Prerequisite Coursework
Admission Prerequisite Coursework Requirements and Credit Hours
- Up to two courses may be pending at the time of application, however, all courses must be completed by September 1. The application deadline is August 1.
- Applicants must indicate in CASPA which courses are pending or in progress. If interviewed, applicants will be asked to provide documentation that they are registered in any pending courses.
- Each course may satisfy only one prerequisite course requirement.
- All prerequisite course grades must be 'C' or above, 'C-' grades will not be accepted.
- The program will honor credits completed at community colleges and online through regionally accredited institutions.
- Online courses are accepted for prerequisite coursework; no online laboratories are usually accepted. We prefer that laboratories are taken 'in-seat. However, we will accept online labs if an applicant was unable to take 'in-seat' labs in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although, it is required that the applicant has taken at least one 'in-seat' lab within the past seven years from the new cohort's start date, as specified to fulfill another lab requirement.
- No AP Credit will be accepted for all prerequisite courses. Any required prerequisite course listed below will need to be taken at a college-level degree granting institution.
- Equivalent quarter hours are accepted (for example, 4 semester hours = 6 quarter hours). See this link for how quarter hours are converted to semester hours: CASPA Application Help Center.
- Advanced level courses are preferred.
- Science prerequisite courses are required to have been taken within the past seven years from the new cohort's start date.
- A minimum GPA of 3.00 is required for both Overall Total GPA and Overall Total Science GPA. There will be no exceptions to these required GPAs, so it is important to know how CASPA will calculate GPAs for each application. Refer to this link: CASPA Application Help Center.
| Course | Credit Hours (semester) | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Anatomy and Physiology as one of two options: |
7 6 |
A) Separate Anatomy and Physiology courses; or B) Combined Anatomy/Physiology courses |
|
Option A: As separate courses: A) Human Anatomy (includes one-credit lab) |
4
|
Option A: requires a minimum of 4 total hours of human anatomy (three hours of lecture plus a one-credit anatomy lab) Required lab may not be online. |
| and | ||
| A) Human or Vertebrate Physiology (no lab required) | 3 | Option A: Anatomy above PLUS 3 hours of human or vertebrate physiology (lecture only) |
| or | ||
|
Option B: As combined courses: B) Human Anatomy/Physiology I & II (includes one-credit anatomy lab) |
6 |
Option B: May take anatomy/physiology as a combined course over a two-course series (Anatomy/Physiology I and II) for a minimum total of 6 hours (which includes a one-credit anatomy lab). Must be human anatomy/physiology, Required lab may not be online. |
| Biochemistry | 3 | No lab required. |
| Microbiology (within biology department) | 4 | Includes a one-credit laboratory (lab may not be online) |
| General Chemistry I and II | 7 | Includes a one-credit laboratory (lab may not be online). |
| Organic Chemistry | 4 | Includes a one-credit laboratory (lab may not be online) |
| Genetics | 3 | Must be an upper-level course requiring a biology prerequisite |
| Medical Terminology | 1 | |
| Statistics | 3 | Will accept courses in biostatistics, behavioral statistics, and epidemiology |
| Psychology-Behavioral Sciences | 3 | Will accept courses in general, developmental, and abnormal Psychology |
Accreditation Statement
The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the Dominican University Physician Assistant Studies Program sponsored by Dominican University. Accreditation-Continued is an accreditation status granted when a currently accredited program is in compliance with the ARC-PA Standards.
Accreditation remains in effect until the program closes or withdraws from the accreditation process or until accreditation is withdrawn for failure to comply with the Standards. The approximate date for the next validation review of the program by the ARC-PA will be September 2030. The review date is contingent upon continued compliance with the Accreditation Standards and ARC-PA policy.
The program’s accreditation history can be viewed on the ARC-PA website.
View the ARC-PA Student Attrition Report on our Outcomes webpage.