Admission Requirements for the MS in Physician Assistant Studies

Applicants must have a) bachelor’s degree or b) an accelerated health professional doctorate (e.g., PharmD) that did not include awarding of a bachelor's degree:

• A bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited US or Canadian Institution of higher learning.
• An accelerated health professional doctorate (e.g., PharmD) that did not include awarding of a bachelor’s degree.
• If degree was obtained outside the U.S., see the International Applicant page for foreign degree requirements.

Applicants must have the following:

1. Minimum Overall (Cumulative) GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale as calculated by CASPA.
2. Minimum Overall Science GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale as calculated by CASPA.

No exceptions will be made. Applicants not meeting the GPA requirements will be ineligible for admission and removed from further consideration.

All prerequisite academic coursework must be completed by the application deadline. However, there is a provision for a maximum of two prerequisite courses that can be outstanding at the time of the deadline if the applicant can demonstrate a clear plan to complete outstanding pre-requisite coursework prior to August 1 and maintain the GPA requirements.

Each course must be completed:

• With a minimum grade of a C (2.0 GPA) as calculated by CASPA.
  • Pass/Fail grades are not accepted for prerequisite coursework with exception of COVID pandemic exception: noted below.
• At a regionally accredited U.S. or Canadian college or university.
  • Prerequisite courses taken from foreign institutions will not be accepted (no exceptions).

Required Prerequisite Courses and Minimum Credits / Hours

*Combined Anatomy and Physiology courses may be taken provided a minimum of 8 semester hours or 10 quarter hours are completed.

IMPORTANT:

1. A single course cannot satisfy more than one prerequisite.
2. Every course must meet the minimum GPA requirement.
3. Prerequisite coursework CANNOT be fulfilled with courses from:
   • Advanced Placement (AP)
   • College-Level Examination Program (CLEP)
   • Military training
   • A college or university located outside the U.S. or Canada

Prerequisite courses may be taken online, except for those requiring a lab, provided they are equivalent to courses taught in a traditional educational setting. Prerequisite courses that require a lab must be taken in-person. All courses must be from a U.S. or Canadian regionally accredited institution.

COVID pandemic exception: Prerequisite courses that have S, P/F, or C grades or required labs be taught online between March 2020 and December 31, 2021 with a clear notation on the official transcript regarding a COVID or Global Pandemic Provision will be accepted. If a transcript is clearly marked that a COVID pandemic exception applied to a course after these dates, please contact the program for a case-by-case evaluation.

All applicants must have a minimum of 500 qualifying PCE hours completed by the application deadline and 1,000 qualifying PCE hours completed by August 1. 

• The PCE minimum must be completed before the application deadline.
• PCE hours are direct hand-on paid positions with the exception of work as an EMT or paramedic when emergency services are provided on a volunteer basis.
• Hours obtained as a student (for credit) or for certification will not count toward the 1,000-hour minimum requirement.

Further information regarding acceptable types of PCE and how they will be scored can be found under Applicant Selection Criteria.

Three letters of recommendation are required. They must be submitted through the Evaluations section of the CASPA application before the application deadline.

Only three letters will be reviewed. If more than three letters are submitted, you must indicate in the Questions section of our CASPA page, which three you want the admissions committee to review.

Letters of recommendation from friends and family will not be accepted. The following types of references are encouraged, but not required: Professor, Supervisor, Physician Assistant, Healthcare Provider (APRN, MD, DO)