PA · Milwaukee, Wisconsin · private
Marquette University Physician Assistant Studies Program prerequisites
What Marquette asks for in the 2026-27 cycle, as read from the school's own admissions page. 15 lines differ from the standard PA school set, marked below.
Coursework
- Biology with labrequiredextra here
6 credits
"2 semesters of biological sciences (6 semester credits). Any two biological sciences courses, other than microbiology and physiology. Examples: biology, anatomy, genetics, neurology, zoology, etc." Microbiology and physiology are separate requirements and cannot double count. One overlap is allowed: "If both anatomy and physiology I & II are taken, the combination of both courses can be applied towards one of the biological science course requirements and the physiology portion can be used to apply to the physiology prerequisite." No lab is specified.
- General chemistry with labrequireddiffers
1 semester · 4 credits · lab
Most PA programmes ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.
"1-2 semesters (4 semester credits total) of inorganic (General) chemistry with lab," half the baseline's two-semester sequence. "AP credit is accepted; however, a chemistry lab is still required," so AP scores do not get you out of the laboratory.
- Biochemistryrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
"1 semester of biochemistry (3 semester credits)." Required outright, and the usual substitution is closed off: "Organic chemistry can NOT be used to fulfill this requirement. Upper-division biochemistry courses are preferred."
- English or writing-intensivenot required here
No English, composition or writing requirement appears on the graduate applicant prerequisite list.
- Statisticsrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
"1 semester of statistics (3 semester credits). Biostatistics, statistics in social science, statistics; AP credit accepted; research methods NOT accepted." May be in progress at the time of application.
- Psychologyrecommendeddiffers
1 semester · 3 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 1 semester · 3 credits and list it as required.
Psychology is not required by name. It is the recommended way to fill the one-semester social science requirement: "Psych: intro, general, developmental, abnormal, or sociology recommended." Sociology does the same job.
- Physiologyrequiredextra here
1 semester · 3 credits
"1 semester of physiology (3 semester credits)." Marquette asks for physiology on its own rather than a full A&P sequence, and "If both Anatomy and Physiology I and II are taken, the combination of both courses will fulfill the physiology requirement," with the leftover credit counting toward one biological science slot.
- Anatomy and physiologynot required here
The full A&P sequence with lab, near universal elsewhere, is not required here. Marquette asks for one semester of physiology (3 credits) as a standalone prerequisite and treats anatomy as one of the acceptable biological sciences electives. If you have already taken A&P I and II, "the combination of both courses will fulfill the physiology requirement" and the remainder counts toward one biological science slot.
- Microbiologyrequireddiffers
3 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 1 semester · 4 credits · lab.
"1 semester of microbiology (3 semester credits). Lab recommended but not required." Microbiology cannot also count toward the two-semester biological sciences block.
- Medical terminologyrequireddiffers
1 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 1 credits and list it as recommended.
Required here, not merely recommended: "1 course in medical terminology (1 or more semester credit). Must be taken for transcript credit; CEUs/CMEs are not accepted; can be taken online." It may be in progress at the time of application, but it must be finished by December 31 before matriculation.
- Social sciences and humanitiesrequiredextra here
1 semester · 3 credits
"1 semester of social science (3 semester credits). Psych: intro, general, developmental, abnormal, or sociology recommended; AP credit accepted." One course fills it, and psychology and sociology are equally acceptable.
Experience hours
- Patient care experiencerequireddiffers
200+ hours
Most PA programmes ask for 500+ hours.
"Minimum of 200 hours of patient contact," one of the lowest published floors on this path. "The hours can be either volunteer or paid direct patient care. The minimum 200 hours must be completed at the time your application is submitted with a contact number of a supervisor or volunteer office for verification." The accepted roles are broad and include work most programs file as healthcare experience: "Hours may include (but are not limited to): nursing assistant, EMT, scribe, volunteer patient care within a nursing home or hospital, radiology tech, phlebotomist." They must be earned in the United States, and "Additional hours after submission will not be counted toward the total," so time accrued after you submit is wasted. 200 is a floor for eligibility, not a competitive figure.
