PA · Huntington, West Virginia · public
Marshall University Physician Assistant Program prerequisites
What Marshall asks for in the 2026-27 cycle, as read from the school's own admissions page. 10 lines differ from the standard PA school set, marked below.
Coursework
- 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
One line, either course: "Organic Chemistry I with lab, 4 cr (or Biochemistry, 3 cr)." Biochemistry is the cheaper route at three credits with no lab named; one semester of organic chemistry with its lab is the equal alternative. No second organic semester is required.
- English or writing-intensivenot required here
No English, composition or writing prerequisite appears on Marshall's list.
- Statisticsrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
Statistics, not calculus. The exception is regional: several Oklahoma and Texas programs require college algebra instead and do not count statistics, so check those individually.
- College mathematicsrequiredextra here
1 semester · 3 credits
A mathematics course beyond statistics, with an unusual escape hatch: "College Algebra, May be replaced with college-level pre-calculus, calculus, or physics, 3 cr." Physics satisfying an algebra requirement is rare; it is the only place physics appears in Marshall's prerequisites. Statistics does not answer this line, since it is listed separately.
- Psychologyrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
General psychology. Many programs fold it into a broader social or behavioural science block that sociology or anthropology also satisfies.
- Anatomy and physiologyrequireddiffers
7 credits · lab
Most PA programmes ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.
Split into two lines with only one lab: "Human Anatomy with lab, 4 cr" and "Human Physiology, 3 cr," seven credits in total. The combined route costs a credit more: "Combined Human Anatomy and Physiology courses are accepted in lieu of separate Human Anatomy with lab and Human Physiology courses. However, applicants must take two semesters of Anatomy and Physiology with associated labs (totaling 8 cr)." Both fall inside the ten year window, and virtual labs are accepted.
- Microbiologyrequireddiffers
3 credits · lab
Most PA programmes ask for 1 semester · 4 credits · lab.
"Microbiology with lab, 3 cr," a credit lighter than the usual four hour course. In person and virtual labs both count.
- Medical terminologyrequireddiffers
1 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 1 credits and list it as recommended.
Required rather than recommended: "Medical Terminology, One semester (1 - 3 cr)." Like every prerequisite it must carry a letter grade of C or better, cannot be met by AP, IB or CLEP, and falls inside the ten year window.
Experience hours
- Patient care experiencerecommendeddiffers
500+ hours
Most PA programmes ask for 500+ hours and list it as required.
Marshall is one of the few PA programs that does not require patient care hours at all, and says so plainly: "PA Shadowing and Patient Care Experience (PCE). Shadowing and patient care experience are highly recommended, but not required. While not required, preference may be given to individuals with shadowing or PCE at the time of application." No number is published for either, and the two are named together rather than separated. What is scored instead is the academic record, Casper, recommendations, entrance exam, personal statement and interview.
- Healthcare experiencenot required here
No healthcare experience requirement or number is published. The only experience statement Marshall makes covers shadowing and patient care experience together and calls both highly recommended but not required.
- PA shadowingrecommended
20+ hours
PA shadowing, named alongside patient care experience in the same sentence and carrying the same status: "highly recommended, but not required," with "preference may be given to individuals with shadowing or PCE at the time of application." No hour count is published.
Letters
- Science faculty letternot required here
No faculty or science professor letter is named among the three recommendations.
- PA letterrecommendeddiffers
1 letter
Most PA programmes publish no minimum.
"Three recommendations are required, and these recommendations are used in the application evaluation process. They must be submitted through CASPA and be from recommenders who can attest to the applicant's abilities to succeed, such as the capacity to learn, work ethic, and/or educational or professional goals. It is highly recommended that at least one reference be from a physician assistant or medical clinician (MD, DO, NP, etc.)." So three letters are mandatory but no writer is, and the clinician letter is a strong recommendation that a PA, physician or nurse practitioner can all satisfy. One hard exclusion: "Recommendations should NOT be from family members or friends."
- Supervisor letternot required here
Not required. Three recommendations are mandatory but no writer is specified beyond the strong suggestion of a clinician, and Marshall asks only that writers can speak to capacity to learn, work ethic and goals.
Also on the school’s page
Marshall runs a January start, so the cycle it publishes for the class entering January 2027 opens in April 2026 and closes with "Deadline for application to be verified by CASPA" on October 1, 2026, with interviews from June and offers within 30 days of interview. Three GPA floors all have to be cleared: "Required minimum overall GPA of 3.0 (4.0 scale) overall, as calculated by CASPA," the same 3.0 for science GPA as calculated by CASPA, and "Required minimum prerequisite coursework GPA of 3.0 (4.0 scale), as calculated by Marshall University's PA program," with the caveat that "preference will be given to applicants with higher GPAs." Grades must be real and passing: "All courses must be taken for a letter grade and be passed at the C or better level; a C minus is not acceptable," and "No Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), or College Level Examination Program (CLEP) coursework will be accepted in lieu of taking the courses themselves." The recency window is ten years: "All prerequisite coursework should have been taken within the last 10 years." Online labs are fine: "While the program encourages in-person labs, both in-person and virtual labs will be accepted." Credits are semester hours; quarter hours convert at 0.667. Marshall is one of the shrinking number of programs that still requires an entrance exam, and it accepts two: "Entrance exam, Graduate Record Exam (GRE). The MCAT may be substituted for the GRE. GRE/MCAT scores must be less than five years old at the time of application. There is no minimum score required, and the GRE/MCAT is not weighted heavily within our application process, but preference is given to applicants who rank in the higher 50% on their entrance exam." Scores go to CASPA from ETS using Marshall's CASPA code 4752. A second assessment is also mandatory: "All applicants applying to the Marshall University Physician Assistant Program are required to complete the Acuity Insights (Casper test only)," specifically the United States Casper 2 (CSP-20100); the Duet is not required, scores are valid for one cycle only, and there is a hard last test date. On residency, the page states a preference the catalog row does not carry: "Consistent with our mission, applicants who are West Virginia residents will be given additional points in the admission rubrics." Marshall's own graduates get more than points: an undergraduate degree from Marshall plus minimum requirements plus a CASPA verified application by September 1 means "will be offered an interview." A baccalaureate degree from an accredited US institution is required with no specific major, applicants must be US citizens or permanent residents, applicants still finishing prerequisites may be admitted preliminarily, and "No advanced placement is granted in the program." Note also that no general biology course appears on the prerequisite list at all.
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