Biology Major-Pre-Physician Assistant Guide (Pre-Med Option) 2024-2025

Oct 3, 2026

Biology major pre-physician assistant option guidance for 2024-2025 outlines how students with biology interests can meet common prerequisite requirements for AAPA-accredited physician assistant programs. It explains that a 3.0 GPA is required to complete the option and that course selections also satisfy multiple biology major requirement areas. The guide lists required core coursework, recommended electives across medicine, health and society, human anatomy and physiology, and an experiential learning or biology/psychology elective track, with notes on terms and prerequisites.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

Core Coursework

Medicine, Health and Society (Select one)

Human Anatomy and Physiology

Experiential Learning or Biological Science/Psychology Elective

Biology Major-Pre-Physician Assistant Guide (Pre-Med Option) 2024-2025 Document available online at [https://ib.oregonstate.edu/undergraduate/advising/college-advising-guide](https://ib.oregonstate.edu/undergraduate/advising/college-advising-guide). The biology major pre-medicine option is designed to allow students interested in medicine, pharmacy, physician assistant and some other professional programs to optimally meet the requirement for their professional goal in the context of their biology major. This document outlines the requirements for students interested in becoming a physician assistant (see the other option documents for medicine, pharmacy, and dentistry), and the listed courses will meet the prerequisites for most AAPA accredited physician assistant programs in the U.S. Students should always consult the requirements of all schools to which they plan to apply, and many physician assistant programs will not accept some online prerequisite science courses (especially those with online labs) or prerequisite classes from study abroad programs. A 3.0 GPA is required to complete the pre-medical option. Courses used to satisfy option requirements also satisfy the Biology and Society, Organismal Biology, Physiology, Writing Intensive Course (WIC), Physics or Computer Science and Quantitative Applications and Experiential Learning or Integrative Biology Elective requirements in the biology major. Previous versions of this option are different and are tracked in MyDegrees. All courses and prerequisites are subject to change, and the listing of terms offered is based on projected Corvallis campus offerings. Core Coursework: | Course | Description (credits) | Term(s) | Pre-requisites | Comments | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | KIN 132 | Introduction to the Allied Health Professions* (1) | F, Sp | - | *By approval in place of BI 109 | | PHAR 210 | Terminology of the Health Sciences (2cr) | F, Sp | - | - | | PSY 201Z & 202Z | General Psychology (4cr, 4cr) | All | - | - | | SOC 204 | Introduction to Sociology (3cr) | All | - | - | | PHL/REL 444 | Biomedical Ethics* (4cr) | All | Sophomore+ for PHL/REL 444 | *BC: Sci. Technology & Society; Ecampus all but summer term | | BI 319 | Theory, Practice, Discourse Life Sciences (3cr) | All | BI 221, 222, 223 (C-) & ST 351 | - | | PH 201, 202, 203 | General Physics* (5cr, 5cr, 5cr) | All | MTH 112 (C-) | *Taken in order | Medicine, Health and Society (Select one course from the following): | Course | Description (credits) | Term(s) | Pre-requisites | Comments | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | ANTH 352 | Anthropology, Health, and Environment* (3cr) | All* | - | *Ecampus only; BC: Contemporary Global Issues | | ANTH 374 | Anthropology and Global Health (3cr) | W | - | - | | ANTH 383 | Introduction to Medical Anthropology* (3cr) | Su | - | *BC: Contemporary Global Issues | | BB 220 | Cancer: Society’s Malignant Shadow (3cr) | Sp | - | - | | BB 332 | Molecular Medicine (3cr) | F | BI 221 (C-) | - | | BI 175 | Genomes, Identities and Societies (3cr) | ?* | - | *See catalog | | H 312 | HIV/AIDS and STI's in Modern Society (3cr) | F, W, Sp | - | Sophomore+ | | H 332 | Climate and Health (3cr) | ?* | - | *See catalog | | H 333 | Global Public Health (3cr) | W | - | - | | HSTS 417 | History of Medicine (4cr) | All* | - | *Ecampus only, sophomore+ | | MB 330 | Disease and Society (3cr) | Sp*, Su* | - | *Ecampus only | Human Anatomy and Physiology: | Course | Description (credits) | Term(s) | Pre-requisites | Comments | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | BI 331-333 & 341-343 | Advanced Human A&P (3cr, 3cr, 3cr) Advanced Human A&P, Lab (2cr, 2cr, 2cr) | F, W, Sp
F, W, Sp | BI 221, 222, 223 (C-); CH 233/263 (C-) | Junior+, must be taken in order and together | Experiential Learning or Biological Science/Psychology Elective Course (select one of two tracks below): Track I: Select any combination of 3 credits from the following | Course | Description (credits) | Term(s)

FAQs

What GPA is required to complete the pre-medical option?

A 3.0 GPA is required to complete the pre-medical option.

What core courses are required for the Biology major pre-physician assistant option?

The guide lists core coursework including KIN 132, PHAR 210, PSY 201Z & 202Z, SOC 204, PHL/REL 444, BI 319, and PH 201/202/203, with stated terms and prerequisites.

How do students choose the electives in the experiential learning or biology/psychology track?

Students select one of two tracks: Track I requires a combination of electives totaling 3 credits from approved teaching, research, or internship options; Track II requires selecting one biology science/psychology elective course from the provided list.

Oct 3, 2026

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