Online General Psychology & Abnormal Psychology for PA School-the two psychology prerequisites at the heart of PA admissions — and why getting the variant right matters more than applicants assume
Psychology is the most-required non-science prerequisite for PA school. General Psychology is required at virtually all CASPA programs, and a second psychology course — usually Abnormal Psychology, Developmental Psychology, or a similar upper-division option — is required at many. For applicants whose undergraduate degree is in a field other than psychology, this can mean two course commitments rather than the one most people anticipate.
The complication isn’t the course content — psychology prerequisites are among the most accessible courses on the PA prereq list. The complication is that not every psychology course satisfies every program’s psychology requirement. Some programs accept any psychology course for the general requirement; others reject specialty courses. Some accept psychology coursework from any department; others require it to come specifically from the Psychology department. This guide walks through what counts, what doesn’t, and how PrereqCourses.com delivers General Psychology (PSY 190) and Abnormal Psychology (PSY 360) through Upper Iowa University.
| AT A GLANCE• General Psychology required at virtually all CASPA programs (typically 1 semester, 3 credits)• Second psychology course (Abnormal, Developmental, or upper-division psych) required at many programs• AP Psychology credit accepted at MORE programs than any other AP prerequisite (GW accepts only AP Psych)• Specialty courses (Social, Developmental) often NOT acceptable for General Psych requirement• Some programs require psych electives come from Psychology department (not from Education or HDFS)• Typical completion time online: 4–8 weeks self-paced per course |
PA programs ask for psychology coursework for the same reason they ask for Medical Terminology: it builds the vocabulary and conceptual framework you’ll use every day in clinical practice. Patient care is psychology applied at scale. Behavioral health, motivational interviewing, adherence counseling, end-of-life conversations, addiction medicine, pediatric and geriatric patient communication — all of these draw on the psychological foundations the prerequisite courses establish.
General (Introductory) Psychology covers the breadth of the field: research methods, biological bases of behavior, sensation and perception, learning, memory, cognition, emotion, motivation, social psychology, development, personality, and psychological disorders. It’s the survey course every psychology program builds on, and PA admissions committees treat it as the baseline.
Programs that require a second psychology course are typically asking for Abnormal Psychology (mental health disorders, diagnostic frameworks, treatment approaches) or Developmental Psychology / Human Growth and Development (psychological development across the lifespan). The choice usually reflects a program’s clinical orientation: programs with stronger mental health emphasis favor Abnormal; programs with pediatric or geriatric emphasis favor Developmental.
Some programs explicitly accept either. Ohio University requires General Psychology plus either Abnormal or Developmental Psychology. Harding University requires a second psychology course from a specific list: Developmental Psychology, Physiological Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, or Cognitive Neuroscience — with a critical constraint we’ll cover below.
This sounds straightforward — and at most programs, it is. General Psychology, Introduction to Psychology, or Introductory Psychology, taken at a regionally accredited institution, for 3 semester credits, with a grade of C or better. That’s the baseline. But three program-specific wrinkles catch applicants:
Chapman University’s PA program states explicitly that specialty psychology courses such as Social Psychology and Developmental Psychology are not acceptable for the General Psychology prerequisite. The reasoning: General Psychology surveys the field; specialty courses dive into one branch. If your transcript shows Social Psychology but no Introduction to Psychology, Chapman won’t count it as fulfilling the general requirement.
On the flip side, programs with only one psych requirement often accept multiple variants. University of Wisconsin–Madison lists ‘Psychology (Intro/General/Abnormal or Developmental)’ — any of those four satisfies the single requirement. OHSU accepts General Psychology, Human Development, or Introduction to Psychology, and notes that Abnormal Psychology ‘will be accepted, but is not preferred.’
