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Bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 and science GPA of 3.0.

Course of study must include the successful completion (grade of C or greater) of the following courses with labs as indicated (+).

  • General Chemistry  (one year) +
  • Organic Chemistry  +
  • Biochemistry
  • General Biology (one year) +
  • Microbiology
  • Anatomy and Physiology (one year) +
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Statistics
    (+ lab required)

Prerequisite Course Guidelines

  • Each prerequisite course must have been completed within 5 years of the application date, unless the applicant has been continuously employed as a health-care professional.
  • The program will accept Advanced Placement (AP) and CLEP credit for prerequisite courses. These Advanced Placement (AP) and CLEP courses will not calculate into the required GPA. 
  • The program may accept online and hybrid courses from regionally accredited institutions, pending review of the syllabus by the Admissions Committee to assure the material delivered is comparable to a similar class delivered in a traditional classroom format.
  • The program will accept the higher grade for prerequisite courses that have been retaken.

Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) Submission

Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

  • The exam must have been taken within the last 5 years.
  • No substitution for the exam will be accepted (i.e. MCAT or GMAT).
  • See http://www.ets.org/gre for further information.
  • If the applicant has taken the GRE multiple times, the admissions committee will super-score the GRE. This entails the use of the highest score from each section of the exam. 

Three letters of Recommendation

  • One letter from a physician assistant
  • One letter from a current professor or supervisor
  • One letter must be from another professional or social colleague (family members not permitted)

Health-Care Experience


TOEFL iBT Requirement for international students or those students who did not attend a high school where English is the primary language. Information can be accessed at https://www.ets.org/toefl

  • A minimum score of 120 is required with at least a 26 in each of the following categories:
         Reading
         Listening
         Speaking
         Writing

There is no acceleration or advanced standing in the program regardless of prior experience or degree.

No applicant who was dismissed from, or discontinued their participation in, a health professional program due to an academic deficiency or non-academic policy violation(s) will be considered for admission.

After completion of the initial application process, a prospective student may be offered an interview with the PA program admissions committee to determine the applicant’s readiness to undertake the rigorous course of study.  The committee will consider all information available, including academic achievements, letters of recommendation, community service, interpersonal and communication skills, personal integrity, compassion and motivation for a health care career.

Preference will be given to those applicants who are:

  • Graduates of Mount St. Joseph University
  • Veterans of the Armed Forces (In order to receive VA Educational Benefits, students must have their Clinical Rotations limited to Ohio hospitals that have been approved by the Veteran’s Administration.)
  • Residents of Greater Cincinnati (includes the following OH–KY–IN Counties)
    • Dearborn County, Indiana
    • Franklin County, Indiana
    • Ohio County, Indiana
    • Boone County, Kentucky
    • Bracken County, Kentucky
    • Campbell County, Kentucky
    • Gallatin County, Kentucky
    • Grant County, Kentucky
    • Kenton County, Kentucky
    • Pendleton County, Kentucky
    • Brown County, Ohio
    • Clermont County, Ohio
    • Hamilton County, Ohio
    • Warren County, Ohio
    • Butler County, Ohio
    • Clinton County, Ohio
  • Applicants with significant prior health-care experience
  • Applicants with higher cumulative and science grade point averages (GPA)
  • Applicants with higher GRE scores (Verbal, Quantitative, Writing)
  • Applicants with higher number of hours shadowing a physician assistant.

Following acceptance into the program, but prior to matriculation, students must;

  • Complete a criminal background check and drug screening evaluation. This is completed at the student’s expense.
  • Provide proof of immunization status consistent with the current CDC recommendations for health-care workers.
  • Provide proof of health insurance coverage.
  • Complete a medical screening examination with a health-care professional who attests the student meets the Technical Standards for Physician Assistant students with reasonable accommodation, if necessary.

              Medical Screening Examination Form

Additional background checks, drug screening, and proof of immunization will occur annually throughout the program and as may be required by clinical rotation sites. This will be done at the student’s expense.
 

For more information please contact: paprogram@msj.edu