PA · Pomona, California · private

Western University of Health Sciences Physician Assistant Program prerequisites

What WesternU 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.

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Coursework

Biology with labrequiredextra here
6 credits
"General Biology (with Lab optional), 6 semester credit hours, a full year." The lab is optional on this line only, and the course must not be a non-majors survey: "Introductory level courses in the sciences are not acceptable."
General chemistry with labrequireddiffers
6 credits · lab
Most PA programmes ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.
"General or Inorganic Chemistry with Lab, 6 semester credit hours, a full year sequence." Six credits rather than the eight the baseline plans for, but it must be the full year, in person for the lab, and taken within seven years.
Biochemistryrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
"Organic Chemistry or Biochemistry, 3 semester credit hours." Either course answers the line, so one semester of organic chemistry is enough and biochemistry is not required specifically.
English or writing-intensiverequireddiffers
2 semesters · 6 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 2 semesters · 6 credits and list it as recommended.
Required here rather than recommended: "College English and English Composition, 6 semester credit hours, a full year sequence." Two restrictions apply: "English prerequisites must be taken from the English department. English as a Second Language (ESL) courses are not accepted for the English prerequisites."
Statisticsrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
"Introductory Statistics, 3 semester credit hours," with a footnote reading "Preferably from math or statistics department." A statistics course housed in psychology or nursing is not ruled out, but it is not the preferred route.
College mathematicsrequiredextra here
1 semester · 3 credits
"College Algebra, 3 semester credit hours." This sits beside the statistics requirement rather than replacing it, so WesternU wants two separate math courses.
Psychologyrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
"Psychology (General or Introductory only), 3 semester credit hours." Abnormal or developmental psychology does not substitute here: the catalog names the general or introductory course only.
Sociologyrequiredextra here
1 semester · 3 credits
"Sociology (General or Introductory only), 3 semester credit hours." An upper division sociology elective will not answer this line; the catalog names the general or introductory course.
Geneticsrequiredextra here
1 semester · 3 credits
"Genetics, 3 semester credit hours." It counts as a science prerequisite for the seven year clock, which the catalog states covers "anatomy, physiology, chemistry, microbiology, and genetics."
Anatomy and physiologyrequireddiffers
6 credits · lab
Most PA programmes ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.
Two rows totalling six credits: "Human Anatomy with Lab, 3 semester credit hours" and "Human Physiology with Lab, 3 semester credit hours." The catalog adds two conditions: "Anatomy and physiology must be taken out of the anatomy, physiology, A&P, biology, or zoology departments. If anatomy and physiology are combined, a minimum of five semester credit hours is required." A combined A&P sequence of five credits therefore satisfies the pair. Both labs must be in person and both courses fall inside the seven year window.
Microbiologyrequireddiffers
3 credits · lab
Most PA programmes ask for 1 semester · 4 credits · lab.
"Microbiology with Lab, 3 semester credit hours." The lab must be on campus, and the course sits inside the seven year science window.
Medical terminologyrequireddiffers
1 credits
Most PA programmes ask for 1 credits and list it as recommended.
Required here rather than recommended, and small: "Medical Terminology, 1 semester or term." Note that credit for experiential learning is not accepted toward any prerequisite, so documented clinical work will not substitute for the course.
Social sciences and humanitiesrequiredextra here
3 semesters · 9 credits
"Humanities, 9 semester credit hours." Nine credits is a large block and the catalog does not enumerate which departments count, so plan the coursework early and confirm with the program.

Experience hours

Patient care experiencerequireddiffers
1000+ hours
Most PA programmes ask for 500+ hours.
A hard floor with a start date: "Effective for the entering cohort of 2026, the Physician Assistant (PA) Program requires applicants to complete a minimum of 1,000 hours of Patient Care Experience (PCE) through direct patient care activities." The program names the roles it favours: "Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), medical scribes, back office medical assistants, certified nursing assistants, patient care extenders, phlebotomists, respiratory technicians, radiology technicians, and other similar healthcare positions that involve direct patient interaction and clinical support." Scribing counts as PCE here, which it does not everywhere. "Applicants must provide verification of their PCE hours and duties performed into the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) portal."
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
Under a fifth of programs set a shadowing minimum; among those that do the median is 20 hours and a handful ask for 100 or more. Several count shadowing inside their experience total rather than separately, and a few have dropped it from scoring entirely.
Non-clinical volunteeringrequiredextra here
120+ hours
A stated minimum, listed as its own numbered admission requirement: "120 hours of Community Service." Accepted forms include homeless shelters, soup kitchens and food banks, community outreach, veteran programs, tutoring, youth mentoring, senior citizen homes and church outreach. The catalog adds that "although the minimum requirement is 120 hours, applicants continue to accumulate approximately 500 hours over the course of one to two years," and that more competitive applicants pass 500. The 500 is an observed pattern, not 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 letterrecommended
No published minimum
Fewer than a third of programs require a letter from a PA. Most ask for a clinician letter that a PA, physician or nurse practitioner satisfies equally, so a PA letter is usually sufficient and rarely necessary.
Supervisor letterrecommended
No published minimum
A letter from a work supervisor is required by about a quarter of programs. Many name no writer category at all and simply ask for three letters.

Also on the school’s page

WesternU publishes the longest prerequisite table on this path, fourteen lines in semester credit hours, inside the College of Health Sciences MSPAS catalog. "The application requirements shown in this catalog apply to applicants who are seeking entry for the 2026/2027 academic year," so re-check the MSPA application website before the 2027 cycle closes. The floors: "The minimum overall GPA required is 3.0, the minimum science GPA is 3.0, and the minimum prerequisite GPA is 3.0, all on a 4.00 scale. As the applicant pool GPA is very competitive, those meeting minimal GPAs may not be invited for interviews. Grades of 'C-' or lower in any of the prerequisite courses are not accepted." The recency window is seven years, not the more common ten: "A seven (7) year time limit is enforced for all science prerequisites and labs (anatomy, physiology, chemistry, microbiology, and genetics). The courses must be completed within seven years of the application deadline to be accepted." Four further restrictions cut off routes applicants often plan on. "All science laboratories are to be completed on campus. Virtual/online laboratories are not accepted for science prerequisites requiring a laboratory," with a narrow COVID exception for labs taken Spring 2020 through Spring 2022. "Advanced placement, transfer of credit, CLEP examination, or credit for experiential learning is not recognized by the program as meeting these prerequisites." "Introductory level courses in the sciences are not acceptable (i.e., courses taken in the sciences for non-science majors)." And prerequisite courses must be transferable, meaning designated for baccalaureate credit. A bachelor's degree is required before matriculation and the CASPA deadline is November 1 of the year prior. The catalog's Application Requirements section names no letters of recommendation, no GRE and no PA-CAT, so nothing about letters or exams is recorded here.

School

westernu.edu/health-sciences/allied-health-mspas

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