Psychology is the prerequisite where AP credit lands most consistently. George Washington University’s PA program accepts AP Psychology with a score of 4 or higher — and notes it’s the only prerequisite for which AP credit is accepted at GW. ECU accepts AP for Psychology and Statistics only. OHSU accepts AP/IB credit for Psychology if it appears on a college transcript with an official score report. If you have AP Psychology credit from high school, it likely covers the General Psychology requirement at a substantial portion of your target programs.
| THE AP PSYCHOLOGY CAVEATIf your AP Psychology score satisfies the General Psychology requirement at your target programs, you may not need to take General Psych at all. But programs that accept AP for Intro often still require a second psychology course. Rosalind Franklin University’s PA program states this directly: applicants who received AP for Introduction to Psychology must take an additional psychology course — typically Developmental, Child, or Abnormal Psychology. AP credit clears the entry-level requirement but creates a depth requirement to compensate. |
This is where the program-by-program variation gets sharpest. The ‘second psychology’ requirement has three common forms:
Some programs name Abnormal Psychology as the second requirement. The course content typically covers: diagnostic frameworks (DSM-5), anxiety disorders, mood disorders, psychotic disorders, personality disorders, eating disorders, neurodevelopmental disorders, treatment approaches (CBT, pharmacological, psychodynamic), and the biological bases of mental illness. It’s the most clinically relevant psychology course for PA practice.
Other programs require Developmental Psychology — sometimes titled Human Growth and Development, Lifespan Development, or Child Development. This course covers psychological development across the lifespan: prenatal and infant development, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, aging, and death. It’s particularly emphasized at programs with pediatric or geriatric clinical focus.
Some programs accept any of several upper-division psychology options. Harding’s PA program list includes Developmental Psychology, Physiological Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, or Cognitive Neuroscience. The flexibility helps applicants who have one of these courses on their transcript already.
| WHERE THE COURSE APPEARS ON YOUR TRANSCRIPT MATTERSHarding University states explicitly: ‘Psychology electives must be completed in the Psychology department.’ This rules out courses like Human Growth and Development taken through an Education department (EDU), Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS), or any non-psychology offering — even if the content is identical. If you took a developmental course through your education program, verify with each target program whether departmental sourcing matters. Some programs (Wisconsin) accept HDFS courses; others (Harding) do not. |
Here’s a sampling of how seven CASPA programs handle the psychology prerequisite landscape:
| Program | # Psych Required | Acceptable Variants | Notes / AP Policy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio University | 2 (General + Abnormal/Dev) | Gen Psych AND (Abnormal OR Developmental) | Both have NO expiration date — uniquely permanent prereqs |
| Harding University | 2 (Intro + Elective) | Intro Psych + elective from Psych dept only | Elective must come from Psychology department; EDU/HDFS not accepted |
| Rosalind Franklin | 1 (or 2 if AP) | Intro Psych; AP requires additional psych course | AP for Intro Psych accepted but triggers second course requirement |
| OHSU | 1 | Gen Psych, Human Development, or Intro Psych | Abnormal accepted but not preferred; AP/IB accepted with score report |
| UW Madison | 1 | Intro/General/Abnormal/Developmental | Maximum flexibility — any of four variants satisfies |
| Chapman University | 1 (General Psych) | General Psychology ONLY | Specialty courses (Social, Developmental) NOT acceptable for general requirement |
| George Washington U | 1 | General Psych or AP Psych (score 4+) | Psychology is the ONLY prereq where GW accepts AP credit |
| VERIFY BEFORE YOU ENROLLPsychology requirements vary more by department-sourcing and AP policies than by course content. The Harding rule (psych electives only from Psychology department) and the Chapman rule (specialty courses don’t substitute for general) are the two most common rejection points. Pull each target program’s psychology language and read it carefully — the words ‘General Psychology’ and ‘Introduction to Psychology’ don’t always mean what they appear to mean. |
Unlike chemistry or A&P, psychology has no lab component and no fieldwork requirement. The course is reading, lecture, discussion, and assessment — all of which translate cleanly to online self-paced delivery. The vast majority of CASPA programs accept online psychology coursework from regionally accredited institutions without qualification. We haven’t documented any PA program that rejects online psychology specifically.
Psychology survey courses (General and Abnormal both) cover broad territory rather than building cumulatively. Some chapters click immediately (research methods, learning theory) while others take more time (cognitive theory, psychopharmacology). Self-paced format lets you move at the speed each topic actually requires.
