PA · Baltimore, Maryland · private
Notre Dame of Maryland University Physician Assistant Program prerequisites
What Notre Dame of Maryland 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 labnot required here
General chemistry is not on the seven-course prerequisite list. The only chemistry named is the organic chemistry or biochemistry line, which general chemistry is a practical prerequisite for but which the program does not require by name.
- Biochemistryrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
The program asks for Organic Chemistry or Biochemistry, 3 credits, with the lab optional. Either course answers the line, so biochemistry specifically is not compulsory.
- English or writing-intensivenot required here
No English or writing prerequisite appears. The only language requirement is TOEFL, and only for applicants without a US bachelor's degree.
- Statisticsrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
Statistics, listed as 3 to 4 credits. A three credit course satisfies it.
- Psychologyrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
Psychology, 3 credits. One course, with no second course such as abnormal or developmental named.
- Geneticsrecommendedextra here
1 semester · 3 credits
Genetics, 3 to 4 credits, is the one course the program lists as recommended rather than required. It sits outside the seven-course prerequisite list.
- Anatomy and physiologyrequired
2 semesters · 8 credits · lab
Anatomy and Physiology I and II, 4 credits each, and the program specifies a face-to-face lab for both. A fully online sequence does not answer this. Like every prerequisite here it must have been completed within the last 8 years and earned a B or better.
- Microbiologyrequireddiffers
3 credits · lab
Most PA programmes ask for 1 semester · 4 credits · lab.
Microbiology, 3 credits, with a face-to-face lab required. Three credits rather than the usual four, but the in-person lab is not optional.
- Medical terminologyrequireddiffers
1 semester · 2 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 1 credits and list it as recommended.
"Med Term (2 or 3 credits)." Required here, not recommended, and the program does not offer a work experience substitute.
Experience hours
- Patient care experiencerequired
500+ hours
"Completion of a minimum of 500 hours of (acceptable) patient care experience. All patient care experience must be logged and substantiated by signed attestation of a supervising health professional who acted as your mentor." The program publishes a long list of qualifying roles that is broader than most, including EMT, LPN, MA, phlebotomist, CNA, paramedic, ER tech, surgical tech, respiratory therapist, athletic trainer, pharmacy technician, licensed social worker, diagnostic imaging technologist and medical scribe, alongside licensed clinicians such as RN, CRNP, PT, OT and physicians. Note that medical scribing and pharmacy technician work count as patient care here, which many programs file under healthcare experience instead. Five hundred is a floor for eligibility, not a competitive figure.
- Healthcare experiencenot required here
The program publishes one number, the 500 hour patient care minimum, and does not ask separately for healthcare experience without patient responsibility.
- PA shadowingrequireddiffers
24+ hours
Most PA programmes ask for 20+ hours and list it as recommended.
"(A minimum of 24 Shadowing Hours is required.)" It must be PA shadowing and it must be signed off: "'Shadowed' Physician Assistants must sign off on your hours to verify and validate the total Shadowed Hours submitted." This is a required minimum, unlike the baseline's recommendation, but it is a small one.
Letters
- Science faculty letternot required here
Not named. The three CASPA letters are unrestricted by role.
- PA letternot required here
"A minimum of three letters of recommendation must be submitted through CASPA." No writer is required by role; the program only says preference goes to letters from those with direct academic or clinical experience with the applicant.
- Supervisor letternot required here
Three letters are required with no specified writer, so no supervisor letter is mandated. The signed attestation of patient care hours by a supervising health professional is a separate document, not a letter of recommendation.
Also on the school’s page
Notre Dame of Maryland publishes a short, named prerequisite list of seven courses and pairs it with two of the strictest gates on this path. The grade floor is a full letter above the norm: "Grades less than a 'B' are not acceptable and will result in an applicant being disqualified for that application cycle." The recency window is eight years, not the usual ten: "All prerequisite courses must have been completed within the last 8 years." Both a 3.0 overall GPA and a 3.0 science GPA, as calculated by CASPA, are required, and a completed bachelor's degree must be in hand before matriculation, with foreign degrees evaluated by World Education Services. Three of the seven prerequisites, both anatomy and physiology courses and microbiology, must carry a face-to-face laboratory, so an online science sequence will not satisfy them. On exams the program is unambiguous: "You do NOT need to complete a GRE, GMAT, or MCAT examination to qualify for entry," and the page says nothing about the PA-CAT. TOEFL is required only of applicants without a US bachelor's degree, with a minimum of 20 in each category. An interview is required, and review is rolling.
Check your transcript against this list
Cyclios keeps this list beside your coursework and tells you what Notre Dame of Maryland still needs from you.
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