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PA · Chester, Pennsylvania · private

Widener University Physician Assistant Program prerequisites

What Widener asks for in the 2026-27 cycle, as read from the school's own admissions page. 15 lines differ from the standard PA school set, marked below.

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Coursework

  • Biology with labrequiredextra here

    3 credits · lab

    "General biology or zoology - 3 credits with lab." One course, separate from the anatomy and physiology and microbiology lines.

  • General chemistry with labrequireddiffers

    1 semester · 4 credits · lab

    Most PA programmes ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.

    "General chemistry - 4 credits with lab." One semester, not the two-semester sequence the baseline assumes.

  • Organic chemistry with labrequiredextra here

    1 semester · 4 credits

    "Organic chemistry - 4 credits." One semester; the page does not require a laboratory for this course, unlike general chemistry.

  • Biochemistrynot required here

    Biochemistry is not on Widener's prerequisite list; the chemistry ask is one semester of general chemistry with lab plus one of organic.

  • English or writing-intensivenot required here

    No English or writing course is named.

  • Statisticsrequireddiffers

    1 credits

    Most PA programmes ask for 1 semester · 3 credits.

    "Statistics - 1-2 credits." An unusually small ask; a standard 3-credit statistics course satisfies it.

  • Psychologyrequired

    1 semester · 3 credits

    "General psychology or behavioral psychology - 3 credits."

  • Advanced biologyrecommendedextra here

    1 semester · 3 credits

    "Other biology courses recommended: genetics, cell biology, molecular biology, embryology, histology, or immunology - 3 credits." Recommended, not required.

  • Anatomy and physiologyrequired

    2 semesters · 8 credits · lab

    "Anatomy and physiology (completed within 5 years of attending MS program) - 8 credits with lab." The five-year window is stated on this course only.

  • Microbiologyrequireddiffers

    3 credits

    Most PA programmes ask for 1 semester · 4 credits · lab.

    "Microbiology - 3 credits." The page does not ask for a laboratory on this course.

  • Medical terminologyrequireddiffers

    1 credits

    Most PA programmes ask for 1 credits and list it as recommended.

    Required here: "Medical terminology (can be taken online) - 1 credit or certificate of completion."

Experience hours

  • Patient care experiencerequired

    500+ hours

    "Students are required to complete a minimum of 500 hours of direct patient/client care. This can be done through employment or volunteer experiences." Widener publishes one figure and does not split patient care from healthcare experience; its sample list of "Acceptable Healthcare Experiences" includes athletic trainer, medical scribe, CNA, medical corpsman, dental hygienist or assistant, dietician, medical caregiver, ED technician, EMT or paramedic, exercise physiologist, foreign medical graduate physician, home health aide, phlebotomist, medical assistant, mental health technician, medical research with patient contact, PT, OT, speech pathologist, nurse and midwife. Total patient care hours feed the admissions rubric, and the program reports an entering-cohort benchmark of more than 500 average hours.

  • Healthcare experiencenot required here

    Widener publishes a single 500-hour direct patient/client care figure and no separate healthcare experience number; scribe and similar roles count toward the single figure recorded on the patient care line.

  • PA shadowingrecommendeddiffers

    40+ hours

    Most PA programmes ask for 20+ hours.

    "It is recommended that the student complete at least 40 hours of shadowing with a PA."

  • Non-clinical volunteeringrequiredextra here

    No published minimum

    "Commitment to and evidence of community engagement/service" is listed among the admission requirements, defined as "any activity or service intended to benefit the local community or society as a whole." No hour figure is published. "Volunteer service that meets the requirement for the hours of direct patient/client care can serve as evidence of community engagement and/or service."

Letters

  • Science faculty letternot required here

    No faculty letter is named; three references, one from a PA, the rest unrestricted.

  • PA letterrequireddiffers

    1 letter

    Most PA programmes publish no minimum and list it as recommended.

    "3 letters of reference, one must be from a physician assistant." The other two are unrestricted.

  • Supervisor letternot required here

    The only named letter is from a physician assistant; the remaining two references are unrestricted.

Also on the school’s page

Widener's Institute for Physician Assistant Education (MS, Chester PA, Accreditation-Provisional) publishes its prerequisites as a credit list: "General biology or zoology - 3 credits with lab. Microbiology - 3 credits. Other biology courses recommended: genetics, cell biology, molecular biology, embryology, histology, or immunology - 3 credits. Anatomy and physiology (completed within 5 years of attending MS program) - 8 credits with lab. General chemistry - 4 credits with lab. Organic chemistry - 4 credits. General psychology or behavioral psychology - 3 credits. Statistics - 1-2 credits. Medical terminology (can be taken online) - 1 credit or certificate of completion." "All prerequisite requirements must be passed with a C or better." The only recency window stated is the five years on anatomy and physiology. "Applicants may have up to three outstanding prerequisite courses at the time of application, provided they are successfully completed prior to matriculation." A bachelor's degree is required, and there is a hard GPA gate: "Minimum overall GPA of 3.0 and overall science GPA of 3.0, at the time of application. Applications will not be reviewed unless these minimum requirements are met." Testing: "The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is not required for admissions to the Institute for Physician Assistant Education." No PA-CAT is mentioned. Letters: "3 letters of reference, one must be from a physician assistant." The program also asks for "Commitment to and evidence of community engagement/service," defined as "any activity or service intended to benefit the local community or society as a whole," with no hour figure; volunteer patient care hours can double as that evidence. Applicants are scored on a rubric of prerequisite GPA, cumulative GPA, science GPA and total patient care hours, sorted into tiers and randomly selected for interview within each tier. Rolling review through CASPA. Special consideration for U.S. Armed Services applicants and for Widener, Penn State and University of Delaware applicants (4+2.5 articulation agreements with the latter two).

School

widener.edu/academics/graduate-studies/physician-assistant-studies-ms

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