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Pre-Requisites

**ALL pre-requisites (academic and experience-based) vary at each school**

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Links to Boston-Area PA Schools' pre-requisite information:

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Tufts        Northeastern        Boston University        MCPHS       Mass. Gen. Institute of Health Professions

GPA: Overall GPA ~3.50, Science GPA ~3.47

Tests: GRE or MCAT (some schools do not accept MCAT; some schools do not require any exams)

Direct Patient Care: See DPC Experience under "Becoming a PA"

Volunteering/Shadowing: Each school is unique

Letters of Recommendation: Usually three letters (if required at all)

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*You can look at the different requirements for each PA school on each school's individual website or on the PAEA program directory: https://directory.paeaonline.org

TUFTS UNDERGRADUATE SPECIFICS

Chemistry courses

  • Chem 1/11

    • 5 SHU’s (6 for Chem 11); includes lab

    • Semester(s) Offered: Fall, Winter, Summer (only Fall for Chem 11)

    • Prerequisites: None

  • Chem 2/12

    • 5 SHU’s (6 for Chem 12); includes lab

    • Semester(s) Offered: Fall, Winter, Summer (only Spring for Chem 12)

    • Prerequisites: Chem 1/11

  • Orgo (Chem 51+53)*

    • 6 SHU’s; includes lab (Chem 53)

    • Semester(s) Offered: Fall, Winter, Summer

    • Prerequisites: Chem 1/11 and Chem 2/12

    • Chem 53 does not need to be taken concurrently with Chem 51, though it is common to do so

  • Biochem (Bio 152 or Chem 171)*

    • 3 SHU’s for Bio, 4 SHU’s for Chem

    • Semester(s) Offered: Spring (Bio152 also offered in Summer)

    • Prerequisites: Orgo and Bio 13

 

Biology courses

  • Bio 13

    • 5 SHU’s; includes lab

    • Semester(s) Offered: Fall, Summer

    • Prerequisites: None

  • Bio 14

    • 5 SHU’s; includes lab

    • Semester(s) Offered: Spring

    • Prerequisites: None

  • Anatomy (Bio 4)

    • 4 SHU’s; includes lab

    • Semester(s) Offered: Fall

    • Prerequisites: at least 1 college bio course

  • Physiology 1 (Bio 115)

    • 3 SHU’s

    • Semester(s) Offered: Fall

    • does not need to be taken before Bio 116

    • Prerequisites: Bio 13 and Bio 14

  • Physiology 2 (Bio 116)

    • 3 SHU’s

    • Semester(s) Offered: Spring

    • Prerequisites: Bio 13 and Bio 14

  • Experiments in Physiology (Bio 49)*

    • 4 SHU’s; includes lab

    • Offered in Fall

    • Prerequisites: Bio 14

  • Microbiology (Bio 106 + 107)*

    • 5 SHU’s; includes lab (Bio 107)

    • Semester(s) Offered: Spring

    • Prerequisites: Bio 13, Bio 14, and Bio 41 (genetics)

    • Bio 107 must be taken concurrently with Bio 106

 

Other courses

  • Statistics

    • Tend to be 3-5 SHU

    • Offered every semester

  • Social sciences classes (Community Health, CSHD, Psychology, Sociology, etc)*

    • Tend to be 3-4 SHU

    • Offered every semester

 

Recommended courses (not typically required)

  • Upper-level biology classes*

    • Tend to be 3 SHU

    • Offered every semester

  • Medical terminology*

    • Not offered at Tufts, but there are online courses you can find

  • Behavioral Psychology*

    • Not required, but important to know as a medical professional

    • We recommend Abnormal Psychology (Psy 12)


 

* not required by all schools, but it's still a good idea to take these classes

in order to have more options when applying

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