PA · Kansas City, Missouri · public
University of Missouri Kansas City Physician Assistant Program prerequisites
What UMKC 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
- Biology with labrequiredextra here
1 semester · 4 credits · lab
One semester of general biology with lab, on top of the anatomy, physiology and microbiology requirements. UMKC counts semesters rather than credits, so the credit figure here is the ordinary one for a lab science semester.
- General chemistry with labrequired
2 semesters · 8 credits · lab
The two-semester sequence with lab. Around a fifth of programs want only one semester or skip general chemistry entirely and start at organic or biochemistry.
- Organic chemistry with labrequiredextra here
1 semester · 4 credits · lab
One semester of organic chemistry with lab, required alongside biochemistry rather than instead of it.
- Biochemistryrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
One semester of biochemistry, and UMKC specifies upper level. Required in addition to organic chemistry, not as the either/or that many programs offer.
- English or writing-intensivenot required here
No English or writing prerequisite appears on UMKC's 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
One semester of genetics. No lab is named.
- Anatomy and physiologyrequired
2 semesters · 8 credits · lab
One semester of anatomy with lab, human anatomy preferred, plus one semester of physiology with lab. The alternative is "One semester of anatomy and physiology with lab (4+ credit hour course)," which UMKC accepts in place of the separate courses, so a single 4 credit combined course can answer this line.
- 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 terminologyrequireddiffers
1 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 1 credits and list it as recommended.
One medical terminology course, required outright rather than recommended. No credit hour figure is published.
Experience hours
- Patient care experiencerecommendeddiffers
500+ hours
Most PA programmes ask for 500+ hours and list it as required.
"Although preference will be given to applicants with previous or ongoing direct patient-care experience (professional or volunteer), such experience is not required for admission." No minimum, and volunteer experience counts equally with professional. This is a genuine outlier among PA programs, but preference still goes to applicants who have the hours.
- 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
"It is recommended, but not required that candidates for the PA program shadow a PA prior to applying for the program as it is a significant opportunity to learn about the profession." No hour figure.
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 professional or academic letters of recommendation are required," with no PA or clinician letter named.
- Supervisor letternot required here
The three letters may be professional or academic and no writer is specified, which follows from UMKC not requiring patient care employment at all.
Also on the school’s page
UMKC publishes its prerequisites as a list of semesters rather than credit hours, and the list is long: one semester each of general biology with lab, anatomy with lab (human anatomy preferred), physiology with lab, microbiology with lab, organic chemistry with lab, upper level biochemistry, statistics, medical terminology, genetics and psychology, plus two semesters of general chemistry with lab. "One semester of anatomy and physiology with lab (4+ credit hour course)" may substitute for the separate anatomy and physiology courses, and it is the only line carrying a credit figure. GPA: a "minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0" and a prerequisite GPA of "3.0 or higher," with a grade of C or better in all coursework. Recency: "It is preferred that all pre-requisite courses be completed within seven years of the application deadline," a preference rather than a bar. "An applicant may have no more than two pre-requisite courses remaining incomplete after the application deadline." Exams: "The MCAT or GRE exam is no longer required," and the page does not mention the PA-CAT. Letters: "Three professional or academic letters of recommendation are required," submitted through the CASPA letter service by June 15, with no writer specified. The unusual feature of this program is its experience policy: UMKC is one of the few PA programs that does not require patient care hours at all.
Check your transcript against this list
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