PA · East Lansing, Michigan · public
Michigan State University Physician Assistant Program prerequisites
What Michigan State asks for in the 2026-27 cycle, as read from the school's own admissions page. 9 lines differ from the standard PA school set, marked below.
Coursework
- General chemistry with labrequireddiffers
2 semesters · 8 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.
One general chemistry course, with a substitution most programs do not allow: "Organic chemistry is also accepted to fulfill this requirement." No two semester sequence, no credit figure and no laboratory are stated.
- Biochemistryrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
Required outright, not as an alternative to organic chemistry. "Combined organic/biochemistry course accepted if 50% of the course is biochemistry focused."
- English or writing-intensiverequireddiffers
2 semesters · 6 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 2 semesters · 6 credits and list it as recommended.
Required, not merely recommended. "AP credit is accepted (must be able to provide proof)." and "Designated writing courses are accepted where more than 50% of the course is based on writing."
- Statisticsrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
"Statistics may be taken in any department", and AP credit is accepted with proof.
- Psychologyrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
Developmental psychology specifically: "Intro to Psychology courses will not meet requirements, must be a developmental course."
- Anatomy and physiologyrequireddiffers
6 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.
Two separate lines, human anatomy and human physiology, with one combined route: "Combined A&P classes are acceptable but must be a minimum of 6 credits in total to fulfill both." Six credits is therefore the only credit figure MSUCOM publishes here. No laboratory is stated for anatomy or physiology, and no recency window applies.
- Microbiologyrequired
1 semester · 4 credits · lab
"Microbiology WITH lab", and "Lab may be taken separately" from the lecture. No credit figure is published.
- Medical terminologynot required here
Medical terminology is not on MSUCOM's eight course prerequisite list.
Experience hours
- Patient care experiencerecommendeddiffers
500+ hours
Most PA programmes ask for 500+ hours and list it as required.
MSUCOM publishes no hours minimum and does not require patient care at all: "Healthcare experience (direct patient care, volunteering, and/or shadowing) is not required for application, however, is strongly encouraged as it is a component considered in our holistic review process." It is still weighed: "The program gives preference to applicants who have exposure to medicine, membership in professional medical society and/or club, and the PA profession, including PA shadowing, direct patient care, and indirect patient care such as scribing." Unusually for this path, scribing is named as counting.
- Healthcare experiencerecommended
500+ hours
No number is published, and the program does not split patient care from healthcare experience: it groups "direct patient care, volunteering, and/or shadowing" under one heading and names "indirect patient care such as scribing" among what earns preference.
- PA shadowingrecommended
20+ hours
No shadowing minimum is published. PA shadowing is named among the experiences that earn preference in holistic review, and MSUCOM says ideally one of the three letters comes from "a PA or another healthcare provider who you have shadowed, worked with, or who has served as a mentor."
Letters
- Science faculty letternot required here
No writer is mandated. Where MSUCOM suggests an academic voice it says only "those who can attest to your academic capabilities", with no science discipline attached.
- Faculty letter (any discipline)recommendedextra here
1 letter
Three letters are required and "There is no requirement surrounding from whom you seek these letters." MSUCOM recommends "a combination of those who can attest to your academic capabilities as well as those who understand the role of a PA in healthcare", so an academic letter of any discipline is one half of the suggested mix.
- PA letterrecommendeddiffers
1 letter
Most PA programmes publish no minimum.
Three letters required, none mandated by writer. "Ideally, at least one of these letters will come from a PA or another healthcare provider who you have shadowed, worked with, or who has served as a mentor. We understand this may not be possible in every circumstance."
- Supervisor letternot required here
"There is no requirement surrounding from whom you seek these letters." No supervisor letter is asked for, and patient care work is not required in the first place.
Also on the school’s page
MSUCOM names eight prerequisites without credit hours: human anatomy, human physiology, microbiology with lab, general chemistry, biochemistry, developmental psychology, English composition and statistics. Grades: "Each of the following prerequisite courses must be completed with a minimum 3.0 on a 4.0 grade point scale or a B letter grade or higher. B- grades are not accepted." No recency window at all, stated outright: "There is no requirement around how recently your prerequisite courses were taken. For example, a candidate who completed the prerequisite courses 10 years ago is still eligible to apply." There is also no GPA floor: "There is NO cumulative GPA requirement" and "There is NO overall science GPA requirement", though preference goes to candidates with a higher science GPA "and/or those who have demonstrated academic grit". Repeats are capped: at most two repeated prerequisites, where a repeat is any course retaken for a grade below 3.0, and no course may be repeated more than once for an eligible grade. Narrative evaluations are not accepted in place of grades; pass/fail is treated as a separate matter. Outstanding prerequisites are allowed at application with a December 31 completion deadline in the application cycle year. On exams, this is one of the clearest no-test policies on the path: "Standardized tests (GRE, MCTA, or PA-CAT) are NOT required for admissions into the program and are not considered in the applicant review process." A bachelor's degree from an accredited institution is required before the program starts in mid-May. Admissions are rolling, the ARC-PA approved class size is 38, and MSUCOM "does not give preference to residents of any particular state." CASPA must be verified by November 1, a 100 dollar secondary application is due November 15, and interviews are one-on-one over Zoom. Preference is stated for educationally, economically or environmentally disadvantaged applicants, first generation college students, and applicants from a health profession shortage or medically underserved area. Application deadlines and letter guidance come from the sibling pages https://pa.com.msu.edu/future-students/admission-requirements and https://pa.com.msu.edu/future-students/how-apply .
School
pa.com.msu.eduCheck your transcript against this list
Cyclios keeps this list beside your coursework and tells you what Michigan State still needs from you.
See it for PA schoolAlso in Michigan
- Central Michigan University Physician Assistant ProgramMount Pleasant
- Concordia University Ann Arbor Physician Assistant ProgramAnn Arbor
- Eastern Michigan University Physician Assistant ProgramYpsilanti
- Grand Valley State University Physician Assistant ProgramGrand Rapids
- Lawrence Technological University Physician Assistant ProgramSouthfield
- Oakland University Physician Assistant ProgramAuburn Hills
- University of Detroit Mercy Physician Assistant ProgramDetroit
- University of Michigan-Flint Physician Assistant ProgramFlint
- Wayne State University Physician Assistant ProgramDetroit
- Western Michigan University Physician Assistant ProgramKalamazoo