À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ

Overview

At Illinois Wesleyan, students receive premier preparation in the sciences, along with challenging coursework in the liberal arts, highly personal instruction from a well-qualified faculty, and hands-on experience with state-of-the-art equipment.

As at most universities, students cannot major in pre-physician assistant at Illinois Wesleyan. Instead, students will major in their primary field of interest—commonly Biology, Chemistry, Psychology, or Kinesiology—while also completing the courses required by physician assistant (PA) programs.

Pre-Physician Assistant at Illinois Wesleyan — Our Advantages

• Access to top-tier lab equipment and dedicated undergraduate research opportunities under the supervision of Ph.D. faculty.
• Strong advising support from both science faculty and the Health and Science Career Counselor, ensuring students stay on track with academic and clinical requirements.
• Coursework that builds the scientific knowledge, communication skills, and ethical reasoning required in healthcare settings.
• Opportunities to gain patient care experience through local clinical partnerships, volunteer service, and internships.
• Support in preparing for the CASPA application, personal statement, and mock interviews.

Program Guide

Curriculum

Pre-Physician Assistant Course Plan

The following course plan outlines commonly required prerequisites for PA programs. Students will work with both their faculty advisor and the Health and Science Career Counselor to build an academic and experiential path that aligns with their goals.

Students will major in a discipline of interest while completing the prerequisite coursework required by most PA schools. Because PA programs are highly competitive and emphasize both academic performance and direct patient care experience, students are encouraged to begin acquiring hands-on clinical experience early.

As an IWU student, it is your responsibility to track your progress each semester towards completing graduation requirements using the degree evaluation tool.

Study Abroad

Students interested in studying abroad are encouraged to plan early and consult with their academic advisor and the Health and Science Career Counselor. With careful planning, it is possible to study abroad without delaying graduation or the application timeline.

For most pre-PA students, sophomore or junior year fall semester is the most feasible time to study abroad, depending on when they plan to apply to PA school. Students taking a gap year have additional flexibility.

Additional Information

• Physician assistant programs do not follow a universal set of prerequisites. While many programs have overlapping requirements, students must check the admission requirements for each school individually. Common variations include requirements for organic chemistry, biochemistry, or specific types of clinical experience.
• Statistics is required by most programs and can be fulfilled by ECON 227, PSYC 227, SOC 227, or BIO 209.
• Psychology and Sociology are commonly required and fulfill general education requirements (LSI and CSI, respectively).
• Patient care hours are a key component of a competitive application. Most programs require between 500–2,000 hours of paid or certified clinical experience (e.g., CNA, EMT, MA, phlebotomist, etc.).
• Students are encouraged to use the PAEA Program Directory () and CASPA (www.caspa.org) to research program-specific requirements and deadlines.

Resources

Health and Science Career Counselor/Career Center – Offers one-on-one advising, help with clinical experience planning, personal statements, and application strategy. Provides mock interviews, resume support, and job/internship search tools for clinical roles.

Handshake – All experiential opportunities, events, and announcements are posted here.

CASPA (Central Application Service for Physician Assistants) – https://caspa.liaisoncas.com

Explore Health Careers – PA Page – https://explorehealthcareers.org/career/physician-assistant/