PA · Ogden, Utah · public
Weber State University Physician Assistant Program prerequisites
What Weber State asks for in the 2026-27 cycle, as read from the school's own admissions page. 10 lines differ from the standard PA school set, marked below.
Coursework
- General chemistry with labrequireddiffers
7 credits · lab
Most PA programmes ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.
"Chemistry: A minimum of 7 semester credit hours (12 quarter credits) with laboratory components. Acceptable coursework includes any chemistry discipline (e.g., introductory, general, inorganic, organic, biochemistry)." Weber State does not name the general chemistry sequence specifically, so organic or biochemistry credits fill this block. Science-based, so subject to the seven year window unless cleared by a PA-CAT score in the 2nd decile or higher.
- Biochemistryrecommendeddiffers
1 semester · 3 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 1 semester · 3 credits and list it as required.
Not required as its own line. Biochemistry counts toward the seven credit chemistry block and appears on the recommended list, where "completion of three or more of the following recommended courses with a grade C or higher in each," biochemistry, genetics, immunology, pathophysiology and pharmacology, is a competitive candidate criterion.
- English or writing-intensivenot required here
No English, writing or composition course appears on Weber State's prerequisite list, which runs chemistry, human anatomy and physiology, microbiology, psychology, statistics and medical terminology.
- Statisticsrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
"Statistics" is a named prerequisite with no credit count published, and it does not expire.
- Psychologyrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
"Psychology" is a named prerequisite with no credit count published and no discipline restriction stated. Unlike the science lines it does not expire: "Medical Terminology, Psychology, and Statistics do not expire."
- Geneticsrecommendedextra here
1 semester · 3 credits
One of five courses on Weber State's recommended list. Being a competitive candidate calls for "completion of three or more of the following recommended courses with a grade C or higher in each: Biochemistry, Genetics, Immunology, Pathophysiology, Pharmacology." Any three of the five count, so genetics is one route rather than a requirement.
- Advanced biologyrecommendedextra here
1 semester · 3 credits
Covers the upper-division half of Weber State's recommended course list: immunology, pathophysiology and pharmacology sit alongside biochemistry and genetics, and "completion of three or more of the following recommended courses with a grade C or higher in each" is one of the competitive candidate criteria. None of the five is required for eligibility.
- Anatomy and physiologyrequired
2 semesters · 8 credits · lab
"Human Anatomy and Physiology (complete one of the following options): separate Human Anatomy and Human Physiology series, each with labs; combined Human Anatomy and Physiology series with labs." Either route is accepted and both require the laboratories, but the program publishes no credit hour count for this line, so none is recorded. Science-based, so subject to the seven year window, and the program prefers this course be taken in person.
- Microbiologyrequired
1 semester · 4 credits · lab
"Microbiology with lab." No credit hour count is published for this line. Science-based, so subject to the seven year recency window, and in-person completion is preferred.
- Medical terminologyrequireddiffers
1 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 1 credits and list it as recommended.
Required here rather than recommended, listed plainly as "Medical Terminology" with no credit count published. It does not expire, and like every prerequisite it needs a B- or higher.
Experience hours
- Patient care experiencerecommendeddiffers
500+ hours
Most PA programmes ask for 500+ hours and list it as required.
No separate patient care minimum is published. The single 500 hour requirement is stated as "paid clinical healthcare experience," and the hands-on end of that spectrum scores highest: "experiences in hospital medicine and/or those in positions requiring autonomous, high-level medical decision-making are scored highest."
- Healthcare experiencerequireddiffers
500+ hours
Most PA programmes ask for 500+ hours and list it as recommended.
"A minimum of 500 hours of paid clinical healthcare experience must be accrued within seven years of the application deadline and recorded as part of the official CASPA application." Paid only, and recent: unpaid work and older hours do not reach the floor. Weber State does not split patient care from healthcare experience in stating the requirement, which is why the number sits here. "Experiences in hospital medicine and/or those in positions requiring autonomous, high-level medical decision-making are scored highest. Hours obtained observing, shadowing or as part of an educational program will not count toward the 500 hours." Hours are "subject to verification, and the program reserves the right to contact supervisors to confirm reported hours." For competitiveness the program looks for more than 4,000 hours in an in-patient medicine setting, or more than 2,000 in autonomous, high-level decision-making positions, neither of which is a minimum.
- PA shadowingrecommended
20+ hours
Weber State publishes no shadowing number and does not credit it toward the experience floor: "Hours obtained observing, shadowing or as part of an educational program will not count toward the 500 hours."
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.
No PA letter is named. Weber State requires three letters and specifies only that they come from "professional and reputable sources," so a PA letter counts toward the three without being separately required.
- Supervisor letterrequireddiffers
1 letter
Most PA programmes publish no minimum and list it as recommended.
"Applicants must submit at least three (3) letters of recommendation through the CASPA portal as part of their application. These letters should come from professional and reputable sources who can speak to your qualifications, character, and readiness for the rigors of a Physician Assistant program." Three letters are mandatory, but no specific writer is; a work supervisor is a natural fit for "professional and reputable sources" without being named.
Also on the school’s page
Weber State is one of the few programs that requires the PA-CAT: "All applicants are required to take the PA-CAT, a 240-question exam designed to assess academic readiness for the rigors of a Physician Assistant curriculum." "There is no minimum score required to be considered for an interview, however, exam performance is an important factor in our holistic admissions review." Scores must be reported by the August 1 deadline through the PA-CAT candidate portal, are valid for two years, and a composite score in the first decile is one of the program's competitive candidate criteria. The GRE is not mentioned anywhere. The PA-CAT also doubles as a recency escape hatch: "Science prerequisites must be complete within 7 years of the application deadline," but "if a science prerequisite is older than 7 years and the student earned a B- or higher, the requirement may still be met by scoring in the 2nd decile or higher on the PA-CAT." If the expired course was below a B-, it must be retaken at B- or higher. "Medical Terminology, Psychology, and Statistics do not expire." Note the grade floor: prerequisites need "a grade of B- or higher" at a regionally accredited US institution, and they must be finished before applying, not before matriculating. Courses taken pass/fail must be converted to a letter grade by the home institution and a new transcript sent to CASPA. AP credit is accepted only with a score of 4 or higher, and "no additional substitutions for prerequisite coursework will be accepted, including, but not limited to, credit for experiential learning, courses completed as part of a professional degree and/or the college-level examination program (CLEP) test." "It is preferred that applicants complete prerequisite science coursework (human anatomy and physiology, microbiology, general chemistry) in person." A bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited US institution is required before enrollment, and seniors may apply. GPA minimums are 3.0 cumulative and 3.0 science as calculated by CASPA. The prerequisite list gives a credit count only for chemistry; the other lines name the course and its lab without a number, so no credit figures are recorded for them here. Applications go through CASPA only and the cycle closes August 1 at 11:59 PM MST. Competitive candidates have "a science GPA of 3.5 or higher and two or more of the following": Utah college or university alumni, faculty or staff; three or more of the recommended courses at C or higher; a PA-CAT composite in the first decile; "service in a clinical or university leadership role for more than 40 weeks"; "more than 4,000 hours of clinical healthcare experience in an in-patient medicine setting"; or "more than 2,000 hours of clinical healthcare experience in positions requiring autonomous, high-level medical decision-making." Those are scoring advantages, not minimums.
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