry is covered by "General Chemistry with Lab (I & II), 8 units (1 year)" or, alternatively, three separate chemistry courses totalling 12 units.
English or writing-intensiverequireddiffers
2 semesters · 6 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 2 semesters · 6 credits and list it as recommended.
Required here rather than recommended, and a full year of it: "English/Writing, 6-8 units (1 year)." A separate English composition screening at 70 percent is part of the interview day, so the coursework is not the end of it.
Statisticsrecommendeddiffers
1 semester · 3 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 1 semester · 3 credits and list it as required.
Statistics is not required by name here. It is one of four courses that answer Cal Baptist's single mathematics line, "College Algebra, Calculus, Pre-Calculus, Statistics," so taking statistics satisfies the requirement but so does college algebra.
College mathematicsrequiredextra here
1 semester · 3 credits
Cal Baptist asks for mathematics generally and lets you pick: "Mathematics (College Algebra, Calculus, Pre-Calculus, Statistics), 3 units (1 course)." One course of any of the four answers the whole requirement.
Psychologyrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
One course, and three flavors count: "Psychology (General, Developmental, or Abnormal), 3-4 units (1 course)." Abnormal or developmental satisfies it outright, so an introductory course is not obligatory.
Geneticsrequiredextra here
2 credits
A prerequisite few PA programs carry: "Genetics, 2-3 units." Two units clears it, and no laboratory is specified.
Anatomy and physiologyrequired
2 semesters · 8 credits · lab
The full A&P sequence with lab, the one course essentially every program names. Recency windows bite hardest here: several programs expire A&P specifically, one at three years, while leaving the rest of the list alone.
Microbiologyrequireddiffers
3 credits · lab
Most PA programmes ask for 1 semester · 4 credits · lab.
"Microbiology with Lab, 3-4 units." Three units clears it, one unit below the baseline, but the laboratory is not optional.
Medical terminologynot required here
Medical terminology is not among the eight prerequisite blocks Cal Baptist publishes.
Social sciences and humanitiesrequiredextra here
3 semesters · 9 credits
The largest single block on the list: "Social Sciences/Humanities, 9 units (3 courses)." Three courses, and the psychology prerequisite is listed separately from this block rather than counting toward it.

Experience hours

Patient care experiencerequireddiffers
1000+ hours
Most PA programmes ask for 500+ hours.
A stated minimum, and unpaid time counts fully toward it: "Minimum of 1,000 hours paid, volunteer, or a combination of both."
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
Half the baseline figure and explicitly not a requirement: "at least 20 hours is highly recommended."

Letters

Science faculty letterrecommendeddiffers
1 letter
Most PA programmes publish no minimum.
The program names "professor" without naming a discipline, so a science professor is not asked for specifically. Three letters total, from any mix of the accepted writer types.
PA letterrecommendeddiffers
1 letter
Most PA programmes publish no minimum.
No letter is required by writer type. Cal Baptist asks for "Three letters of recommendations from any of the following: professor, medical colleague (PA/MD/DO preferred), supervisor, clergy." A PA letter is preferred within the medical colleague slot, not mandated, and clergy is an accepted writer here in a way it is at few other programs.
Supervisor letterrecommendeddiffers
1 letter
Most PA programmes publish no minimum.
A supervisor is one of the four writer types Cal Baptist will take among the three letters, alongside a professor, a medical colleague and clergy. None of the four is individually required.

Also on the school’s page

Cal Baptist's prerequisite list is one of the broadest on this path, eight blocks covering the sciences plus genetics, math, a full year of English and nine units of social sciences and humanities. The grade bar is higher than the usual C: every prerequisite needs "a grade of B- or better." Three GPA floors are published as minimums rather than averages, "3.2 minimum" overall, "3.0 minimum" science and "3.0 minimum" prerequisite. Recency is advice, not a bar: "Science courses taken within the past five years is recommended." The application deadline for fall entry is January 15, a bachelor's degree is required, the personal statement is capped at 250 words, and admission turns on "A successful interview." One unusual step sits inside that interview: basic math and English composition screenings, each needing a "70% passing score." The page names neither the GRE nor the PA-CAT anywhere, so no standardized admissions test is stated.

School

calbaptist.edu/academics/programs/master-of-science-physician-assistant-studies

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