Cyclios

PA · Boiling Springs, North Carolina · private

Gardner Webb University Physician Assistant Program prerequisites

What Gardner-Webb 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.

Read from the school’s pageCheck it with the school

Coursework

  • General chemistry with labrequireddiffers

    1 semester · 4 credits · lab

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

    Gardner-Webb does not list general chemistry I. It asks instead for one semester of "Additional chemistry with lab," a "Chemistry course designed for Biology or Chemistry majors. Recommended course options: analytical chemistry, inorganic chemistry, or general chemistry II," with general chemistry I excluded. The second semester of the usual sequence answers this line, which is why it is recorded at four credits rather than the baseline eight.

  • Biochemistryrequired

    1 semester · 3 credits

    Either course answers this line: "Organic chemistry with lab or Biochemistry (one semester or equivalent)," "designed for Biology or Chemistry majors." The lab is named for organic chemistry, not for biochemistry.

  • English or writing-intensivenot required here

    No English or writing course appears on Gardner-Webb's prerequisite list.

  • Statisticsrequired

    1 semester · 3 credits

    "Statistics (one course)." The prerequisite page adds one exclusion: "Business Statistics not accepted."

  • Psychologyrequired

    1 semester · 3 credits

    "Psychology (one course)," satisfied by "General, Abnormal, or Developmental Psychology."

  • Advanced biologyrequiredextra here

    1 semester · 3 credits

    "Additional Biology," one semester of a "Biology course designed for Biology or Chemistry majors. Recommended course options: genetics, cell biology, molecular biology, embryology, histology, or immunology or general biology II." General Biology I does not count. Note that general biology II is accepted, so this is not strictly an upper division ask.

  • Anatomy and physiologyrequired

    2 semesters · 8 credits · lab

    Two semesters with labs, as either "Human Anatomy & Physiology I & II with labs" or "Human Anatomy with lab AND Human Physiology with lab," and the two tracks cannot be mixed. "Must be HUMAN to be accepted"; animal or comparative courses do not qualify. The program encourages taking it within the last two years. Eight credits is the default for two semesters; the page states no credit figure.

  • Microbiologyrequired

    1 semester · 4 credits · lab

    "Microbiology with lab (one semester or equivalent)," and it must be "designed for Biology or Chemistry majors." Online labs are not accepted.

  • Medical terminologyrequireddiffers

    1 credits

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

    Required, not merely recommended, and with no work experience substitute: "Can be a certificate program. No exceptions are provided for other experience or certifications." No credit count is published.

Experience hours

  • Patient care experiencerequireddiffers

    1000+ hours

    Most PA programmes ask for 500+ hours.

    "A minimum of 1000 direct patient contact hours is required for application," completed "no later than the first day of September prior to the program start date." Acceptable roles include "military corpsmen, paramedic, EMT, combat medic, registered nurse (RN), licensed practical nurse (LPN), certified nursing assistant (CNA), surgical technician, EEG or EKG technician, emergency room technician, medical assistant (MA), respiratory therapist, radiologic technician, registered dietitian, phlebotomist, lab technician, dental hygienist, x-ray technician, physical/occupational therapist, physical therapy aide, medical social worker, mental health counselor, ophthalmic technician, chiropractic assistant, ABA behavioral technician, athletic trainer, exercise physiologist, health and wellness consultant in a clinical setting, medical scribe." Scribing counts here. Not acceptable: "clerical duties for any organization, transporter (orderly), veterinarian work, medical answering service, ward secretary, massage therapist, dental assistant, in-home care assistant (personal caregiver for an ill family member), shadowing, pharmacy tech, pharmaceutical sales, student clinical experience/internships."

  • Healthcare experiencerecommended

    500+ hours

    Gardner-Webb publishes no separate healthcare experience figure; its single 1,000 hour requirement is for direct patient contact, and clerical, transport, answering service and ward secretary work are explicitly excluded from it.

  • PA shadowingrecommended

    20+ hours

    No shadowing requirement is published, and shadowing is named on the list of experiences that do not count toward the 1,000 direct patient contact hours.

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 letterrequireddiffers

    1 letter

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

    "Each applicant will be required to provide three professional or academic letters of recommendation. At least one letter must come from an advanced care practitioner or physician (PA, NP, MD, DO)." A PA is the first writer named; an NP, MD or DO satisfies the same slot.

  • Supervisor letterrecommendeddiffers

    1 letter

    Most PA programmes publish no minimum.

    No supervisor letter is mandated. The three letters are "professional or academic," with only the clinician letter fixed.

Also on the school’s page

Gardner-Webb lists its prerequisites by semester rather than by credit hour: "Human anatomy and physiology with labs (two semesters or equivalent); Microbiology with lab (one semester or equivalent); Additional biology (one semester or equivalent); Organic chemistry with lab or Biochemistry (one semester or equivalent); Additional chemistry with lab (one semester or equivalent); Statistics (one course); Psychology (one course) and Medical terminology." Credit figures below are the default for each course type, not numbers the program publishes. Its prerequisite courses subpage (same URL plus /prerequisite-courses/) adds that every science course must be "designed for Biology or Chemistry majors," that "Each course grade must be at least a B-minus (a grade of C+ or lower will not be accepted)," and that "A minimum overall prerequisite GPA of 3.0 is required" alongside the cumulative floor: "A Bachelor's Degree from a US regionally accredited institution is required to apply, and the minimum acceptable overall GPA is 3.2," which "does not guarantee an interview or acceptance." Recency is advisory: "If prerequisite courses are older than seven years, we recommend refreshing them," and "Students are encouraged to have taken Anatomy and Physiology within the last two years." Credit rules: AP credit accepted with a score of 4 or 5, community college courses accepted, "Online labs will not be accepted," and CLEP or credit by examination is not accepted for any prerequisite. Everything, courses and degree, must be complete by the first day of September before the program starts. Neither page mentions the GRE, the PA-CAT or any other test, so no exam is stated as required. Applications are accepted from US citizens and permanent residents only, and applicants must meet the program's Technical Standards. CASPA opens in late April and must be complete by September 1.

School

gardner-webb.edu/academics/colleges-schools/health-sciences/physician-assistant-studies

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