Bachelor of Science in Natural Science – Health Sciences/Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies

General Education Curriculum

All degree programs require completion of the General Education Curriculum. A complete description of the gen ed and its requirements are available in the General Education Curriculum section of the Daemen catalog. Courses that satisfy a portion or complete a core requirement will have such designation indicated after the course title.

BS Natural Science – Health Science/MS Physician Assistant Studies

BS Natural Science – Health Science

  1. Major: 88 CREDITS

    • The following courses require a minimum grade of C or better:
    • BCH317/L Bio-Organic Chemistry (3/1)*
    • BIO109/L General Biology I (3/1)*
    • BIO110/L General Biology II (3/1)*
    • BIO315/L General Microbiology (3/1)*
    • BIO330/L General Anatomy (4/0)*
    • BIO340/L General Physiology (4/0)*
    • CHE110/L Chemistry I (4/0)*
    • CHE111/L Chemistry II (4/0)*
    • PAS510/L Advanced Human Anatomy I (2/0)
    • PAS513 Clinical Laboratory Medicine (2)
    • PAS514 Pathophysiology (3)
    • PAS515 Fundamentals of Clinical Medicine I (5)
    • PAS516/L Advanced Human Anatomy II (2/0)
    • PAS517/L Physical Diagnosis I (3/1)
    • PAS518 Pharmacology I (3)
    • PAS519 Fundamentals of Clinical Medicine II (5)
    • PAS520/L Physical Diagnosis II (2/1)
    • PAS521 Pharmacology II (3)
    • PAS522 Cultural and Psychosocial Dynamics of Medicine (3)
    • PAS525 Clinical Problem Solving (3)
    • PAS529 Research Methodology (3)
    • PAS531 Preventive Medicine (2)
    • PAS535-536 Medical Professional Issues I-II (1/2)
    • PAS538/L Orthopedic Medicine (1/0)
    • PAS329 Statistics for Evidence-Based Practice (3)
    • PSY-103 Introduction to Psychological Sciences (3)*
    • CMP101 English Composition (3)*

  2. General Education: 36 CREDITS*

    • First Year Seminar (3)
    • Learning Communities (6)
    • Depth – Discoveries (9)
    • Breadth – Exploration: 
      • Natural Sciences and Mathematics:
        • MTH144 Calculus & Analytic Geometry I (3)
        • Choose one course from: Math, and Computer Science (3)
      • Social Sciences:
        • Choose one course from: Sociology (3)
        • Choose one course from: Psychology or Sociology (3)
      • Humanities:
        • CMP315 Advanced Composition for Health Professionals (3)
        • PHI321 Medical Ethics (3)*

Note: *An overall GPA of 3.30 is required in order to start the third year.

Total BS Requirements = 124 Credits

MS Physician Assistant Studies: 51 Credits

  • PAS511 Clinical Microbiology/Immunology (3)
  • PAS524 Clinical Pediatrics (2)
  • PAS526 Surgery (3)
  • PAS527 Geriatrics (2)
  • PAS528 Emergency Medicine (3)
  • CLERKSHIPS: 30 credits: PAS601, 602, 603, 604, 605, 606, 607, 608, 609, 610 Clerkship I – X (3 credits each)
  • PAS612/613 Research I-II (1/1) — ILIT; WI
  • PAS614/615/616 Clinical Seminar I-II-III (2/2/2)

Total MS Requirements = 51 Credits

BS/MS: TOTAL PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS = 175 CREDITS

BS/MS Degree Structure

The BS in Natural Sciences will be conferred prior to the MS Physician Assistant degree.  Degrees are conferred upon successful completion of the respective requirements for each degree.

Math Requirement

Depending on mathematics preparation, a student may be required to complete lower-level mathematics courses as a prerequisite to the required MTH144 Calculus & Analytic Geometry I.

Residency Requirement for Physician Assistant Majors

Once a student is enrolled at Daemen, all outstanding prerequisite mathematics and science courses must be completed at Daemen University. The student must successfully complete a full-time course load (minimum 12 credits) in the spring semester prior to the onset of studies in the three-year program (BS/MS only).

Requirements for Matriculation into the Three-Year Program (BS/MS only)

All core curriculum coursework, with the exception of PAS329 Statistics for Evidence-Based Practice and PHI321 Medical Ethics, must be completed. Minimum grades of C must be earned in all courses and a minimum overall GPA of 3.30 earned. A student may, if necessary, repeat one course in the first 4 semesters to meet the overall GPA requirement.

A minimum GPA of 3.00 is required in the 19 credits of 300 level coursework: BIO 330/330L, BIO 315/315L, BIO 340/340L, BCH 317/317L, and CMP 315. Repeats are not allowed for these 300 level courses. The courses used to calculate this GPA must be completed at Daemen University and may not be transferred or substituted.

Course withdrawals from the 300-level courses are not permitted and if approved under extenuating, non-academic circumstances by the Program Director, will be counted as a repeat.

The medical terminology examination must be passed by August 1st in order to begin the fall semester. A student is ineligible for the PA Program if this examination is not passed.

If a course that must be repeated is not offered in a term (e.g. summer), a student may need to decelerate and enter the following class.

One hundred twenty (120) hours of direct patient contact experience is required before entering the PA program. Consult the department’s FAQ webpage for more detailed information.

A student is immediately disqualified from the PA Program if the above requirements are not met.

Prerequisite and Grade Point Average Requirements

A student must pass all courses, including the seventy-one (71) credits of prerequisite and liberal arts core curriculum, with a grade of “C” or better. Any grade less than a “C” results in program disqualification.


The medical terminology examination must be passed by July 1, 2026 in order to begin the fall semester. A student is ineligible for the PA Program if this examination is not passed.


Once a student is enrolled at Daemen University, all science prerequisite courses and calculus must be completed at Daemen University.


The overall calculated grade point average (GPA) for all completed college level coursework must be 3.30 or higher (B+).


The calculated grade point average (GPA) for the following five 300-level courses (19 credits) must be 3.00 or higher (B):
a. BCH317/BCH317L – Bio-organic Chemistry Lecture and Lab
b. BIO315/BIO315L – General Microbiology Lecture and Lab
c. BIO330/BIO330L – General Anatomy Lecture and Lab
d. BIO340/BIO340L – General Physiology and Lab
e. CMP315- Advanced Composition for Health Professionals


All 300-level courses (a through e) used to calculate the GPA must be completed at Daemen University during a full-time semester (minimum 12 credits) and may not be transferred or substituted.


A student may, if necessary, repeat one course in the first 4 semesters to meet the overall GPA requirement; however, none of the courses listed above (a through e) may be repeated. The course repeat must be completed by June 1,2026. Course withdrawals from the 300-level courses for academic reasons will result in disqualification. Withdrawals for non-academic, extenuating circumstances can be considered by the Program Director and if granted, will result in a leave of absence.
A student must maintain his or her registration at Daemen University for all semesters before continuation to the PA Program. A student is limited to one leave of absence in accordance with the University policy.

Graduation Requirements

Satisfactory completion of all requirements as per the terms set forth by the Natural Sciences and Physician Assistant Departments.

Suggested Course Sequence

Access the suggested course sequence for the BS/MS, Health Sciences/Physician Assistant Studies, from the Physician Assistant Department web page or the Program Plans site on the Registrar’s web page.