PA · Valparaiso, Indiana · private
Valparaiso University Physician Assistant Program prerequisites
What Valpo 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
7 credits
"Biology, 7 minimum semester hours, In addition to anatomy and physiology." A large and specifically additive block: the A&P sequence cannot be counted toward it. Valparaiso does not state a laboratory requirement on this line, unlike its A&P, microbiology and chemistry lines.
- General chemistry with labrequired
2 semesters · 8 credits · lab
"General Chemistry with Lab, 8 minimum semester hours." The full two semester sequence with laboratories, and organic chemistry I is required on top of it.
- Organic chemistry with labrequiredextra here
1 semester · 4 credits · lab
"Organic Chemistry I with Lab, 4 minimum semester hours." One semester with the laboratory, named outright with no biochemistry alternative offered.
- Biochemistrynot required here
Biochemistry does not appear on Valparaiso's prerequisite table. The chemistry requirement is eight hours of general chemistry with lab plus organic chemistry I with lab, with no biochemistry alternative offered.
- English or writing-intensivenot required here
No English, composition or writing course appears on the prerequisite table. The six hour behavioral and social sciences block is the only non-science coursework named.
- Statisticsrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
"Statistics, 3 minimum semester hours." One semester, subject to the same ten year window and C or higher grade rule.
- Psychologyrecommendeddiffers
1 semester · 3 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 1 semester · 3 credits and list it as required.
Psychology is one of three disciplines that can fill the required six hour behavioral and social sciences block, alongside sociology and anthropology. Nothing requires psychology specifically.
- Anatomy and physiologyrequireddiffers
6 credits · lab
Most PA programmes ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.
"Human Anatomy & Physiology with Lab, 6 minimum semester hours, Content may be divided into separate anatomy and physiology courses." Six credits is lighter than the usual eight, but note that the separate 7 credit biology requirement is "In addition to anatomy and physiology," so this sequence cannot do double duty.
- Microbiologyrequired
1 semester · 4 credits · lab
"Microbiology with Lab, 4 minimum semester hours," grade of C or higher, within ten years of the application cycle deadline.
- Medical terminologyrequireddiffers
1 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 1 credits and list it as recommended.
Required rather than recommended: "Medical Terminology, 1 minimum semester hour." A single credit answers it, but it must appear on an official transcript.
- Social sciences and humanitiesrequiredextra here
2 semesters · 6 credits
"Behavioral and Social Sciences, 6 minimum semester hours, Psychology, Sociology, or Anthropology." Two courses' worth, and any mix of the three disciplines answers it.
Experience hours
- Patient care experiencerequired
500+ hours
No separate patient care minimum exists: patient care hours count toward the same combined 132 hour requirement as healthcare experience hours, and either can satisfy it alone. Valparaiso defines the category as "both paid and unpaid work in a health field where you are directly responsible for a patient's care, for example actively working with patients as a nurse, paramedic, EMT, CNA, physical therapist, occupational therapist, etc." Unpaid work counts the same as paid.
- Healthcare experiencerequireddiffers
132+ hours
Most PA programmes ask for 500+ hours and list it as recommended.
Valparaiso publishes one combined floor rather than separate patient care and healthcare numbers: "Minimum of 132 hours of direct patient care or healthcare experiences documented prior to the start of the MSPA Program." Either kind of hour counts toward it. The program defines healthcare experience as "both paid or unpaid work in a health field where you are not directly responsible for a patient's care, but still have patient interaction, for example administering food or medication, taking vitals, obtaining record-keeping information, shadowing (PA preferred), working as a scribe, medical assistant, etc." Shadowing and scribing count here, which is unusually generous, and the 132 hour floor is one of the lowest published on this path.
- PA shadowingrecommended
20+ hours
No hour count is published. Shadowing is listed as one way to accrue the combined 132 hours, with "shadowing (PA preferred)." For the freshman entry route the program says "It is highly recommended that students begin shadowing and observing a physician assistant while in high school to become more familiar with the profession."
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 letters are required and one is reserved for a clinician, but not for a PA specifically: "At least one letter of reference must be from a healthcare professional who can comment on the applicant's abilities and performance in a clinical setting." This applies to both the BSHS and the Valpo degree applicant tracks.
- Supervisor letterrecommendeddiffers
1 letter
Most PA programmes publish no minimum.
A clinical supervisor who is a healthcare professional can fill the one reserved letter slot. The other two letters are unassigned, so no separate work supervisor letter is required.
Also on the school’s page
Read the eligibility rule before the prerequisites, because it decides whether any of this applies to you. "The Valparaiso University PA Program does not participate in the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA)," and admission to the graduate phase is open only to "Valparaiso University students enrolled in the Health Science Program (BSHS)," "Valparaiso University students who will complete their Valpo degree and who have met all prerequisite requirements," or "Alumni of Valparaiso University who have earned their Valpo degree." There is no route in for an applicant without a Valpo degree, and "The MSPA Program does not accept graduate transfer students nor grant early entry." The other way in is at the freshman level, into the five year 3+2 program, which asks for "four years of lab science in high school," "pre-calculus math," and a "Cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher." The coursework prerequisites below apply to Valpo degree applicants who did not take the BSHS route; BSHS applicants are evaluated instead on overall, lab science and health science GPA, an interview and three letters. Prerequisites need "a grade of 'C' or higher" and carry a ten year window: "all prerequisite coursework must be completed no earlier than 10 years prior to the application cycle deadline." They may be in progress or planned at application but must be finished before the program starts. GPA floors are 3.0 overall and 3.0 lab science, with the page adding that "Competitive applicants typically have an Overall GPA and a Science GPA of 3.40 or higher," which is a description of the pool rather than a bar. No GRE and no PA-CAT requirement appears on the admission page. There are 45 seats per class and applicants who did not hold a direct entry seat "will be considered for admission to the MSPA Program once a year in December." Vaccination is effectively required in practice: the page warns that "an unvaccinated student runs a serious risk of not being able to meet the requirements for degree completion."
Check your transcript against this list
Cyclios keeps this list beside your coursework and tells you what Valpo still needs from you.
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