How to Choose the Best Undergraduate Major to Get Into PA School

There is no single best undergraduate major for PA school. Biology, health sciences, psychology, kinesiology, and non-science degrees can all be reasonable choices. The best fit is a subject you want to study, a course load you can handle well, and a plan that leaves room for your target PA programs' prerequisites.

That last part matters. A degree can sound perfect for a future PA and still leave you short an anatomy course or a required lab. Before you declare a major or change the one you have, compare the actual courses.

How I found my way from pre-med biology to zoology

At UW, I started as a general biology major on the pre-med track. I still remember my organic chemistry professor's first-day warning: "Look to your left, look to your right. One of you won't be here by the end of the quarter." It didn't take long to realize the students on either side of me were looking right back at me.

Organic chemistry didn't excite me. I wanted room for the classes I loved, like genetics, cell biology, and anatomy, but the pre-med track at the time kept pushing me toward prerequisites like physical chemistry instead. When I went to my academic advisor for help, all I got was a reminder that my grades were slipping. No alternatives, no plan B.

Everything changed my junior year when I met a practicing PA. I looked up the PA school prerequisites, found a new advisor who actually listened, and discovered the zoology major. It had never been on my radar, but it was a perfect fit, with courses in human biology, physiology, biomechanics, social biology, and genetics. Once I was excited about what I was studying, my grades went from Cs to straight As, and I made the Dean's List my final two years.

Changing your academic plan is not a sign of failure. If I had accepted my first advisor's verdict as the final word, I might never have found the PA profession at all.

What PA programs want to see in a PA school applicant

Start by separating the name of your degree from the evidence that you're ready for PA school. In its 2026–27 bulletin, Yale explicitly says a science major is not required. It still requires specific courses and looks for the ability to handle graduate-level science.

That doesn't mean academic background carries the same weight everywhere. UW's MEDEX Northwest also has no required major, but says a strong health-sciences background and upper-division science work can strengthen an application. Read the admissions guidance for the schools you actually want to attend.

Strong grades and the right courses

Choose a major in which you can do good work. Enjoying a subject helps, but be honest about the workload, your study habits, and the time you need for a job or family. Don't choose chemistry because it sounds impressive if you dislike the subject and struggle through every class.

Keep an eye on your science GPA as well as your overall GPA. CASPA classifies individual course subjects; it doesn't turn every course in a science-related degree into science coursework. Psychology and sociology, for example, fall under its non-science GPA categories.

Experience that helps you understand patient care

Leave room in your schedule to learn what working with patients is actually like. A demanding degree plan can become a problem if it leaves no time for the experience your target programs expect.

Check each program's definitions before accepting a job mainly to earn application hours. Keep an accurate record of your duties and hours using a notebook, your own spreadsheet, or our free PA school applicant logbook. A job title alone may not tell an admissions team what you did.

A thoughtful reason for becoming a PA

Your major may help explain an interest in science, movement, language, or human behavior. You still need to explain why you want to practice as a PA. Time spent working with patients and learning from PAs gives you something specific to draw on when that question comes up.

Which undergraduate majors are worth considering for PA school?

These are options to compare, not a ranking of admission chances. Degree requirements vary by college, so use this as a starting point for a conversation with your advisor.

My cousin majored in kinesiology and worked as an athletic trainer during undergrad. She went on to become an orthopedic PA.

I have seen dance majors, drama majors, political science majors, and acupuncturists get into PA school. Their paths are a reminder that there is room for different backgrounds, not evidence that any one of those backgrounds gets preferential treatment.

Does the most common major have the best admission rate?

Those are different questions. A survey showing what enrolled PA students studied doesn't tell you how many applicants from each major were rejected. You need both sides of that comparison to calculate an admission rate, and even that wouldn't prove the major caused the result.

PAEA's latest published Student Report, Student Report 6, was released in January 2025 and reports on students surveyed in 2022. Among respondents to the 2022 matriculating-student survey, 57% reported taking additional credits to meet PA program prerequisites (Table 50, page 33). My takeaway: check for missing courses before you reach graduation.

Can you get into PA school with a non-science major?

Yes. Programs such as Yale and MEDEX allow it, provided you meet their other requirements. But choose a non-science major because it suits you, not because someone promised that being different would make admission easier.

