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PA · Fishersville, Virginia · private

Mary Baldwin University Physician Assistant Program prerequisites

What Mary Baldwin asks for in the 2026-27 cycle, as read from the school's own admissions page. 11 lines differ from the standard PA school set, marked below.

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Coursework

  • Biology with labrequiredextra here

    3 credits · lab

    "Biology: 3-4 credit hrs; Any biology course in addition to Anatomy, Physiology, and Microbiology; must include lab." One course, any biology subject, sitting on top of the A&P and microbiology requirements. No time limit.

  • General chemistry with labrequireddiffers

    3 credits · lab

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

    "Chemistry: 3-4 credit hrs; Must include lab." One course rather than the two-semester general chemistry sequence the baseline assumes, and the organic or biochemistry requirement is separate. Within ten years of matriculation.

  • Biochemistryrequired

    1 semester · 3 credits

    "Organic Chemistry or Biochemistry: 3-4 credit hrs; Lab preferred." The applicant chooses between the two, and the laboratory is preferred rather than required. No time limit.

  • English or writing-intensivenot required here

    No English, composition or writing course appears in the MSPA prerequisite table.

  • Statisticsrequired

    1 semester · 3 credits

    "Statistics: 3 credit hrs; Can be from biology, mathematics, psychology, or business. NOTE, if a psychology course is used to meet this requirement, it cannot also be used for the psychology requirement." The home department is open, the double-counting is not.

  • Psychologyrequireddiffers

    2 semesters · 6 credits

    Most PA programmes ask for 1 semester · 3 credits.

    "Psychology: 6 credit hrs; 1 intro and 1 upper OR 2 upper-level psychology courses; abnormal and developmental psychology are preferred." Two courses, not one, and an introductory course alone does not satisfy it. A psychology course used for the statistics requirement cannot be counted here as well.

  • Anatomy and physiologyrequireddiffers

    6 credits · lab

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

    Two separate rows: "Human Anatomy: 3-4 credit hrs; Must include lab" and "Human Physiology: 3-4 credit hrs; Must include lab." "Can be combined Anatomy/Physiology for 8 credits, but must include labs." Six credits is the floor if taken as two 3-credit courses, eight if taken as a combined sequence. Both fall inside the ten-year window to matriculation.

  • Microbiologyrequireddiffers

    3 credits · lab

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

    "Microbiology: 3-4 credit hrs; Must include lab." No time limit on this one, unlike anatomy, physiology and chemistry.

  • Medical terminologyrequireddiffers

    1 credits

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

    Required here rather than recommended: "Medical Terminology: 1-2 credit hrs; A medical terminology certificate could be used to fulfill the prerequisite requirement for this coursework." A certificate is explicitly acceptable, so no graded college course is needed. Within ten years of matriculation.

Experience hours

  • Patient care experiencerecommendeddiffers

    500+ hours

    Most PA programmes ask for 500+ hours and list it as required.

    No minimum, and no requirement at all: "Healthcare observation hours or actual healthcare experiences are recommended but not required." That is unusual on this path, where most programs publish a hard floor. The program does not separate patient care from healthcare experience or say how hours are weighted, and it publishes no admitted-class average.

  • Healthcare experiencerecommended

    500+ hours

    The program's one sentence on experience covers observation and hands-on work together, "recommended but not required," with no number and no line drawn between patient care and healthcare experience. The baseline's 200-hour figure does not come from this program.

  • PA shadowingrecommended

    20+ hours

    "Healthcare observation hours... are recommended but not required." No number is published for the PA program. The articulation-agreement checklist adds "Observation hours, if necessary (details on program pages)," which again sets no figure. Mary Baldwin does set 40 observation hours in at least two settings for its occupational therapy program, but that requirement is not applied to the PA program.

Letters

  • Science faculty letternot required here

    The three CASPA references carry no source restriction; no science faculty letter is required.

  • PA letternot required here

    The requirement is "Three references (submitted via CASPA)" with no writer type named, so no PA letter is required. By contrast the college does require an occupational therapist reference for its OT program, so the silence here is deliberate.

  • Supervisor letternot required here

    The three CASPA references carry no source restriction; no supervisor letter is required.

Also on the school’s page

Mary Baldwin's Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences publishes the MSPA prerequisites as a credit-hour table on its shared graduate health professions admissions page. The application runs through CASPA and "Applications must be CASPA-verified by October 1"; "Bachelor's degree and all prerequisite coursework must be earned/completed by September 1." Academic floor: "3.0 overall GPA." Recency: "Anatomy, Physiology, Chemistry, and Medical Terminology prerequisites must be completed within 10 years of matriculation," which leaves biology, microbiology, the organic or biochemistry course, psychology and statistics with no time limit. Testing is heavier here than at most PA programs and there are two separate assessments. GRE: "Must have been taken within 5 years of application to our program. The CASPA/Mary Baldwin University identification code is 3656. MDCHS utilizes a holistic approach to admissions; therefore, we do not publish a minimum GRE score." Casper: "A Casper Assessment must be completed in order to be considered for an interview" (Test: US Professional Health Sciences, CSP-10101), 90 to 110 minutes, "Early submission is recommended. Duet is not required." The PA-CAT is not mentioned. Three references are submitted through CASPA and the program names no required writer type, along with a brief personal statement. Non-native English speakers submit a TOEFL of at least 570 paper-based or 88 internet-based, waived for a bachelor's or graduate degree from a four-year accredited U.S. university. Interviews are by invitation and "An interview does not guarantee acceptance." Fees: a $45 supplementary application fee through CASPA, waivable with a CASPA fee waiver or a GRE Fee Reduction Certificate, and a nonrefundable $2,000 deposit on acceptance. Regional preference: "Special favorable consideration during the admission process is given to applicants from the western Virginia and eastern West Virginia region. This includes the counties of and cities within Augusta, Rockingham, Albemarle, Nelson, Rockbridge, Bath, Highland, Pendleton and Pocahontas," for people who graduated from a high school there or have lived there five or more years. Articulation agreements with Bridgewater, Columbia College, Eastern Mennonite, Ferrum, Hollins, Mary Baldwin, St. Michael's and VMI guarantee an interview, not admission, to students with a 3.4 or higher cumulative GPA and a grade of C or better in every prerequisite; all applicants still apply through CASPA.

School

marybaldwin.edu/programs/physician-assistant-m-s

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