Pre-Physician Assistant (PA) Program Pathway

Please note that the course information listed on the charts below refer to requirements for a degree in the Biology Major and any required or highly recommended (as noted) courses for successful admittance into a Physician Assistant (PA) Program. Courses required for graduation outside of the the major or for PA program admittance (i.e. for the Canisius Core or All-College Honors Core Curricula) are not included.

Students actively pursuing this pathway should keep in regular contact with Dr. Allyson Backstrom in the Pre-Medical and Pre-Health Professions Office to keep up with any potential changes to the path below, in conjunction with their regular Biology Major advising sessions.


Freshman:

FALL SPRING
BIO 111/L (Introductory Biology I with Lab) BIO 112/L (Introduction Biology II with Lab)
CHM 111/L (General Chemistry I with Lab) CHM 112/L (General Chemistry II with Lab)
MAT 111 (Calculus I)

MAT 141 (Inferential Statistics and Computers for Science) 
or PSY 201 (Basic Statistics for Behavioral Sciences)

FYS 101 (Explorations of Academic Writing and Special Topics)
or HON 101 (Honors English)
ENG 101 (Writing about Literature)
or any HON literature course

Sophomore:

FALL SPRING
BIO 211/L (Biochemistry and Cellular Biology I with Lab) BIO 212/L (Biochemistry and Cellular Biology II with Lab)
CHM 227/L (Organic Chemistry I with Lab) CHM 228/L (Organic Chemistry II with Lab)
PSY 101 (Introduction to Psychology I)
or PSY 102 (Introduction to Psychology II)*
* [Flexibility when taken]

BIO 351 (Biology Seminar I) 


Junior:

FALL SPRING
PHY 201/L (College Physics I with Lab) PHY 202/L (College Physics II with Lab)
BIO 340/L (Physiology with Lab)* 
* [Requirement for PA programs varies]
BIO 324/L (Human Anatomy with Lab)

Senior:

FALL SPRING
BIO 307/L (Microbiology with Lab) BIO 404 (Genetics) or BIO405 (Medical Genetics)*
* [BIO404 recommended with lab for fulfillment of Bio Major Tracks]
BIO 353 (Biology Seminar II) HRP 111 (Medical Terminology)*
* [Flexibility when taken]
Any BIO Upper Level/Elective(s) with or without lab as needed Any BIO Upper Level/Elective(s) with or without lab as needed

Other Recommended Courses To Schedule As/Where Possible:

PSY 203 (Lifespan Developmental Psychology)

PSY 303 (Abnormal Psychology)

BIO 300 or 301 (Research Methods) Starting in sophomore year, as many semesters as possible

BIO 298 (Pre-Clinical Experience for Undergraduates)