Master of Physician Assistant Studies Admission Requirements

To be considered for admission to the Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS) degree program, an applicant must have participated in the competitive admissions process and previously earned a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. college or university. The minimum overall grade point average (GPA) required for admission is 3.0 on a 4.0 scale as calculated by the Centeralized Application Service for Physician Assistant (CASPA). Enrolled students must meet the program’s minimum Health and Technical Standards to participate in a significant portion of the program activities. Other entrance requirements apply and are detailed below.

GRE Requirement

The PA Studies (PAS) program requires a Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test Score. The official GRE score report is due by September 1. There is no minimum score requirement; however, higher scores are considered more competitive. Applications will be considered incomplete until an official score report is received from Educational Testing Service (ETS). Early submittal of scores is strongly encouraged. The GRE code for the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth (HSC) PA Studies is 6380.

Prerequisite Coursework

Prerequisite courses may be in progress or planned at the time of your application, however, all prerequisite coursework must be completed by December 31st of the year you apply. Prerequisite coursework must be completed at a regionally accredited college or university in the United States. Prerequisite coursework must be satisfied with a grade of C or higher (2.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale). All science coursework must be intended for science majors.

Only coursework from regionally accredited colleges and universities in the United States can be used to satisfy prerequisite requirements. Foreign coursework is not accepted. The Office of Admissions cannot provide transcript evaluations. Applicants are responsible for confirming that prerequisite requirements have been satisfied.

General Course Requirements

A combination of eight (8) semester credit hours of Anatomy and Physiology coursework ca be used to fulfill the requirements for Anatomy and Physiology.

Coursework is converted to semester credit hours when calculating GPA and when determining if minimum prerequisite requirements have been met. Meeting the prerequisite requirements generally calls for completion of courses designed for science majors. Courses offered for non-science majors do not typically satisfy the prerequisite requirements of anatomy, physiology, microbiology, organic chemistry, genetics, immunology, cell biology nor biochemistry. 

Transcripts

Upon acceptance of an offer of admission, applicants who were actively enrolled in classes at the time of application must request that final official transcripts from their degree awarding institution be sent directly to the Office of Admissions before matriculation in the program. Final transcripts must list all courses including those that were in progress between initial application and final matriculation into the program.

Prerequisite Coursework Substitution

In the unusual event that an applicant desires to submit a course that is similar in content to a prerequisite course listed above, but it does not carry the same name or was not delivered by a usual academic department, yet the applicant feels the course meets the prerequisite requirement, the applicant may request consideration of the coursework as a prerequisite substitution. Prospective applicants seeking substitution for prerequisite coursework should submit their request via e-mail to Admissions@unthsc.edu.

The request must include a catalog course description and copy of the course syllabus from the college or university where the course was completed. If a catalog course description or course syllabus is not available, a letter from the academic department that offered the original course describing the content and nature of the course may be substituted. Coursework substitutions and content hours must be equivalent or comparable to the prerequisite being considered. Substitutions are approved on an individual basis and the program reserves the right to approve or deny any prerequisite course substitution requests.

Admission Procedures

Applicants will be considered for admission as early as August during the year prior to matriculation. Applications through CASPA typically become available in April. The deadline for submitting the CASPA application, and the application becoming verified is September 1 of the year prior to matriculation. Early application is recommended. Applicants should not send CASPA application materials, transcripts, reference letters or other information to the Office of Admissions unless specifically requested to do so. The Office of Admissions or program does not assume any responsibility for application materials sent to CASPA and will not forward admissions materials to the application service on behalf of applicants. To allow for timely receipt and processing, it is recommended that all application materials, fees, transcripts, and reference forms be submitted at least 30 days prior to the posted deadline. Applicants submitting after the posted deadline will not be considered. A $50 HSC application processing fee is required in addition to CASPA application fee. 

The admissions process is designed in a manner that does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or Veterans of the Vietnam Era status.

Information submitted in the application materials must be complete and correct. Prospective and current students must notify the proper institution officials regarding any changes in the information provided on their application. Falsification or omission of any information on the application documents will void a student’s admission, cancel their enrollment, and/or result in appropriate disciplinary action.

All materials submitted during the application process become the property of the Health Science Center and cannot be returned.

Re-Application

A complete CASPA application must be received anew for each year in which the candidate is applying. Applications cannot be held over for subsequent years.

Applicant Selection

In reviewing applications for interview selection and acceptance, we evaluate many factors that help us examine the qualities that an applicant could bring to our program. Those factors include:

• Academic background
• Direct patient care or healthcare-related experiences
• PA mentorship/shadowing experiences
• Understanding of the role of the PA
• Letters of recommendation
• Community service
• Honors, achievements, and awards
• Other life experiences and extracurricular activities
• Communication skills

Although an applicant’s entire academic record is considered, strong academic performance alone does not ensure acceptance. Applicants who demonstrate consistent academic success, particularly in their most recent 60 credit hours of coursework, with grades above “C” in prerequisite courses and with no persistent pattern of withdrawals on their transcript are more likely to be extended an invitation to interview.

While prior experience in a health care setting is not required, this experience is considered a beneficial attribute and viewed positively by the Admissions Committee. Typically, admitted students will have experience working in a setting where PAs practice and will have experience shadowing PAs. PA mentoring and shadowing experiences are not required but are encouraged.

Letters of reference from a PA or physician are strongly encouraged.

Evidence of personal integrity, maturity, motivation, well-developed communication, and interpersonal skills, critical thinking skills, writing ability, dedication, and the ability to work with others are additional factors that will be considered. The above qualities are evaluated by several means, including the content of the application, letters of reference, the scope and nature of extracurricular activities (including work and volunteer experience), the scope and breadth of prior education, and through the interview process.

Selected applicants will be invited to the HSC at Fort Worth for an admissions interview prior to selection. The Dean of the SHP has final approval for all admission decisions.

Applicants who are admitted to the degree program cohort and plan to enroll are required to submit an Admission Decision along with a non-refundable $500 assurance fee which will be used toward tuition upon arrival. Deferred matriculation is available upon approval for up to one year in unusual circumstances.

Transfer Credit

The program does not accept transfer credits. No credit is awarded for portfolio-based experiential learning or non-credit courses.

Transfer Policy

The program does not admit transfer students from other physician assistant programs.

Advanced Placement

Advanced placement may only be considered once the student is already enrolled in the MPAS program and that student has: 1) successfully completed the exact or nearly exact same course as that listed in the current MPAS curriculum within 3 years of enrollment; 2) completed the exact or nearly exact same course with a letter grade of “B” or better; and 3) has obtained written approval of the Chair of PA Studies. Advanced placement may not be offered or approved during the admissions process. Requests for advanced placement or a course waiver must be initiated by the student in writing within 5 class days of enrollment into the MPAS curriculum. No requests for course exemption will be considered after that time.

Approval of advanced placement is determined on a case-by-case basis by the Chair of PA Studies.

Dual Degree Opportunities

HSC also offers numerous dual degree opportunities bridging the MPAS and DO degrees with the MPH, MHA, MS, and PhD degrees within the School of Public Health and School of Biomedical Sciences. For details, please see the section on the Dual Degree Programs  within this catalog.

Program Details

More details regarding the Master of Physician Assistant Studies Program and Curriculum can be found here .