Students interested in becoming physician assistants can major in any subject. This includes history, art, music, business, many sciences or any field. No matter what major you choose, you must take courses in biology, chemistry, math, and physics. Most often, Hiram students applying to physician assistant school major in: Biology, Biochemistry, Biomedical Humanities, Chemistry, Neuroscience, and Psychology, but people from other majors are also successful. That said, Physician Assistant programs require prerequisite coursework in health sciences and other appropriate areas. While each program may have different specific requirements, typical course expectations include the following (with Hiram course numbers in parenthesis after the course):
- Human Anatomy and Physiology with lab (2 semesters) (BIOL 131 & 133)
- Inorganic Chemistry with Lab (CHEM 115 or CHEM 161 or CHEM 230)
- Organic Chemistry with Lab (CHEM 162, CHEM 220)
- Biochemistry (CHEM 320 – also requires CHEM 230 as prerequisite)
- Microbiology with Lab (BIOL 238)
- Introductory Psychology (PSYC 101)
- Developmental Psychology (PSYC 250)
- Statistics (MATH 108)
Other courses that are recommended (and may be required by some programs include:
- Intermediate Algebra (MATH 195)
- Abnormal Psychology (PSYC 254)
- Genetics (BIOL 365)
- Medical Terminology Nutrition (CHEM 250, requires CHEM 161 as prerequisite)
Typical academic requirements for grades in required prerequisite courses are that each individual course must have a grade of at least a C and the overall GPA in these courses must be at least a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale