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PA · Cleveland, Ohio · private

Case Western Reserve University Physician Assistant Program prerequisites

What Case Western asks for in the 2026-27 cycle, as read from the school's own admissions page. 9 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

    "Biology with lab: 1 course (Genetics does not fulfill this requirement)." No credit count is stated.

  • General chemistry with labnot required here

    Not on Case Western's list; organic chemistry with lab is required and "general chemistry may not be substituted."

  • Organic chemistry with labrequiredextra here

    lab

    "Organic chemistry with lab: 1 course (general chemistry may not be substituted)." Required alongside biochemistry.

  • Biochemistryrequired

    1 semester · 3 credits

    "Biochemistry: 1 course." Required in addition to organic chemistry with lab.

  • English or writing-intensivenot required here

    Not on Case Western's prerequisite list.

  • Statisticsrequired

    1 semester · 3 credits

    "Statistics: 1 course."

  • Psychologyrequired

    1 semester · 3 credits

    "Psychology: 1 course."

  • Anatomy and physiologyrequired

    2 semesters · 8 credits · lab

    Two separate lines here: "Human anatomy with lab: 1 course (comparative anatomy may not be substituted)" and "Human physiology: 1 course (animal physiology or kinesiology may not be substituted)." Combined A&P courses are accepted, but two of them are required. No credit count is stated.

  • Microbiologyrequired

    1 semester · 4 credits · lab

    "Microbiology with lab: 1 course." No credit count is stated.

  • Medical terminologyrequireddiffers

    1 credits

    Most PA programmes ask for 1 credits and list it as recommended.

    "Medical Terminology: 1 course." Required, not merely recommended.

Experience hours

  • Patient care experiencerequireddiffers

    1000+ hours

    Most PA programmes ask for 500+ hours.

    "A minimum of 1,000 hours of direct, hands on, patient care experience in the United States or Canada must be completed by all applicants prior to application." "Experience can be paid or volunteer, but clinical hours earned toward a degree are not applicable." Qualifying roles include CNA, EMT or paramedic, home health aide, LPN, medical assistant, nurse, pharmacy tech, phlebotomist, physical therapist, radiology technician and scribe with patient care. "Unit Clerk, Research (with no patient care contact), Shadowing, Veterinarian Technician/Assistant" do not count.

  • 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

    "The program values and strongly encourages but does not require PA shadowing experience. Shadowing does not fulfill the direct patient care requirement."

Letters

  • Science faculty letternot required here

    No faculty letter is specified; only the healthcare professional letter is named among the three.

  • PA letternot required here

    The required clinician letter is from any healthcare professional; a PA is not named.

  • Supervisor letterrequireddiffers

    1 letter

    Most PA programmes publish no minimum and list it as recommended.

    Recorded here as the program's clinician letter: "One letter of recommendation furnished by a healthcare professional who has known the applicant for at least 6 months." Three letters minimum in total, which should collectively address academic aptitude and performance in the clinical environment. The writer need not be a supervisor, only a healthcare professional.

Also on the school’s page

Case Western lists prerequisites as single courses rather than credit hours: biology with lab ("Genetics does not fulfill this requirement"), human anatomy with lab ("comparative anatomy may not be substituted"), human physiology ("animal physiology or kinesiology may not be substituted"), microbiology with lab, organic chemistry with lab ("general chemistry may not be substituted"), biochemistry, psychology, statistics and medical terminology. "Anatomy & Physiology combination classes will be accepted but we require two combination courses to fulfill the requirements." AP credit may be accepted if on the CASPA transcript but "Will not be accepted towards prerequisite courses that require a lab unless you take the lab in college." "Online coursework will be accepted as long as it meets our course and lab requirements." Courses must be completed no later than the Fall term of the year of application, with at most two outstanding at submission. No recency window and no minimum prerequisite grade are published. From the transcript and grade page: "A baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution in the United States or Canada prior to matriculation into the program" and "A cumulative and science grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 (4.0 scale)." Testing: "The Program does not require any other standardized tests" beyond a TOEFL for non-native English speakers (total 93, speaking 26, within two years, waived with a US baccalaureate or US citizenship); no GRE, PA-CAT or CASPer. Experience: "A minimum of 1,000 hours of direct, hands on, patient care experience in the United States or Canada must be completed by all applicants prior to application." Letters: "No less than three letters of recommendation," one from a healthcare professional who has known the applicant at least six months. The 2026-2027 cycle closes September 1, 2026. Experience, letter and grade wording comes from the sibling pages under /medicine/physician-assistant/admissions/.

School

case.edu/medicine/physician-assistant

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