Self-paced online psychology from a four-year university runs $675 per course at PrereqCourses.com. Community college courses run $300–$900 depending on residency and term scheduling. State university online programs run $1,200–$2,500. For applicants taking both General Psychology and a second psychology course, the $1,350 total at PrereqCourses is dramatically cheaper than the state university equivalent at roughly $3,000–$5,000.
PrereqCourses delivers psychology through Upper Iowa University, a regionally accredited four-year institution. Both PSY 190 and PSY 360 appear on the UIU transcript with a PSY department designation — which satisfies the Harding-style rule that psychology electives come from the Psychology department, not from Education or HDFS.
PSY 190 is a 3-credit survey of psychology covering all the standard introductory psychology content: research methods, biological bases of behavior, sensation and perception, consciousness, learning, memory, cognition, language, intelligence, motivation, emotion, lifespan development, personality, social psychology, and an introduction to psychological disorders and treatment. It satisfies the General Psychology / Introduction to Psychology / Introductory Psychology requirement at the vast majority of CASPA programs.
View PSY 190 General Psychology course details.
PSY 360 is a 3-credit upper-division course covering psychological disorders: anxiety disorders, mood and bipolar disorders, schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, personality disorders, neurodevelopmental disorders, eating disorders, substance-related disorders, and disorders of childhood. Treatment approaches (cognitive-behavioral therapy, psychopharmacology, family systems) are covered alongside the diagnostic content. It satisfies the Abnormal Psychology requirement and counts as an upper-division psychology elective at programs that accept a choice from a list.
View PSY 360 Abnormal Psychology course details.
| TRANSPARENT ABOUT WHAT WE DON’T OFFERPrereqCourses does not currently offer a standalone Developmental Psychology / Human Growth and Development / Lifespan Development course in the Psychology department. If your target PA programs specifically require Developmental Psychology (not Abnormal, not General-plus-elective), you’ll need to take that course elsewhere — most likely at a community college or another online provider. PSY 360 Abnormal Psychology satisfies programs that accept either Abnormal or Developmental as the second psychology course, but it does not substitute for programs that specifically require Developmental. Read each target program’s language carefully. |
For programs that accept upper-division psychology courses from a flexible list, PrereqCourses offers additional options through Upper Iowa University:
Take PSY 190 General Psychology. It clears the foundational requirement at virtually all CASPA programs. If your target programs require a second psychology course, add PSY 360 Abnormal Psychology next — together they clear the psychology requirements at the vast majority of programs in 8–16 weeks total.
Map your AP credit against each target program. Many programs accept AP Psychology with a score of 4+ for the General Psychology requirement (GW, ECU, OHSU, and others). Some programs that accept AP for Intro then require an additional psychology course — Rosalind Franklin is the clearest example. If your AP credit covers General Psych at all your target programs, your next move is PSY 360 to satisfy any second-course requirements.
If your transcript shows Social Psychology, Developmental Psychology, or a similar specialty course but no Introduction to Psychology, you may have a problem at programs like Chapman that require General Psychology specifically and exclude specialty substitutions. Take PSY 190 to clear the general requirement; your existing specialty course often counts as the second course at programs that require one.
Programs like Harding require psychology electives to come from the Psychology department, not from Education or Human Development and Family Studies. If your developmental course shows EDU or HDFS on your transcript, it may not satisfy strict programs. Take PSY 360 from Upper Iowa University (PSY department) to clear those programs. Programs that accept HDFS coursework (UW Madison and others) will count your original course; programs that don’t will accept PSY 360 as the replacement.
PSY 360 does not satisfy a Developmental Psychology requirement. Take Developmental Psychology at a community college, state university online program, or another online provider, and ensure it’s coded under the Psychology department on your transcript. Pair it with PSY 190 at PrereqCourses if you also need General Psych — many applicants split their psychology coursework this way.
