Program Requirements:
Bachelor’s Degree
Must be from a regionally accredited institution
Any degree is acceptable but a strong science background is encouraged
Must be received by December 31 of the application year, for example, December 31, 2011 for the class beginning September 2012
Minimum Grade Point Average (GPA)
Overall GPA 3.0 on a 4.0 scale AND Science GPA 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
Prerequisite Courses*
Science Courses**
- Human Anatomy and Physiology with laboratory (8 semester units) Must cover all organ systems
- One year of Chemistry (inorganic, organic and biochemistry) with laboratory (8 semester units)
- General Microbiology with laboratory (4 semester units)
General Education Courses
- General Psychology or equivalent
- General Sociology or Cultural Anthropology or equivalent
- College-level Algebra or equivalent
- One year of English (full sequence of literature and composition)
Recommended Courses
- Statistics
- Medical Terminology
- Computer Literacy
*A maximum of 2 total prerequisite courses may be outstanding at the time of application, with only 1 science prerequisite outstanding. All outstanding prerequisites must be completed by the end of Spring Quarter of the year of matriculation.
**Science courses must be for science majors and include a laboratory component. Online courses will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis but must have an on-campus laboratory component in order to be considered. It is strongly recommended that all prerequisite science courses have been taken within the last 10 years, especially for those applicants who have only been in clinical practice for a short time. Introductory courses are not accepted for Anatomy/Physiology or Microbiology.
Sample Prerequisite Courses (PDF)
Patient Care Experience
2,000 hours of hands-on patient care experience must be completed prior to enrollment
Preferred experiences include accredited, credentialed professions that provide patient assessment, treatment, patient care plans, and diagnostic testing.
Preferred applicants will have direct patient care experience working in clinical settings that involve a range of patient responsibility and involve a high level of critical thinking. Both paid and volunteer hours are acceptable, but paid hours are preferred.
Examples of preferred clinical experiences
- Military medic or corpsman
- Paramedic/EMT (waiting time not included in hours)
- Nurse (LVN or RN)
- Radiology technologist
- Physical therapist
- Respiratory therapist
- Occupational therapist
- Medical technologist
- Medical assistant (certified; back office hours only)
- Athletic trainer
Other professions not listed above (e.g. phlebotomy, scribe, etc.) will be considered on a case-by-case basis and are dependent upon the quality of patient interaction.
Examples of clinical experiences not preferred
- Administrative duties
- Massage therapy
- Personal trainer
- Home care aide
- Home health aide
- Pharmacy technician
- Certified nurse’s aide (except with documented high-quality patient interaction)
- Shadowing a physician or PA
- Research with no patient contact
- Hours received during training programs (e.g. medical school, internship)
Letters of Reference
Three letters of reference, one of which must be from a practicing physician (MD or DO) or physician assistant
- MD/DO/PA letter cannot be from a friend or relative
- MD/DO/PA letter preferred from a work colleague, not shadowing experience
Other Requirements
Technical Standards
All applicants must be able to meet all Admission and Technical standards, and Graduation Standards with or without reasonable accommodations.
Health Screening and Immunizations
Students must meet specific health requirements prior to enrolling in classes. A physical exam is not necessary for enrollment in the Physician Assistant program. All vaccination policies are developed in accordance with current guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). For more information regarding pre-admission health requirements including a list of required vaccinations, please visit our Student Health page for more information.