Biology, Bachelor of Science (Pre-Physician Assistant Studies)
Program Requirements for Pre-Physician Assistant Studies (54 credits)
The Pre-professional phase of the Physician Assistant (PA) Program is completed in the Science Department. Students with no previous college-level study begin a program of liberal arts core requirements and science courses to prepare for admission to the professional phase of the PA program, which grants a Master’s Degree in PA (see the Marywood University graduate catalogue PA program section for more details).
Students with some previous college experience may apply to the Pre-Professional Program. Admitted students will then complete all liberal arts core requirements and prerequisite sciences. Such transfer students must have a 2.50 QPA minimum and must have earned a C+ or better in science classes transferred; however, a minimum grade of B in General Chemistry, General Biology, Microbiology, Organic Chemistry, and Anatomy and Physiology courses is required for admission to the PA professional phase.
For acceptance into the Pre-Physician Assistant Program, students must have a minimum of a 1080 on the nw SAT (EBRW +M), with a minimum of 530 in the Math section. For students with ACT scores, a minimum of 21 is required. Students who do not meet the above criteria may be accepted into the Science Department as “Undeclared with an interest in Pre-Physician Assistant” studies. They may declare a major in Pre-PA Studies when their GPA is ≥ 3.00.
Students who have completed a Bachelor’s degree in another institution may apply to the graduate program in PA through the PA Eligibility Track. Details are provided in the Graduate program section of the catalog. Students must take at least 16 credits of Science pre-requisite courses at Marywood to qualify for this program. Students in the PA eligibility program are advised by faculty in the graduate program.
Pre-Professional Program Requirements
Students in the pre-professional phase are required to maintain an overall GPA of 3.00, as well as a 3.00 in Science courses and labs, to be considered eligible for admission to the professional phase. The Science GPA is determined as the mean of all required Biology and Chemistry courses.
Required
Professional Program Phase
Students who have successfully met all required liberal arts core requirements and science prerequisites may apply for admission to the professional program, following their second year as Pre-PA Students are guaranteed an interview with the PA interview committee if their Science GPA is >3.0.
Students Not Admitted to Professional Program Phase
Students who are not accepted to the Professional Program Phase may continue in the Science Department and complete another degree program, such as B.S. in Biology or B.S. in Biotechnology.
Students Not Completing the Professional Program
Students who do not complete the Professional phase of the PA program may complete their B.S. in Biology degree upon successful completion of two semesters of Physics (PHYS 303/303L and PHYS 304/304L) as well as Science Literary Capstone (BIOL 410). In addition, these students must complete 30 elective credits towards the B.S. Biology degree, of which 19 credits transfer from the pre-PA curriculum. In addition, up to 10 credits may be transferred from the graduate program for basic science courses completed during the professional phase. Students should discuss their program with the Department Chair and complete a Change of Primary Goal form.