Prerequisites for Marquette University Undergraduates
Students who have not completed their undergraduate degree must complete the first two years of the pre-physician assistant curriculum prior to gaining admittance to the PA program. (see curriculum) Admittance preference will be given to students completing their pre-physician assistant courses at Marquette University; however, applicants may complete the two year pre-physician assistant curriculum at other institutions. These students are encouraged to remain in contact with the College of Health Sciences Dean’s Office to ensure courses taken on other campuses are equivalent to the specific pre-requisite requirements.
Undergraduate students admitted to the physician assistant program will earn their Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Sciences at the completion of the didactic coursework following the second year of the 3-year professional program.Requirements also include:
- Minimum GPA of 3.0.
- For sophomores applicants, a minimum of three semesters of coursework at Marquette University will be calculated in your admission application.This means the fall semester grades after application submission will be calculated into your GPA and Science GPA.
- ACT / SAT Scores -If applicants will have a Bachelor’s Degree at the time of starting the PA curriculum, they are required to take the GRE before September 1st of the year they are applying (Designated Institution code 5872).
- Minimum of 200 hours of volunteer and/or paid health care experience.
- The hours can be either volunteer or paid direct patient care. The minimum 200 hours must be completed at the time your application is submitted with a contact number of a supervisor or volunteer office for verification. Hours may include (but are not limited to): nursing assistant, EMT, volunteer patient care within a nursing home or hospital, radiology tech, phlebotomist.
- 3 letters of recommendation are required (No form is provided).
Although there are no requirements as to the format of content of the three reference letters we require, we do have some suggestions as to whom these references might come from.
- Someone who knows you academically. This would ideally be someone whose course you have taken and can comment on your preparation for the rigors of an intense professional academic program.
- Someone who knows your work ethic. This would ideally be from someone in the healthcare field with whom you have worked with, or worked for, and can comment on your work ethic, passion for healthcare, etc.
- Someone who knows you personally. This would ideally be from someone in the community who can comment on your character, your goals, etc.
- An interview will be offered to select applicants.
Meeting the admission requirements and completing the academic prerequisites does not guarantee admission to the Physician Assistant Program. Marquette's PA program accepts students from a pool of highly qualified, diverse applicants and is a competitive process.