CASPA classifies psychology courses under the Behavioral Sciences subject area. Psychology coursework typically counts toward your overall GPA and your prerequisite GPA at programs that include it in the prerequisite list. As Boston University’s PA program notes, psychology courses are ‘generally not included in the CASPA science GPA calculation’ — so a strong grade in psychology lifts your overall and prereq GPAs but doesn’t directly impact the BCP (Biology, Chemistry, Physics) GPA that competitive programs scrutinize.
At Ohio University, where both General Psychology and Abnormal/Developmental are required, the program excludes both from the math/science GPA calculation — they count only toward overall GPA. This is unusual and worth knowing: if your overall GPA needs help, two strong psychology grades are an efficient lift; if your science GPA is the constraint, psychology won’t move that number.
Psychology is the prerequisite least likely to have a recency rule. Ohio University states explicitly that General Psychology and Abnormal/Developmental Psychology have no expiration date — uniquely among prerequisites. Most other CASPA programs follow similar logic. If you took Intro Psych a decade ago, it likely still satisfies the requirement at the majority of your target programs.
Once you complete PSY 190 or PSY 360, request the official transcript directly from Upper Iowa University to be sent to CASPA. Build 2–4 weeks of buffer for transcript processing plus the standard CASPA verification window.
Here’s how the realistic paths to clearing psychology prerequisites compare:
| Option | Cost (per course) | Time to Complete | Dept. on Transcript | CASPA Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PrereqCourses / UIU (PSY 190, PSY 360) | $675 | 4–8 weeks | PSY (Psychology) | Accepted at virtually all |
| Community college online | $300–$900 | 8–16 weeks | PSY (Psychology) | Accepted at most |
| State university online | $1,200–$2,500 | 8–16 weeks | PSY (Psychology) | Accepted at virtually all |
| AP Psychology credit | Already paid | Already complete | (High school) | Accepted at many |
| Education dept developmental course | Varies | Varies | EDU or HDFS | Rejected at strict programs |
At minimum, one — General Psychology, required at virtually every CASPA program. At many programs, two — General plus Abnormal or Developmental. A small number of programs require three (General plus a second psych plus a third specialty). Map each of your target programs individually.
No. Programs vary on whether specialty courses (Social, Developmental, Abnormal) can substitute for the general/introductory requirement. Chapman explicitly excludes specialty substitutions; others are more flexible. The safest path is to take General Psychology specifically — labeled General Psychology, Introduction to Psychology, or Introductory Psychology — for the base requirement.
More often than for any other prerequisite. GW accepts AP Psych (score 4+) and lists it as the only AP credit they take. ECU accepts AP for Psychology and Statistics only. OHSU accepts it with a score report uploaded to CASPA. Verify with each target program; if any of them don’t accept AP, take PSY 190 to clear the requirement uniformly.
Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Programs like Harding explicitly require Psychology department sourcing. UW Madison accepts HDFS courses for the psychology requirement. If you have a developmental course on your transcript through Education or HDFS, check each target program before relying on it.
Both General and Abnormal Psychology are accessible courses for most applicants. The material is conceptual rather than mathematical, the writing requirements are modest, and the pacing is forgiving. Most applicants who put in 12–18 hours per week finish a course in 4–6 weeks with a strong grade.
PSY 360 is a 300-level course at Upper Iowa University and is treated as upper-division on the transcript. For programs that require upper-division psychology coursework or accept upper-division psych as the second-course requirement, PSY 360 satisfies that classification.
Psychology prerequisites are among the most accessible courses on the PA prereq list — and getting them right matters more than applicants assume. Two strong grades from a Psychology department transcript clear the psychology requirements at most CASPA programs and add upward data points to your overall and prerequisite GPAs.
| CLEAR BOTH PSYCHOLOGY REQUIREMENTSEnroll in PSY 190 General Psychology and PSY 360 Abnormal Psychology at PrereqCourses.com. $675 per course (3 credits each), fully self-paced, transcripted by Upper Iowa University (regionally accredited four-year institution) with PSY department designation. Most applicants complete the pair in 8–16 weeks total — clearing both common psychology prerequisites for less than the cost of a single state university online psychology course. |
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