PA · Boston, Massachusetts · private
MGH Institute of Health Professions Physician Assistant Studies Program prerequisites
What MGH IHP asks for in the 2026-27 cycle, as read from the school's own admissions page. 8 lines differ from the standard PA school set, marked below.
Coursework
- Biology with labrequiredextra here
1 semester · 4 credits · lab
A general biology course with laboratory, 4 credits, listed separately from and in addition to the anatomy and physiology sequence. B- or better, finished before the application is submitted.
- General chemistry with labrequired
2 semesters · 8 credits · lab
Chemistry I and II with laboratory, 8 credits total, B- or better. The full sequence, no one-semester substitution offered.
- Biochemistryrecommendeddiffers
1 semester · 3 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 1 semester · 3 credits and list it as required.
Not a prerequisite here but an explicit competitiveness factor: "successful completion of a Biochemistry or Organic Chemistry course with a grade of B or higher" receives additional consideration in the admissions review. Either course answers it.
- English or writing-intensivenot required here
No English composition or writing requirement is listed. The six prerequisites are anatomy and physiology, biology, microbiology, chemistry I and II, psychology and statistics.
- Statisticsrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
Three credits of statistics, B- or better.
- Psychologyrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
Three credits of psychology, B- or better. No second course such as abnormal or developmental is named.
- Anatomy and physiologyrequired
2 semesters · 8 credits · lab
Eight credits with lab, satisfiable two ways: "Anatomy & Physiology I lecture/lab (4 credits) + Anatomy & Physiology II lecture/lab (4 credits)" or one semester of anatomy with lab plus one semester of physiology with lab. B- or better.
- Microbiologyrequired
1 semester · 4 credits · lab
One semester with laboratory, 4 credits, B- or better.
- Medical terminologynot required here
Medical terminology does not appear anywhere in the prerequisite list.
Experience hours
- Patient care experiencerequireddiffers
1000+ hours
Most PA programmes ask for 500+ hours.
"A minimum of 1,000 hours of hands-on, direct patient-care experience is required at the time of application submission," and "additional consideration will be given to applicants with 2,000+ hours." The hours must come from a paid position; volunteer hours are generally not accepted. Roles the program names include "Nurse, CNA, medical assistant, clinic/hospital-based patient care assistant" and similar positions involving direct patient interaction. The program reads the work, not the title: "We are more interested in the job description and the day-to-day responsibilities."
- Healthcare experiencerecommended
500+ hours
The program publishes no separate healthcare experience number. Its one hours requirement is stated in hands-on direct patient care terms, so work in a healthcare setting without that responsibility does not count toward the 1,000.
- PA shadowingrecommended
20+ hours
Under a fifth of programs set a shadowing minimum; among those that do the median is 20 hours and a handful ask for 100 or more. Several count shadowing inside their experience total rather than separately, and a few have dropped it from scoring entirely.
Letters
- Science faculty letterrecommendeddiffers
1 letter
Most PA programmes publish no minimum.
One of the three CASPA letters may come from a science professor, but no faculty letter is required by title.
- PA letterrecommendeddiffers
1 letter
Most PA programmes publish no minimum.
No writer type is named. "Three (3) recommendation letters are required for admission. Recommendation letters must be submitted directly to CASPA." A PA is an obvious choice given the patient care requirement, but the program does not ask for one.
- Supervisor letterrecommendeddiffers
1 letter
Most PA programmes publish no minimum.
Three letters, all through CASPA, with the program specifying neither role nor relationship for any of them.
Also on the school’s page
The program, now published under Mass General Brigham University, states a hard grade floor rather than a recency window: "Completion of the following prerequisite courses at an accredited institution with a grade of B- or better is required for admission," and every prerequisite must be finished before the application is submitted. No time limit is placed on when the coursework was taken. The prerequisite block is six items: human anatomy and physiology with lab, biology with lab, microbiology with lab, chemistry I and II with lab, psychology and statistics. A bachelor's degree from an accredited U.S. institution or a recognized international equivalent is required, with a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 and additional consideration for 3.25 and above. On testing the page is explicit both ways: "The GRE is not required for admission to this program" and "The PA-CAT is not required for admission to this program." Letters run through CASPA, three of them, with no writer type named. Shadowing is not mentioned anywhere on the page. Non-English-language degree holders need TOEFL 89 internet-based or IELTS 6.5. The Institute offers several of the prerequisites online itself.
Check your transcript against this list
Cyclios keeps this list beside your coursework and tells you what MGH IHP still needs from you.
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