- Healthcare experiencerecommendeddiffers
200+ hours
Most PA programmes ask for 500+ hours.
Marquette does not publish a separate healthcare experience figure and does not draw a hard line between the two buckets: the selection factors list reads "Minimum of 200 hours of patient contact and other health care experience," and scribing is named among the qualifying roles. Treat the 200 as one combined total rather than two.
- PA shadowingrecommended
20+ hours
No hour figure published, and shadowing earns nothing toward the 200: "Healthcare shadowing hours do not count towards this requirement." It still feeds a stated selection factor, "Knowledge of the PA profession and its role in the health care system."
Letters
- Science faculty letterrecommendeddiffers
1 letter
Most PA programmes publish no minimum.
Marquette suggests an academic reference but names no discipline, so a science professor satisfies the suggestion without being specifically required.
- Faculty letter (any discipline)recommendedextra here
1 letter
"Although there are no requirements as to the format or content of the three reference letters we require, we do have some suggestions as to who these references might come from." The first suggestion is "A reference who is familiar with your current academic record and can comment on your academic potential. This would ideally be someone whose course you have taken and can comment on your preparation for the rigors of an intense professional academic program." No discipline is named.
- PA letterrecommendeddiffers
1 letter
Most PA programmes publish no minimum.
Suggested rather than required, and any healthcare worker qualifies: "A reference who is familiar with your desire to become a PA and your work ethic. This would ideally be from someone in the healthcare field with whom you have worked with, or worked for." Three letters total, through CASPA.
- Supervisor letterrecommendeddiffers
1 letter
Most PA programmes publish no minimum.
Three letters are required but Marquette mandates no writer: "there are no requirements as to the format or content of the three reference letters." The suggested set is one academic, one from healthcare work, and one from "someone in the community who can comment on your character, your goals." One firm rule: "references are not acceptable from family members."
Also on the school’s page
This overlay records Marquette's graduate track, "Applicants who have a completed bachelor's degree or equivalent degree prior to matriculating"; Marquette undergraduates apply under a separate set of requirements at /physician-assistant/apply-marquette-undergraduate.php. The prerequisite list is compact and specific, 8 items totalling roughly 26 semester credits, and the shape is unusual for a PA program: no full anatomy and physiology sequence, no organic chemistry, and only 4 credits of general chemistry, but biochemistry and medical terminology are both hard requirements. "All prerequisite coursework must be completed with a grade of C or better. C- and CD and lower grades are not satisfactory grades." Recency is a preference, not a rule: "It is highly recommended that the pre-requisite coursework is completed within the last 5 years and taken at a 4 year regionally accredited institution." "Online coursework is accepted; however, in-person coursework is preferred for science prerequisites." Pending coursework is tightly limited: "Students can apply with ONE science prerequisite in progress or planned; however, all prerequisite coursework must be completed by December 31, prior to matriculation," while the social science, statistics and medical terminology courses may also be in progress at the time of application. AP credit is accepted for general chemistry (with the lab still required), social science and statistics. Minimum cumulative GPA is 3.0 as calculated by CASPA. On testing: "GRE scores optional (Designated Institution code 5872)"; no PA-CAT or CASPer requirement appears. Applications go through CASPA and "All electronic application materials must be received by CASPA no later than August 1 of each year," plus a non-refundable $85 Marquette supplemental fee without which a verified application will not be reviewed. "Once the application has been CASPA verified, no further updates and additions to the application will be considered." No deferments, no transfers, no advanced placement. Class size is 75 "consisting of a target class makeup of approximately 25 Marquette University applicants," so roughly two thirds of seats are open to outside applicants. On preference, which is about background rather than state residency: "Marquette applies preference to academically strong applicants who are first-generation college students, come from economically or educationally disadvantaged backgrounds, have military experience, speak English as a second language, or are from medically underserved or rural areas."
School
marquette.edu/chs/paCheck your transcript against this list
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