Prerequisites to Admission
For consideration for Admission to the PA Program candidates must successfully complete the following courses and other requirements of the Graduate School AND of the PA Program.
Requirements of the Graduate School:
- A bachelor or higher degree from a regionally accredited college or university.
- Satisfactory grade point average.
- Satisfactory test scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). (The code is 5392)
- Official transcripts from all colleges or universities attended.
Additional Prerequisite Requirements:
- These Program prerequisites must be accomplished prior to beginning the PA curriculum in August, not prior to applying for admission to the program, by the end of the 15th of January.
- Successfully complete the following specific undergraduate prerequisite course work at the "C", 2.0 level or better, prior to beginning the PA curriculum.
Within the last seven years:
- Human Physiology - one semester
- Human Anatomy - one semester
- Biochemistry - one semester (Organic Chemistry is not a substitute for this course)
- Genetics - one semester
Within any number of years:
- Medical Terminology
These time periods are to assure some degree of current information in these fields. We realize that some students will have earned an academic degree within the last seven years for which these specific courses may have been taken earlier. If the degree date is within the seven year time period, the timing of the prerequisite coursework will be acceptable. Likewise, by their very nature some working positions require people to maintain an adequate degree of current information in these basic sciences. Candidates employed in such positions should apply and include an explanation to assure the admissions committee how they have maintained a degree of current information in these fields. The committee will decide whether or not to accept the explanation as sufficient to meet the prerequisites.
A minimum of 1,000 hours of direct patient contact health care experience is required. These hours may come from one experience or a combination of experiences and may be voluntary or paid work. Examples of health care professions that require direct patient contact include nurse, EMT or paramedic, corpsman, patient care technician, nurse's aide, surgical assistant, clinic/medical assistant, respiratory technologist, radiology technologist, medical technologist, mental health worker, and clinical research assistant. Other professions and experiences not listed may also qualify as direct patient care.
Healthcare related professions that generally do not include hands-on patient contact include transporter, CPR or ACLS instructor, lifeguard, non-clinical research assistant, candy striper, unit clerk, and others. Although desirable for other reasons, PA shadowing and student/intern experience does not count toward the required 1,000 hours of patient care experience. Please contact us if you have any questions regarding your healthcare experience.