A language degree might give you years of practice communicating across cultures. Studying literature might sharpen how you read and write. Those are worthwhile reasons to study a subject. You'll still need to demonstrate that you can handle the science.

What if you already have a degree?

Don't assume you need to start over with a second bachelor's degree. For a program that accepts your existing degree, the remaining academic work may be a set of missing or expired prerequisites.

Ask prospective PA programs whether you can take those courses individually as a non-degree student. MEDEX, for example, accepts qualifying coursework from regionally accredited community colleges as well as universities. Other programs have their own rules, so get an answer about your particular courses before paying for them.

If you're considering a formal postbaccalaureate program, compare its advising, course access, total cost, and timeline with enrolling in the courses you need on your own. A structured program may be useful; it shouldn't be your automatic first purchase.

Check the prerequisites before committing to a major

Build a preliminary list of PA programs and read each program's current admissions page. AAPA's overview lists common subjects such as anatomy, physiology, biology, microbiology, chemistry, and statistics, but there is no single course checklist that substitutes for a school's requirements. Our PA school prerequisites guide can help you organize that research.

For every required course, record:

• The subject, credit hours, course level, and whether a lab is required.
• The minimum acceptable grade and how recently the course must have been completed.
• Whether online courses, community-college courses, or AP/IB credit are accepted.
• Whether the course can be in progress when you apply, and its completion deadline.
• The application cycle the policy applies to. Don't plan from an old screenshot.

Then compare that list with your college's degree requirements. If a course title is ambiguous, send the PA program the course description or syllabus and ask whether it qualifies. Keep the response with your planning notes.

If you already have coursework and patient-care experience to compare, PA Program Match AI can help you explore programs using your own statistics. Its free report is a starting point, not an admissions prediction or a substitute for checking requirements directly with schools.

Three strategies for choosing your pre-PA major

1. Pick a subject you want to study

Read the junior- and senior-year course descriptions, not just the introductory classes. Would you still want to take those courses if PA school were a year further away than you hoped? Also consider what you'd want to do with the degree if your plans changed.

2. Choose an efficient course plan

Ask your advisor to show you a semester-by-semester plan for the majors you're considering. Compare how many prerequisites overlap, which courses are offered only once a year, and whether switching majors would delay graduation. If your college offers a pre-PA advising track, ask how it fits with each major rather than assuming it is a degree of its own.

3. Build a schedule you can do well in

Write down the hours you have available for classes, studying, paid work, and other responsibilities. If a proposed semester doesn't fit, adjust it with your advisor. Cramming in several demanding labs while adding long patient-care shifts is not a plan I'd recommend just to apply sooner.

Does a double major help you get into PA school?

I wouldn't add a second major solely to impress an admissions committee. If you love both subjects and can finish without stretching your finances or overloading your schedule, it may be worthwhile. If it means another year of tuition or less time to do well in required courses, think carefully.

Compare a double major with a minor or a few well-chosen electives. You can study Spanish, psychology, or public health without necessarily earning a second major in it.

How to explain your major in a PA school interview

When you're ready to interview, be prepared to explain your academic choices without apologizing for them or overselling them. Think through three questions:

1. What interested you enough to choose this subject?
2. What did a specific course, project, or experience teach you?
3. How did your experiences help you decide to become a PA?

You don't have to make every undergraduate decision sound like part of a perfect plan. If you changed direction, explain what you learned and why you changed. Our “Why do you want to be a PA?” examples can help you think through your answer without borrowing someone else's story.

Ready to practice out loud? Practice your PA school interview with Maya, our AI interview coach. You can try two complete questions free and get immediate coaching on your answers. If you're still choosing freshman-year courses, start with the prerequisite plan. The interview practice can wait.

Your next step

Bring two or three possible majors, your current transcript, and a preliminary PA school prerequisite list to an advising appointment. Ask: “Which plan lets me finish these requirements, do well in my classes, and graduate without unnecessary extra semesters?”

If that advisor can't help you map out your options, ask for a second opinion. You need someone who will help you figure out what to do next, not just tell you what's wrong with your grades.

Sources checked September 8, 2026. Program policies can change by application cycle. The PAEA statistic above describes 2022 survey respondents, not current applicants or admission odds.

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