PA · Syracuse, New York · public
SUNY Upstate Medical University Physician Assistant Program prerequisites
What SUNY Upstate asks for in the 2026-27 cycle, as read from the school's own admissions page. 11 lines differ from the standard PA school set, marked below.
Coursework
- Biology with labrequiredextra here
2 semesters · 8 credits · lab
"General Biology I and II with labs." No credit count is published; 8 stands in for the two-semester sequence. Either this or another biology course must be within five years of matriculation.
- General chemistry with labrequired
2 semesters · 8 credits · lab
"General Chemistry I and II with Labs." No credit count is published; 8 stands in for the two-semester sequence. "One biology and one chemistry must be taken within five years prior to matriculation."
- Biochemistryrequireddiffers
1 semester · 3 credits · lab
Most PA programmes ask for 1 semester · 3 credits.
Upstate's advanced chemistry line: "Organic Chemistry with lab OR Biochemistry with lab." Either satisfies it, and unusually the lab is required with whichever you choose. No credit count is published.
- English or writing-intensiverequireddiffers
2 semesters · 6 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 2 semesters · 6 credits and list it as recommended.
Two courses, listed separately: "English Composition" and "English Elective." No credit counts are published; 6 stands in for two courses.
- Statisticsrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
"Statistics." No credit count is published.
- Psychologynot required here
Not named. Upstate asks for "Two (2) Social/Behavioral Science electives" without naming psychology; a psychology course would answer that block, recorded on the social sciences line.
- Geneticsrequiredextra here
1 semester · 3 credits
"Genetics (lab not required)." No credit count is published.
- Anatomy and physiologyrequired
2 semesters · 8 credits · lab
"Anatomy & Physiology I and II with labs OR one semester of anatomy and one semester of physiology, each with labs." No credit count is published; 8 stands in for the two-semester sequence.
- Microbiologyrequired
1 semester · 4 credits · lab
"Microbiology with lab." No credit count is published.
- Medical terminologyrequireddiffers
1 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 1 credits and list it as recommended.
"Medical Terminology" is on the required prerequisite list. No credit count is stated and the page does not offer a work-experience substitute.
- Social sciences and humanitiesrequiredextra here
2 semesters · 6 credits
"Two (2) Social/Behavioral Science electives." No subjects are named, so psychology, sociology or similar coursework answers it. No credit counts are published; 6 stands in for two courses.
Experience hours
- Patient care experiencerequireddiffers
1000+ hours
Most PA programmes ask for 500+ hours.
"1,000 hours of direct patient care at the time of matriculation. It is recommended to have at least 750 hours at the time of applying." Upstate labels the whole bucket "Health Care Experience Hours" and lists preferred experiences: military corpsman or medic, nursing (CNA, nurse's aide, RN, home health aide), EMTs employed full time (active hours only for volunteers), paramedic, massage therapist, radiation therapist, respiratory therapist, phlebotomist, x-ray technologist, medical imaging, clinical counselor, "Medical Assistant (with direct patient care)," chiropractor, physical therapist or PT aide, athletic trainer, New Visions, medical scribe, and "Volunteer Experience (with direct patient care)." Lifeguard and veterinary technician are "Not Acceptable."
- Healthcare experiencerecommended
500+ hours
No separate healthcare experience figure. Upstate's "Acceptable Experiences," which count toward the one experience bucket with caps, are "Shadowing a health care professional (200 hours maximum)," "Pharmaceutical Sales with patient contact," "Health-related research (will be reviewed on an individual basis)," and "Pharmacy Technician (100 hours maximum)."
- PA shadowingrecommended
20+ hours
Not required on its own. "Shadowing a health care professional (200 hours maximum)" is listed as an acceptable experience toward the hours requirement, so shadowing beyond 200 hours does not count.
Letters
- Science faculty letterrecommendeddiffers
1 letter
Most PA programmes publish no minimum.
"One letter of recommendation from a science faculty is recommended but not required." Three letters required overall, five maximum, through CASPA; "Personal references or letters from high school teachers or counselors are not accepted."
- PA letternot required here
No PA letter is asked for. The only letter guidance is that a science faculty letter is recommended.
- Supervisor letternot required here
No supervisor or work letter is named. Three letters of any kind except personal references and high school teachers or counselors.
Also on the school’s page
Upstate publishes its regular-admission prerequisites as a course list without credit counts, all to be completed "with grades of C or higher at the time of matriculation": General Biology I and II with labs; Anatomy and Physiology I and II with labs, "OR one semester of anatomy and one semester of physiology, each with labs"; General Chemistry I and II with labs; "Organic Chemistry with lab OR Biochemistry with lab"; Microbiology with lab; "Genetics (lab not required)"; Statistics; English Composition; English Elective; Medical Terminology; and "Two (2) Social/Behavioral Science electives." Recency: "One biology and one chemistry must be taken within five years prior to matriculation." A bachelor's degree is required at matriculation, and the program "does not offer advanced placement, advanced standing, or transfer admission." GPA: "Recommended GPA of 3.0 or higher," not a stated minimum. Testing: "Standardized tests, including the GRE, are not required for admission!" No PA-CAT is mentioned. Experience: "1,000 hours of direct patient care at the time of matriculation" and "It is recommended to have at least 750 hours at the time of applying." Letters: "Three (3) letters of recommendation," no more than five; "One letter of recommendation from a science faculty is recommended but not required"; "Personal references or letters from high school teachers or counselors are not accepted." The verified CASPA application is due November 1 and the Upstate supplemental application and $65 fee by November 20. Spring 2020 Pass/Fail prerequisites are accepted case by case. A separate Early Assurance track for college sophomores has its own terms (3.3 GPA, four science prerequisites at B or higher) and is not recorded here.
Check your transcript against this list
Cyclios keeps this list beside your coursework and tells you what SUNY Upstate still needs from you.
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