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PA · Columbus, Ohio · private

Ohio Dominican University Physician Assistant Program prerequisites

What Ohio Dominican asks for in the 2026-27 cycle, as read from the school's own admissions page. 16 lines differ from the standard PA school set, marked below.

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Coursework

  • Biology with labrequiredextra here

    6 credits

    "General Biology, 6" semester credits, no lab stated. ODU's list of accepted courses is broader than introductory biology: "Principles/Foundations of Biology, Genetics, Pathophysiology, Immunology, Cell Biology and Molecular Biology. Each Biology course must have a minimum of 3 credit hours."

  • General chemistry with labrequireddiffers

    1 semester · 4 credits · lab

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

    One semester rather than the usual two: "Inorganic/General Chemistry with Lab, 4."

  • Organic chemistry with labrequiredextra here

    3 credits · lab

    "Organic Chemistry with Lab, 3." Required alongside a separate biochemistry course.

  • Biochemistryrequired

    1 semester · 3 credits

    "Biochemistry, 3. Course cannot be combined with Organic Chemistry. Courses need to be taken separately."

  • English or writing-intensivenot required here

    Not required on its own; English is one of the examples that count toward the 12-credit humanities block.

  • Statisticsrequired

    1 semester · 3 credits

    "Statistics, 3."

  • College mathematicsrequiredextra here

    1 semester · 3 credits

    "College Algebra or Higher Mathematics, 3," required in addition to statistics.

  • Psychologyrequireddiffers

    2 semesters · 6 credits

    Most PA programmes ask for 1 semester · 3 credits.

    Two courses: "Intro to Psychology, 3" and "Additional Psychology, 3. Recommended courses include: Abnormal, Lifespan, and Developmental."

  • Anatomy and physiologyrequireddiffers

    6 credits · lab

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

    Two separate courses: "Human Anatomy (Lab Required), 3" and "Human Physiology (Lab Recommended), 3." The anatomy lab is mandatory; the physiology lab is not.

  • Microbiologyrequireddiffers

    3 credits · lab

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

    "Microbiology with Lab, 3."

  • Medical terminologynot required here

    Not a prerequisite; enrolled students must instead pass a medical terminology examination in the first semester, and the program points to Chabner's "Medical Terminology: A Short Course" to prepare.

  • Social sciences and humanitiesrequiredextra here

    4 semesters · 12 credits

    "Humanities, 12. Examples include: English, Foreign Language, Theater, Art, Music, History, Theology, Philosophy, and Religion." The one block exempt from the ten-year recency recommendation.

Experience hours

  • Patient care experiencerequireddiffers

    250+ hours

    Most PA programmes ask for 500+ hours.

    "Minimum of 250 hours of documented patient-care experience. These hours are self-documented and subject to audit by the program." Shadowing and community service do not count. Hours and "Level/diversity of training" are weighed in interview selection.

  • Healthcare experiencerecommended

    500+ hours

    Many programs publish one combined healthcare figure instead of splitting patient care from healthcare exposure; where they do, the number lands here. Median published minimum is 500 hours.

  • PA shadowingrecommended

    20+ hours

    No number: "shadowing a PA, physician, or NP and community service is highly encouraged and is included in the application review." PA shadowing hours are one of the interview selection factors.

  • Non-clinical volunteeringrecommendedextra here

    No published minimum

    No number: community service "is highly encouraged and is included in the application review," and "Commitment to service: Volunteer work, mission trips, military service" is a stated admission preference. Does not count toward patient care hours.

Letters

  • Science faculty letternot required here

    The recommended academic letter is from "academic mentors/professor" in any field, recorded on the faculty-any line.

  • Faculty letter (any discipline)recommendedextra here

    1 letter

    "Two letters of recommendation as required through CASPA. It is recommended one letter be from PA/clinician working in healthcare and the other from an academic mentors/professor." A recommendation, not a requirement.

  • PA letterrecommendeddiffers

    1 letter

    Most PA programmes publish no minimum.

    Recommended, not required: "It is recommended one letter be from PA/clinician working in healthcare." Only two letters are required in total.

  • Supervisor letternot required here

    Two letters total, with a PA or clinician and an academic mentor recommended; no supervisor letter is named.

Also on the school’s page

ODU's admission page carries the experience, testing and letter rules; its linked prerequisite page (https://ohiodominican.edu/academics/masters-degrees/physician-assistant-program/prerequisites.html) carries a 49-semester-credit table: Inorganic/General Chemistry with Lab 4, Organic Chemistry with Lab 3, Biochemistry 3 ("Course cannot be combined with Organic Chemistry"), Human Anatomy (Lab Required) 3, Human Physiology (Lab Recommended) 3, Microbiology with Lab 3, General Biology 6, Intro to Psychology 3, Additional Psychology 3, College Algebra or Higher Mathematics 3, Statistics 3, Humanities 12. "All prerequisite coursework must be completed with a grade of 'C' or better" at a regionally accredited U.S. institution; Pass/Fail is accepted only for the 2020 pandemic semesters. Recency is a recommendation, not a rule: "We recommend that applicants complete all prerequisite coursework, with exception of the humanities, within ten years of enrollment." AP credit is accepted for prerequisites if it appears on the official transcript. There is no minimum prerequisite GPA, but a "Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a minimum of 3.0 overall and science GPA on a 4.0 scale" is required. Testing: "GRE and/or MCAT scores submitted no later than the application deadline" (GRE institution code 0436, sent to CASPA); "Scores must be within 5 years of admission." No minimum score is published; the PA-CAT and CASPer are not mentioned. Patient care: "Minimum of 250 hours of documented patient-care experience," self-documented and subject to audit; "shadowing and community service hours do not count towards patient-care experience." Two letters through CASPA, with a PA or clinician and an academic mentor or professor recommended rather than required. Interview preference goes to Ohio residents, Early Assurance Program students, ODU graduates and veterans. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Admitted students must pass a medical terminology examination in the first semester, so no medical terminology course is required. For the class starting August 2027, the CASPA deadline is October 1, 2026.

School

ohiodominican.edu/academics/masters-degrees/physician-assistant-program/index.html

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