PA · Columbia, Missouri · private
Stephens College Physician Assistant Program prerequisites
What Stephens asks for in the 2026-27 cycle, as read from the school's own admissions page. 12 lines differ from the standard PA school set, marked below.
Coursework
- General chemistry with labrequireddiffers
6 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.
"Chemistry I and II," 6 credit hours or 8 quarter hours. The full sequence, but at 6 semester credits rather than the 8 the baseline assumes, and the lab is highly recommended rather than required here.
- Organic chemistry with labrequiredextra here
3 credits
"Organic Chemistry I," 3 credit hours or 4 quarter hours. One semester only, and it must be 200 level or higher for science majors. The lab is highly recommended rather than attached to this specific course, since Stephens requires only two labs across the whole science set.
- Biochemistrynot required here
Stephens names organic chemistry I and lists no biochemistry course.
- English or writing-intensivenot required here
No English or writing course appears on the nine course prerequisite list.
- 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
General psychology. Many programs fold it into a broader social or behavioural science block that sociology or anthropology also satisfies.
- Geneticsrequiredextra here
1 semester · 3 credits
Genetics, 3 credit hours or 4 quarter hours, and it must be 200 level or higher for science majors.
- Anatomy and physiologyrequireddiffers
6 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.
Human anatomy and human physiology are listed as separate 3 credit courses, 6 together, each 200 level or higher for science majors. This is the one pair with a recency window: it must be "completed within the last seven years prior to matriculation. If not, the courses must be retaken." Labs are highly recommended and only two labs are required across all the sciences, so the lab is not mandatory on this course specifically.
- Microbiologyrequireddiffers
3 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 1 semester · 4 credits · lab.
Microbiology, 3 credit hours or 4 quarter hours, 200 level or higher for science majors. Lab highly recommended but not required on this course, given the two lab minimum across the science set.
- Medical terminologyrequireddiffers
1 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 1 credits and list it as recommended.
Required outright, 1 credit hour. Work experience does not substitute.
Experience hours
- Patient care experiencerequireddiffers
750+ hours
Most PA programmes ask for 500+ hours.
"All applicants need to have acquired a minimum of 750 hours of direct patient care experience by the time the CASPA application is submitted." Paid hands-on care requiring a certification, such as CNA or EMT, is the most competitive form. Volunteer hours are viewed favorably but do not count toward the 750.
- 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 shadowingrequireddiffers
16+ hours
Most PA programmes ask for 20+ hours and list it as recommended.
"The program requires 16 hours of shadowing. At least 8 hours must be with a PA." A hard requirement, due by application submission. The remaining hours may be with an MD, DO or PA.
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.
- PA letterrecommendeddiffers
1 letter
Most PA programmes publish no minimum.
"Three professional letters of recommendation are required. We recommend that at least one come from a PA or physician." A physician satisfies the recommendation equally, and more competitive applications carry letters from an MD, DO and/or PA.
- Supervisor letternot required here
The three letters must be professional, but Stephens does not require one from a work supervisor specifically; it recommends a PA or physician instead.
Also on the school’s page
Stephens prints a nine course prerequisite list in semester credits, each with a quarter hour equivalent: medical terminology 1, psychology 3, statistics 3, chemistry I and II 6, organic chemistry I 3, microbiology 3, human anatomy 3, human physiology 3, and genetics 3. Two rules shape the list beyond the credits. All science prerequisites must be designed for science majors, with accompanying labs highly recommended and a minimum of two labs required across the set, so an applicant chooses which two sciences to take with lab rather than taking all of them with one. Organic chemistry, microbiology, anatomy, physiology and genetics must each be 200 level or higher for science majors. "All prerequisite courses must be completed with a grade of 'C' or better. Grades of C- or below are not acceptable." Recency applies to the anatomy and physiology pair only: that coursework must have been "completed within the last seven years prior to matriculation. If not, the courses must be retaken." At application a candidate may have "not more than ONE outstanding prerequisite course." GPA: at least 3.0 in all four of overall, science, last 60 credit hours, and prerequisite. A bachelor's degree must be conferred by August of the year prior to matriculation. Exams: neither the prerequisites page, the entrance requirements page at https://stephens.edu/master-of-physician-assistant-studies/entrance-requirements/, nor the program FAQ mentions the GRE, the PA-CAT or any standardized entrance exam. Experience and letters figures come from those same two pages.
Check your transcript against this list
Cyclios keeps this list beside your coursework and tells you what Stephens still needs from you.
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