Prerequisite Courses
Each of the following prerequisite courses must be completed with a minimum 3.0 on a 4.0 grade point scale or a B letter grade or higher. B- grades are not accepted.
Applicants may have outstanding prerequisites at the time of application, but it is suggested to have all courses completed at the time of application. The submission deadline for prerequisite courses is December 31st of the year of the application cycle.
The prerequisite courses are foundational experiences used to assist the MSUCOM PA Medicine Admissions Committee in identifying students who are able to meet the rigor and pace of coursework in the program. Because of this, applicants may only have up to two repeated prerequisite courses and no individual prerequisite course subject may be repeated more than once for the purpose of obtaining an eligible grade. A repeat is defined as a prerequisite subject which is retaken for the purpose of obtaining an eligible grade of a 3.0/B or higher. If you have any repeated prerequisite courses, we strongly advise emailing us at admissions@pa.com.msu.edu to ensure eligibility.
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Prerequisite Course |
Notes |
|
Human Anatomy |
Combined A&P classes are acceptable, but must be a minimum of 6 credits in total to fulfill both ** |
|
Human Physiology |
|
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Microbiology WITH lab |
Lab may be taken separately |
|
General Chemistry |
Organic chemistry is also accepted to fulfill this requirement |
|
Biochemistry |
A combined organic and biochemistry course is acceptable to fulfill this requirement, but at least 50% of the course needs to be biochemistry focused |
|
Developmental Psychology |
Must be a course that focuses on the social, cognitive, and behavioral development across the lifespan or a portion of the lifespan Introductory Psychology or Abnormal Psychology courses will not suffice. |
|
English Composition |
AP credit is accepted (must be able to provide proof) Designated writing courses are accepted where more than 50% of the course is based on writing |
|
Statistics |
AP credit is accepted (must be able to provide proof) Statistics may be taken in any department |
**Please refer to the FAQ section of this webpage for additional clarification regarding acceptable combined courses**
Other information about prerequisite courses:
- There is NO cumulative GPA requirement.
- There is NO overall science GPA requirement, however we do give preference to candidates with a higher science GPA and/or those who have demonstrated academic grit.
- There is no requirement around how recently your prerequisite courses were taken. For example, a candidate who completed the prerequisite courses 10 years ago is still eligible to apply.
- We do not accept narrative evaluations in place of grades.
o NOTE: pass/fail grades are NOT the same as narrative evaluations
- Please email questions about prerequisite requirements to: admissions@pa.com.msu.edu