PA · Winchester, Virginia · private
Shenandoah University Physician Assistant Program prerequisites
What Shenandoah 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
- General chemistry with labrequireddiffers
3 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.
Far lighter than the baseline: "General or Introduction to Chemistry", one course, 3 semester credits, with no laboratory listed in the table. An introductory survey chemistry course answers it, not the two semester majors sequence.
- Organic chemistry with labrecommendedextra here
3 credits
"Biochemistry or Organic Chemistry", one course, 3 semester credits, on the recommended list. SUPA is explicit that this carries no admissions weight: the recommended courses "are recommended to better prepare for the SUPA curriculum; they are not evaluated to determine competitiveness of an application."
- Biochemistryrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
The table reads "General Biology or Biochemistry", one course, 3 semester credits, so a single general biology course satisfies this line just as biochemistry does. Biochemistry appears again on the recommended list paired with organic chemistry.
- English or writing-intensivenot required here
English or writing coursework appears on neither the required table of seven courses nor the recommended list. Writing is judged through the CASPA personal statement and the 200 word supplemental essay instead.
- Statisticsrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
Statistics, not calculus. The exception is regional: several Oklahoma and Texas programs require college algebra instead and do not count statistics, so check those individually.
- Psychologyrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
One course, 3 semester credits, with a named list: "Accepted Psychology courses to fulfill this requirement include General Psychology, Introduction to Psychology, Developmental Psychology, and Abnormal Psychology." A second course, "Developmental or Abnormal Psychology", sits on the recommended list.
- Anatomy and physiologyrequired
2 semesters · 8 credits · lab
"Human A&P I and II with Labs", two courses, 8 semester credits or 10 to 12 quarter credits. "Human Anatomy and Human Physiology may be completed as individual courses or by taking a combined Anatomy and Physiology I and II sequence", and the laboratory components are required either way.
- Microbiologyrequired
1 semester · 4 credits · lab
Named by nearly every program, usually 3 or 4 credits. A minority accept it without the lab, so read the school's own line before dropping one.
- Medical terminologyrecommendeddiffers
3 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 1 credits.
Recommended, not required, at 3 semester credits, but the knowledge is tested after you arrive: "A medical terminology proficiency exam will be administered during the first summer semester. Failure to meet the minimum benchmark will require a formal remediation plan to be completed during the first summer semester as a progression requirement."
Experience hours
- Patient care experiencerecommendeddiffers
500+ hours
Most PA programmes ask for 500+ hours and list it as required.
No minimum, and SUPA says so plainly: "Healthcare experience, patient care experience, and PA shadowing are not required for admission, however applicants with 50 or more hours of these types of experiences may receive additional consideration." That 50 hour figure is a threshold for extra consideration across all three categories combined, not a floor for patient care alone. What admitted students actually bring is far higher: the Class of 2027 averaged 1,979 patient care experience hours. "Work experience is not required for candidates applying to the SU PA program."
- Healthcare experiencerecommended
500+ hours
No number is required. "Healthcare experience is strongly recommended to develop a solid understanding of the PA profession and the current healthcare landscape." SUPA groups healthcare experience, patient care experience and PA shadowing together under the same 50 hour consideration threshold rather than setting separate targets.
- PA shadowingrecommended
20+ hours
Not required and no number published. PA shadowing is named alongside healthcare and patient care experience in the sentence that "applicants with 50 or more hours of these types of experiences may receive additional consideration." A shadowing supervisor is also an accepted reference author.
Letters
- Science faculty letterrecommended
No published minimum
Only a handful of programs require a science faculty letter by name. An academic letter is welcome nearly everywhere and mandatory almost nowhere.
- Faculty letter (any discipline)recommendedextra here
1 letter
Three references are required but SUPA names no required author, listing "a professor or academic advisor, a PA or other medical professional, a shadowing or volunteer supervisor, a work supervisor, faculty club advisor, or athletic coach." A professor of any discipline is the first example given. "Letters of recommendation from family members will not be accepted."
- PA letternot required here
No PA letter is required. "A PA or other medical professional" is listed as one acceptable reference author among six, alongside professors, advisors, volunteer supervisors, faculty club advisors and athletic coaches.
- Supervisor letterrecommendeddiffers
1 letter
Most PA programmes publish no minimum.
Three references are required overall, all showing "Completed" status in CASPA, but a work supervisor is only one of several accepted voices: "References may be provided by individuals who can speak to the applicant's suitability for the PA profession." Nothing forces a supervisor letter, so this drops to recommended here.
Also on the school’s page
SUPA publishes its prerequisites as a table of seven courses totalling 24 semester credits: human anatomy and physiology I and II with labs (8), general or introduction to chemistry (3), general biology or biochemistry (3), microbiology with lab (4), psychology (3), and statistics or biostatistics (3). The chemistry ask is the striking one, a single introductory course rather than the two semester sequence with lab that most programs require. "A grade of 'C' or above is required for all prerequisite courses, however, it is strongly recommended that prerequisites be completed with a grade of A or B. Grades of 'C-' or below are not accepted." The recency window has two tiers: "It is recommended that all prerequisite coursework be completed within 5 years of matriculation; the program will not accept any prerequisite coursework taken 10 years before the time of matriculation." "No more than TWO prerequisites can be outstanding at the time of application." Community college credit counts, "Prerequisites must be completed at a regionally accredited college or university in the United States, which includes community colleges", and while in person study is preferred, "online coursework is accepted." AP, IB and CLEP credit are all refused for prerequisites. Pass grades are accepted only for the COVID window, Spring Semester 2020 through Spring Semester 2021. On exams, the page names no standardized test at any point: neither the GRE nor the PA-CAT appears in the admission requirements, the application checklist, or the timeline, so assume neither is part of the file and confirm with pa@su.edu. The GPA floor is high and hard: "Minimum 3.2 cumulative undergraduate, overall science, and SUPA prerequisite GPAs at the time of application submission", and "If a GPA falls below the minimum 3.2 threshold after application submission and before matriculation, a seat offer will be revoked." Admitted students in the 2024-2025 cycle averaged 3.77 cumulative, 3.70 science and 3.74 prerequisite GPAs, with 60 seats from 1506 applications. A supplemental essay is required through CASPA: one of the program's core values, in 200 words or less, describing "a specific situation in which they demonstrated this value when doing so was difficult or inconvenient." Applications run through CASPA, matching the catalog row, with a July 1, 2026 submission target, an August 1, 2026 CASPA verification deadline, interviews in October 2026 and classes starting June 2027. No in-state preference is stated, matching the catalog row; the Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant is mentioned only as financial aid, not as an admissions preference. Named preference pathways are the SU Early Assurance Program, the SU undergraduate Articulation Agreement, and the Community Impact Pathway.
School
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