Cyclios

PA · Duluth, Minnesota · private

College of St. Scholastica Physician Assistant Program prerequisites

What St. Scholastica asks for in the 2026-27 cycle, as read from the school's own admissions page. 8 lines differ from the standard PA school set, marked below.

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Coursework

  • General chemistry with labnot required here

    General chemistry is not on the program's prerequisite list. St. Scholastica names organic chemistry and biochemistry instead; general chemistry will normally be a campus prerequisite for those courses, but the PA program does not require it in its own right.

  • Organic chemistry with labrequiredextra here

    3 credits

    One course, minimum 3 semester credit hours, listed first on the prerequisite list. No lab demanded: labs are only "recommended in science-related courses, when applicable."

  • Biochemistryrequired

    1 semester · 3 credits

    Named outright on the prerequisite list, not an either/or with organic chemistry: St. Scholastica requires both. Minimum 3 semester credit hours, C or better.

  • English or writing-intensiverecommended

    2 semesters · 6 credits

    English composition, usually two semesters where it is asked for at all.

  • Statisticsrequired

    1 semester · 3 credits

    Statistics, minimum 3 semester credit hours, C or better, inside the 10 year window.

  • Psychologyrequired

    1 semester · 3 credits

    "General, Developmental, or Abnormal Psychology," any one of the three, minimum 3 semester credit hours.

  • Anatomy and physiologyrequireddiffers

    6 credits

    Most PA programmes ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.

    "Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II," each a minimum of 3 semester credit hours, so 6 together rather than the baseline's 8. Lab recommended, not required. Both must fall inside the 10 year window.

  • Microbiologyrequireddiffers

    3 credits

    Most PA programmes ask for 1 semester · 4 credits · lab.

    "Microbiology or Medical Microbiology," minimum 3 semester credit hours. Lab recommended when applicable, not required.

  • Medical terminologyrequireddiffers

    1 credits

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

    Required here rather than recommended, and the one prerequisite exempt from the 3 credit floor: it "can be a minimum of 1 semester credit hour."

Experience hours

  • Patient care experiencerequireddiffers

    750+ hours

    Most PA programmes ask for 500+ hours.

    "A minimum of 750 hours of paid direct patient/client work experience (PCE) is required at the time of application submission." Paid only, and the hours must already be complete when you submit. "Typical experiences may include CNA, personal care attendant through an agency, EMT, paramedic, scribe, or other healthcare professional. The key part of this requirement is that the experience must involve direct, face-to-face service with the patient/client."

  • 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

    Two recommenders are required, but the program does not name a PA or any other profession: "enter contact information for two people to submit recommendation information/letters on your behalf." A PA letter is allowed, not asked for.

  • Supervisor letternot required here

    Same reason: the program asks for two letters from people of the applicant's choosing and specifies no relationship, so a supervisor letter is optional here.

Also on the school’s page

St. Scholastica publishes a short prerequisite list: organic chemistry, biochemistry, human anatomy and physiology I and II, microbiology or medical microbiology, general, developmental or abnormal psychology, medical terminology, and statistics. "All courses must be a minimum of 3 semester credit hours, with the exception of Medical Terminology, which can be a minimum of 1 semester credit hour." Labs are not demanded: "Labs are recommended in science-related courses, when applicable." Recency window: "All prerequisites must have been completed within 10 years from the year of application," with a written waiver possible if requested by July 1; waivers of GPA, course grade minimum, and the course requirements themselves "will not be considered." Every prerequisite needs a C or better and a prerequisite GPA of 3.0, and all must be finished by Aug. 1 of the program start year at an institution of higher learning. Minimum cumulative and prerequisite GPA are both 3.0 with a stated preference of 3.3 or better. On testing: "The GRE is not required. Any standardized test scores will not be considered (i.e. GRE, MCAT, Casper, PA-CAT, etc.)." Two recommenders are required through CASPA but the program does not say who they must be: "In the CASPA application, enter contact information for two people to submit recommendation information/letters on your behalf." The program does not interview, calling interviews a source of bias, and gives admissions preference to St. Scholastica graduates, upper Midwest and rural applicants, and veterans. Deadline Aug. 1.

School

css.edu/academics/programs/graduate/master-of-science-pa-medicine

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