PA · Stony Brook, New York · public
Stony Brook University Physician Assistant Program prerequisites
What Stony Brook 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
- Biology with labrequiredextra here
2 semesters · 8 credits
"General Biology, 8 credits." A full introductory sequence in addition to the separate anatomy and physiology lines. The page does not say whether the laboratory is required.
- General chemistry with labrequireddiffers
2 semesters · 8 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.
"General Chemistry, 8 credits." The credit count implies the two semester sequence, but the page does not state a laboratory requirement, so none is asserted here.
- Organic chemistry with labrequiredextra here
3 credits
"Organic Chemistry, 3 credits." One semester, and biochemistry is required as well rather than instead. The page does not say whether the laboratory is required.
- Biochemistryrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
Roughly half the programs that ask for an upper chemistry accept either biochemistry or organic chemistry for the same single line, so one course often covers both entries on this list.
- English or writing-intensiverecommended
2 semesters · 6 credits
English composition, usually two semesters where it is asked for at all.
- 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.
- Psychologynot required here
Not on Stony Brook's prerequisite table.
- Geneticsrequiredextra here
1 semester · 3 credits
"Genetics, 3 credits." Uncommon on the PA path; check your transcript for it early.
- Anatomy and physiologyrequireddiffers
6 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.
Listed as two separate lines, "Anatomy, 3 credits" and "Physiology, 3 credits," for 6 credits together. The page does not say whether the laboratory is required. Natural science coursework is strongly suggested to be within seven years of application.
- Microbiologyrequireddiffers
3 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 1 semester · 4 credits · lab.
"General Microbiology, 3 credits." The page does not say whether the laboratory is required.
- Medical terminologyrecommended
1 credits
Required outright by nearly half of programs, which is more than its recommended level here suggests. Several refuse a certificate or a free online course and want transcript credit; a few teach it after acceptance instead.
Experience hours
- Patient care experiencerequired
500+ hours
"Prior to the interview, 500 hours of documented, direct patient care is required. This can be either part-time paid, full-time paid, or volunteer experience." Roles the program lists: "paramedic, medical corpsman, respiratory therapist, emergency medical technician, nurse, certified nursing assistant, medical assistant, medical laboratory technologist, counselor in a health care setting, scribe, etc." Scribing counts here. "Up to 250 hours may be satisfied by direct patient-care experiences completed during clinical training in the health professions" such as nursing practicums or allied health clerkships. "We do not accept shadowing toward this requirement."
- 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
Under a fifth of programs set a shadowing minimum; among those that do the median is 20 hours and a handful ask for 100 or more. Several count shadowing inside their experience total rather than separately, and a few have dropped it from scoring entirely.
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 letternot required here
"Three references must be submitted through CASPA." The page names no required writer, so a PA letter is not required here.
- Supervisor letternot required here
"Three references must be submitted through CASPA." The page names no required writer, so a supervisor letter is not required here, though one who has seen your patient care hours is the obvious choice for one of the three.
Also on the school’s page
Stony Brook publishes a nine line credit table: statistics or biostatistics (3), general chemistry (8), organic chemistry (3), biochemistry (3), general biology (8), general microbiology (3), genetics (3), anatomy (3) and physiology (3). The table gives credits only and does not state which courses need a laboratory, so no lab flags are asserted here; the page does say "online courses/labs are acceptable" and "AP courses may not be used to substitute any science prerequisites." Every prerequisite needs a C or better and must be complete by August 1st of the entering year, as must the baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution. On recency: "It is strongly suggested that all natural science coursework be completed within seven years of application." GPA floors are a "cumulative CASPA Total Grade Point Average of 3.0 or above" and a "cumulative CASPA BCP Grade Point Average of 3.0 or above." On testing: "We do not require the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), PA-CAT, or MCAT scores." Letters: "Three references must be submitted through CASPA," with no restriction on who writes them. No psychology, English or medical terminology line appears on the page.
Check your transcript against this list
Cyclios keeps this list beside your coursework and tells you what Stony Brook still needs from you.
See it for PA schoolAlso in New York
- Albany Medical College Physician Assistant ProgramAlbany
- Canisius University Physician Assistant ProgramBuffalo
- Clarkson University Physician Assistant ProgramPotsdam
- CUNY School of Medicine Physician Assistant ProgramNew York
- D'Youville University Physician Assistant ProgramBuffalo
- Daemen University Physician Assistant ProgramAmherst
- Hofstra University Physician Assistant ProgramHempstead
- Ithaca College Physician Assistant ProgramIthaca
- Le Moyne College Physician Assistant ProgramSyracuse
- Long Island University Physician Assistant ProgramBrooklyn
- Marist University Physician Assistant ProgramPoughkeepsie
- Mercy University Physician Assistant ProgramBronx