Associations Between Prerequisite Course Completion and Race/Ethnicity, Gender, and First-Generation Status in a...

Academic programs seeking to increase diversity may benefit from examining whether prerequisite course requirements disproportionately burden individuals from diverse backgrounds. To explore this possibility, we reviewed applicant data from one physician assistant program over four consecutive admissions cycles. Our findings indicate that Black students, compared to White students, were less likely to have completed prerequisites. Male applicants, along with applicants who did not report gender, were less likely than females to have prerequisites completed. While these findings are limited to a single program, they may prompt other single or multi-program analyses to better understand how prerequisite practices intersect with applicant demographics.