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PA · Union, New Jersey · public

Kean University Physician Assistant Program prerequisites

What Kean 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.

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Coursework

  • Biology with labrequiredextra here

    lab

    "General Biology* 1 course," with the laboratory that the footnote requires of every science course. No credit count is stated.

  • 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.

  • Biochemistryrequired

    1 semester · 3 credits

    "Biochemistry** 1 course," the one science course exempt from the lab rule. The footnote sets a bar on depth: "General Biochemistry or Fundamentals of Biochemistry is preferred. Students who have completed an Introduction to Biochemistry course may be asked to submit a course syllabus for review by the Admissions Committee."

  • English or writing-intensivenot required here

    No English or writing requirement appears on the admission requirements page.

  • Statisticsrequired

    1 semester · 3 credits

    "Statistics OR Calculus 1 course." Calculus satisfies this line at Kean; statistics is not the only route.

  • Psychologyrequired

    1 semester · 3 credits

    "General Psychology OR Developmental Psychology OR Abnormal Psychology 1 course." One course, and any of the three named courses counts.

  • Anatomy and physiologyrequired

    2 semesters · 8 credits · lab

    Two rows, "Human Anatomy* 1 course" and "Human Physiology* 1 course," each with lab. The usual sequence answers both: "Human Anatomy and Human Physiology may be completed as a combined sequence (Anatomy & Physiology I and II)." No credit count is stated.

  • Microbiologyrequired

    1 semester · 4 credits · lab

    Named by nearly every program, usually 3 or 4 credits. A minority accept it without the lab, so read the school's own line before dropping one.

  • Medical terminologyrequireddiffers

    1 credits

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

    "Medical Terminology*** 1 course." A required course here, not a recommendation, and the one prerequisite Kean lets you take online: "Medical Terminology may be completed through an online course."

Experience hours

  • Patient care experiencerequired

    500+ hours

    "Minimum of 500 hours of direct patient care experience." Roles Kean names as qualifying: "Medical Scribe, Medical Assistant, Nursing Assistant, Nurse, EMT, Pharmacy Technician, Physical Therapist or PT Aide, Patient Care Technician," and "additional experiences may qualify." Note that scribing counts as direct patient care here, which many programs do not allow.

  • 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 shadowingrequireddiffers

    20+ hours

    Most PA programmes ask for 20+ hours and list it as recommended.

    "Minimum of 20 hours shadowing a Physician Assistant (or work/volunteer experience with a PA)." Working or volunteering alongside a PA substitutes for observation.

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.

  • Faculty letter (any discipline)requiredextra here

    1 letter

    "One academic reference," one of the "three letters of recommendation." Kean does not restrict it to a science professor.

  • PA letterrequireddiffers

    1 letter

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

    "One PA-C reference," one of the three required letters.

  • Supervisor letternot required here

    Not mandated. Kean requires three letters and names two writers, one academic reference and one PA-C; the third is unspecified.

Also on the school’s page

Kean publishes its prerequisites as a table of "1 course" rows without semester credit counts, so credit figures on lines this file does not modify are the baseline's planning numbers, not Kean's. The lab rule is a footnote that covers the whole table: "All science courses, with the exception of Biochemistry, must include a laboratory component." Grades: "Applicants must complete all prerequisite coursework with a grade of C or better prior to matriculation," and "qualified applicants will have no more than two grades of C." Two GPA floors, "Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0" and "Minimum prerequisite GPA of 3.0." The recency window is ten years: "All prerequisite courses must be completed within 10 years of application." The GRE is required: "GRE scores submitted through CASPA (Code: 3150)," with no minimum score published; the page says nothing about the PA-CAT or CASPer. Online prerequisites are accepted only from the pandemic terms Spring 2020 through Summer 2021, with letter grades; "all prerequisite coursework completed outside these semesters must be taken in person at an accredited U.S. or Canadian institution," medical terminology excepted. AP credit with a score of at least 4 may satisfy at most two prerequisites. Deadlines: "Priority Deadline: January 15" and "Regular Deadline: March 1."

School

kean.edu/academics/programs/physician-assistant-studies-ms

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