Pre-Health Professions: Physician Assistant

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CAREER DESCRIPTION*

• National median salary: $133,260
• National projected career growth: 20%
• Examine, diagnose, and treat patients
• Write prescriptions and/or assist with surgery
• Counsel patients on preventative care

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TYPICAL EDUCATION**

• Years of School (including undergraduate): 6-7 years
• Requires a bachelor’s degree
• Average Entering GPA
  
  • 3.7 (Science GPA)
  • 3.79 (Overall)
  • 3.07-4.0 (5-year range)
• GRE not required at UNMC; Required by some schools

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COMPETITIVE STUDENTS ALWAYS...

• Maintain a competitive academic record
• Take BIOL 1060 Intro to Medical Careers and Ethics
• Shadow professionals in the field
• Obtain direct patient health care experience
• Stay active in community volunteering
• Take at least one semester with at least 17 credit hours

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NEARBY SCHOOLS

• University of Nebraska Medical Center
• Creighton University
• College of Saint Mary
• Des Moines University
• University of Iowa
• University of Missouri-Kansas City
• University of South Dakota
• Union Adventist University

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Prerequisites vary by program. Students are responsible for ensuring all entrance requirements are met. Most schools prefer science classes to be taken in-person versus online.

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UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER’S (UNMC) PREREQUISITES

Biological Sciences (minimum credits: 12)

Course	Credits	Semester	Prerequisites
BIOL 1450 Biology I & Lab	5	F, S, M	High school Biology and Chemistry
BIOL 2440 The Biology of Microorganisms & Lab†	4	F, S, M	High School Biology and Chemistry
AND BIOL 2740 Human Anatomy & Physiology I & Lab	4	F, S, M	High School Biology and Chemistry
BIOL 2840 Human Anatomy & Physiology II & Lab	4	F, S, M	BIOL 2740
OR BMCH 2400 Human Physiology & Anatomy I & Lab	4	F, S	N/A
BMCH 2500 Human Physiology & Anatomy II & Lab	4	F, S	BMCH 2400

_{†Substitutes for UNMC are listed in strongly recommended courses}

Chemistry (minimum credits: 17)

Course	Credits	Semester	Prerequisites
CHEM 1180 & 1184 General Chemistry I & Lab	4	F, S, M	MATH 1300 or 1320 or CHEM 1140 and 1144
CHEM 1190 & 1194 General Chemistry II & Lab	4	F, S, M	MATH 1300 or 1320 and CHEM 1180 and 1184
AND CHEM 2210 & 2214 Fund of Organic Chemistry & Lab	5	F, S	CHEM 1140 and 1144 or 1190 and 1194
CHEM 3650 & 3654 Fund of Biochemistry & Lab	4	F, S	CHEM 2210 and 2214 or 2260 and 2274
OR CHEM 2250 Organic Chemistry I†	3	F, S, M	CHEM 1190 and 1194
CHEM 2260 & 2274 Organic Chemistry II & Lab†	5	F, S	CHEM 2250
CHEM 3650 & 3654 Fund of Biochemistry & Lab	4	F, S	CHEM 2210 and 2214 or 2260 and 2274

_{†UNMC and Creighton strongly recommend the one-year Organic Chemistry sequence. Advanced Biochemistry is also acceptable.}

Statistics (minimum credits: 3)

Course	Credits	Semester	Prerequisites
BIOL 2020 Statistics for Life and Environ. Science	3	F, S	MATH 1120, 1130, 1300, or 1320
PA 3000 Applied Statistics	3	F, S, M	MATH 1300 or 1320
PSYC 3130 Statistics for Behavioral Sciences	3	F, S, M	MATH 1120, 1300, 1320, or STAT 1530
SOC 2130 Social Statistics	3	F, S, M	MATH 1120, 1300, 1320, or STAT 1530
STAT 3000 Statistical Methods I	3	F, S	MATH 1300 or 1320

^{Other statistics courses can fulfill the requirement as well but should be approved by an admissions advisor.}

Psychology (minimum credits: 9)

Course	Credits	Semester	Prerequisites
PSYC 1010 Introduction to Psychology	3	F, S, M	N/A
PSYC 2500 Lifespan Psychology	3	F, S, M	PSYC 1010
PSYC 4440 Abnormal Psychology	3	F, S, M	PSYC 1010

English Composition (minimum credits: 6)

Course	Credits	Semester	Prerequisites
ENGL 1140 English Composition I with Support	4	F, S	ACT Composite score <13, SAT Composite score <760, High School GPA <2.3, or Last Known College GPA <2.0
OR ENGL 1150 English Composition I	3	F, S, M	AP Score 3, ACT 14-26, HS GPA 2.3+
ENGL 1160 English Composition II	3	F, S, M	AP Score 4, ENGL 1140 or 1150, or ACT 27+ or Reading or English ACT score of 29+
Writing Intensive Course	3		Speak with HCRC Advisor

^{UNMC will not accept retroactive credit for ENGL 1150 and ENGL 1160.}

Medical Terminology (Choose one)

Course	Credits	Semester
BIOL 1160 Terminology of Human Health & Disease	2	F, S
HEKI 2000 Medical Terminology	1	F, S, M

Strongly Recommended Courses

Course	Credits	Semester	Prerequisites
MATH 1300 College Algebra with Support	4	F, S, M	N/A
OR MATH 1320 College Algebra	3	F, S, M	ACT 22 or ALEKS 4
BIOL 2140 Genetics and Discussion	4	F, S, M	BIOL 1450 and 1750 and CHEM 1140 or 1180
BIOL 3020 Molecular Biology of the Cell	3	F, S, M	BIOL 2140 and CHEM 1140 or 1180
BIOL 3240 Introduction to Immunology	3	F, S	BIOL 1450, 1750, & 2140, (BIOL 3020 recommended)
BIOL 3830 Biology of Pathogenic Microorganisms & BIOL 4644 Lab† OR	3-4	S	BIOL 2140 or BIOL 2440 or BIOL 3240
BIOL 4640 Molecular Microbiology & 4644 Lab†	4	F	BIOL 2140 and BIOL 3020
ENGL 4970 Writing about Sickness and Health	5	S	ENGL 1160

Additional UNMC Admissions Information

Academics

• It is recommended that students take courses in chemistry, biology, mathematics, and psychology beyond the required prerequisite courses.
• No AP (Advanced Placement), CLEP, Pass/Fail, CR credit will be accepted for required prerequisite course.
• The minimum GPA to apply is a 3.0.
• Grades below C are not accepted.
• Repeated course grades (original and repeated) will be averaged in the CASPA GPA calculations.

Standardized Exam

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is not required at UNMC but may be required for acceptance at other PA schools.

Extracurriculars

• It is important to gain direct patient contact either through work or through volunteering. There is no minimum requirement for patient contact hours. However, the most competitive applicants will have 2000 patient contact hours.
• PA shadowing is important to demonstrate a solid understanding of the profession. The most competitive applicants will have 50 hours of shadowing.

All of the above information is from UNMC CAHP Physician Assistant Admissions and Preference Factors.

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_{*Data and information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics
**Data and information from UNMC
Last update: 9.2025}