PA · Birmingham, Alabama · public
University of Alabama at Birmingham Physician Assistant Program prerequisites
What UAB 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
- Biology with labrequiredextra here
6 credits
"6-8 semester hours of biology for science majors." UAB requires general biology on top of anatomy and physiology, which the PA baseline does not carry, and does not state that a lab is required for this line.
- General chemistry with labrequireddiffers
2 semesters · 8 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.
"8-9 semester hours of general chemistry (labs preferred)." The full sequence in hours, but the labs are stated as preferred rather than required.
- Biochemistrynot required here
UAB's prerequisite list stops at general chemistry. Neither biochemistry nor organic chemistry appears.
- English or writing-intensivenot required here
No English, composition or writing credits appear in the published 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.
- Psychologyrequireddiffers
2 semesters · 6 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 1 semester · 3 credits.
"6 semester hours of psychology (general AND developmental or abnormal psychology)." Two courses, and introductory psychology alone does not satisfy it.
- Physiologyrequiredextra here
1 semester · 3 credits
"3-4 semester hours human physiology." UAB names anatomy and physiology as two separate prerequisites rather than one A&P sequence, so a single combined course will not answer both lines.
- Anatomy and physiologyrequireddiffers
3 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.
This line carries UAB's "3-4 semester hours of human anatomy" only; the physiology half is a separate requirement listed on its own. No lab is stated as required for either.
- Microbiologyrequireddiffers
3 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 1 semester · 4 credits · lab.
"3-4 semester hours of microbiology (lab preferred)." Preferred, not required, so a lecture-only course is not disqualifying here.
- Medical terminologyrequireddiffers
1 semester · 2 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 1 credits and list it as recommended.
Required here rather than recommended, and at "2-3 semester hours" it is a real course, not the one credit module many programs accept.
Experience hours
- Patient care experiencerecommendeddiffers
500+ hours
Most PA programmes ask for 500+ hours and list it as required.
UAB publishes no minimum: "Although not required for admission, experience in a healthcare setting (providing direct or indirect patient care) is preferred." Applicants are "evaluated on the extent (hours completed), duration of experience (months, years), and scope of clinical experience." Enrolled cohorts averaged roughly 2,460 to 3,526 patient care hours, which is an average of who got in and NOT a stated minimum.
- Healthcare experiencerecommended
500+ hours
UAB does not split patient care from healthcare experience. It asks for "experience in a healthcare setting (providing direct or indirect patient care)," which folds both buckets into one preferred category with no published number.
- PA shadowingrecommended
20+ hours
No minimum is published. "Leadership experience and exposure to the PA profession, in the form of shadowing or working alongside a PA, are considered in the application score." Enrolled cohorts averaged roughly 97 to 134 shadowing hours, again an average rather than a floor.
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
UAB names no writer at all: "Three letters of reference are evaluated and considered in the application score." A PA letter is a sensible choice but the program does not require one.
- Supervisor letternot required here
Same line. Three references are required, but the program specifies no relationship the writers must have to you.
Also on the school’s page
UAB publishes its prerequisites as ranges of semester hours: 6 to 8 of biology for science majors, 3 to 4 of microbiology (lab preferred), 3 to 4 of human anatomy, 3 to 4 of human physiology, 8 to 9 of general chemistry (labs preferred), 3 to 4 of statistics, 6 of psychology (general AND developmental or abnormal psychology), and 2 to 3 of medical terminology. The GPA floors are three separate tests: a "Minimum cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0," a "Minimum overall science grade point average of at least 3.0," and a "Minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 in the program prerequisite courses, with a minimum grade of C in each." No expiration or recency window is published for prerequisite coursework. On exams, the GRE IS required here, unusually for a 2027 cycle: UAB asks for "Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores from the verbal, quantitative and analytic sections," sets "August 1 of the year prior to matriculation" as the last day to take it, publishes no minimum score, and directs applicants to "use GRE Code 0570 when sending GRE scores to CASPA." Applicants holding advanced degrees whose scores have passed the five year ETS window may petition to have dated scores considered with documentation from their institution. The PA-CAT is not mentioned anywhere on the admissions page. Note also that "The PA program is committed to recruiting Alabama residents and students who completed their undergraduate or graduate studies at UAB." The CASPA e-submit deadline is August 1, the UAB supplemental August 7, and CASPA verification must be complete by October 1.
Check your transcript against this list
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