Health Professions

Pre-Physician Assistant

At Southwestern, preparing for a career as a Physician Assistant (PA) is about more than fulfilling prerequisites—it’s about developing the knowledge, compassion, and adaptability needed to care for others across a wide range of clinical settings. Our pre-PA pathway offers strong academic preparation grounded in the liberal arts and enriched by coursework in the sciences.

Students preparing for PA graduate programs are typically interested in patient-centered care, diagnostic practice, and promoting health and wellness across diverse populations. Many choose to major in biology, chemistry, or kinesiology, but successful applicants come from a wide range of academic backgrounds. Courses in human anatomy and physiology, microbiology, genetics, and organic chemistry provide a critical understanding of the human body, disease processes, and treatment strategies—core knowledge for Physician Assistants. Additional recommended coursework (dependent on the specific requirements of individual graduate programs) includes medical terminology, psychology, statistics, and biochemistry.

The following core courses offer strong preparation for students planning to apply to professional Physician Assistant (PA) programs. Additional recommended courses allow students to deepen their understanding and tailor their academic experience to their specific interests within healthcare.

Each professional program sets its own entrance requirements. It is the student’s responsibility to research individual schools and ensure all prerequisite coursework is completed accordingly.

Core Courses

  • BIO50-171: Inquiries in Biology

  • BIO50-173: Molecular and Cellular Foundations of Biology

  • BIO50-314: Genetics

  • BIO50-484: Microbiology

  • CHE51-101: Chemical Methods and Techniques Laboratory I

  • CHE51-103: General Chemistry I

  • CHE51-201: Chemical Methods and Techniques Laboratory II

  • CHE51-203: General Chemistry II

  • CHE51-311: Organic Chemistry Laboratory Techniques

  • CHE51-313: Organic Chemistry I

  • KIN48-251: Integrative Approach to Human Anatomy and Physiology I (Lab)

  • KIN48-253: Human Anatomy and Physiology I

  • KIN48-261: Integrative Approach to Human Anatomy and Physiology II (Lab)

  • KIN48-263: Human Anatomy and Physiology II

  • MAT52-114: Introduction to Statistics

  • PSY33-104: Principles of Psychology

Recommended Courses

  • CHE51-614: General Biochemistry

  • KIN48-XXX: Medical Terminology

  • KIN48-121: Structural Kinesiology

  • KIN48-374: Nutritional Sciences

  • SOC34-114: Introduction to Sociology

  • PSY33-344: Lifespan Developmental Psychology

Supporting Courses

  • BIO50-181: Investigations in Biology

  • BIO50-183: Evolutionary and Ecological Foundations of Biology

  • BIO50-222: Methods in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

  • BIO50-232: Methods in Cellular and Molecular Biology

Plan Your Path

Download our Pre-PA Course Sequence Guide (PDF) for suggested four-year core course sequence options.