Admission Requirements
Application deadline is October 1st (Applications must be e-submitted to CASPA by October 1st)Applying to the Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS) Program
Chatham University’s Physician Assistant Studies program is a member of the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA). All applications must be submitted through CASPA with all relevant materials (transcripts and recommendations) at https://portal.caspaonline.org. Candidates are strongly encouraged to complete their application by the October 1st deadline.
Applicants must document their physician assistant shadowing experience by completing the “Health Care Shadowing” section of the CASPA application.
Pass/fail grades must be calculated into the GPA according to the minimum degree requirements for a “pass.” If the minimum required is a D, the course will be unacceptable unless documentation from the course instructor supports a higher grade.
Conditional acceptances may be granted pending successful completion of prerequisites for this program. All pre–requisite courses must be completed by June 1st of the matriculation year. Full admission may be granted to candidates with an overall GPA below 3.0 if their last 60 semester hours GPA is at least 3.3. Conditional acceptance may be granted for applicants who show extreme promise with a science GPA between 2.85 and 2.99 with at least 18 semester science credits as long as all prerequisite courses are completed by June 1st of the matriculation year.
Chatham undergraduate students who plan to apply for the MPAS program are encouraged to complete the liberal arts major of their choice. Students should meet with their academic advisor as soon as possible to begin planning their schedule and completing their prerequisites.
Accelerated Graduate Degree
Chatham University undergraduates and students from schools with Articulated accelerated graduate degree agreements with the University may apply for the Accelerate Graduate Degree program. Applicants to this program must meet with their academic advisor to determine eligibility for the program. Students to the Accelerated Graduate Degree program must also submit the Accelerated Graduate Program Application Supplement form to the Office of Graduate Admissions no later than October 1, 2010. An academic advisor signature is required. The form may be found on the web at http://www.chatham.edu/admissions/documents/AcceleratedGradDegree.pdf.
Master of Physician Assistant Studies Admission Requirements
- A baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution or completion of the undergraduate requirements for the Accelerated Graduate Degree Program.
- Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better on a scale of 4.0 [candidates whose cumulative GPA is below 3.0 may be considered on a case by case basis and if their GPA for the last 60 semester credits is at least 3.3]
- Cumulative science GPA of 3.0 or better with a minimum of 18 semester credits
- A grade of “C” or better for the following prerequisite courses [courses must be completed by June 1st prior to the August matriculation]:
- General Biology with lab (two terms)
- General Chemistry with lab (two terms)
- Anatomy with lab (one term)*
- Physiology (one term)
- Microbiology (one term)
- General Psychology (one term)
*If taking Anatomy with Physiology, both Anatomy and Physiology I and II with lab are acceptable to fulfill the requirement for Anatomy and Physiology.
- Completed CASPA application, including all pertinent supporting documentation such as recommendations and transcripts, by October 1st
- One PA shadowing experience of at least four hours is required for admission to the program. The shadowing experience must be documented on the CASPA application.
The student must possess the mental, physical, and emotional capacities essential to attaining the competencies required to function as a physician assistant. All PA students will be expected to have abilities in five categories: observation, communication, motor, intellectual and social. These abilities enable the student to perform tasks required to meet graduation and professional requirements as measured by state and national certification, licensure and registration processes. Candidates who posses any disability that would potentially interfere with the attainment of such competencies are encouraged to contact the Director of Graduate Admissions, Michael May, or the Director of the MPAS program, Luis Ramos to discuss and identify possible accommodations. Chatham University and/or affiliated sites may arrange to enable the candidate to demonstrate the necessary physical, mental, and emotional capacities.
Observation: Candidates must have sufficient sensory capacity to observe in the problem-based learning and lecture settings, the laboratory, and the health care or community setting. Sensory abilities must be adequate to perform appropriate examination or assessments including functional vision, hearing, and tactile sensation to observe a patient’s condition, and to elicit information appropriate to a physician assistant.
Communication: Students must be able to communicate effectively and professionally in academic, community, educational, and health care settings, and be able to demonstrate proficiency in both verbal and written English. Students attending the Puerto Rico cohort must be fluent in Spanish as well as English.
Motor: Students must have the ability to participate in basic diagnostic and therapeutic maneuvers and procedures. Students must be able to negotiate patient care environments, and be able to move between settings such as the classroom, health care facility, educational, or community setting. Physical stamina sufficient to complete the rigorous course of didactic and clinical study is required. Long periods of sitting, standing or moving are required in a variety of learning sites.
Intellectual: Students must be able to measure, calculate, reason, analyze, and integrate information as well as be able to comprehend temporal and spatial relationships.
Social: Students must exercise good judgment and be able to function, appropriately and effectively, in the face of uncertainties inherent in clinical practice, and must maintain mature, sensitive and effective professional relationships with faculty, students, patients, and other members of the health care and/or educational team.
Recommended Courses- We recommend, but do not require, the following courses:
- Genetics
- Statistics
- Nutrition
- Developmental Psychology
Candidates are required to submit three letters of reference to CASPA; one academic, one from a volunteer or work experience, and one other (candidate’s choice).
International Applicants- Official TOEFL scores are required for international students whose native language is not English, unless proficiency is demonstrated by:
- Graduation from an approved English language institution, or
- Successful completion of a college-level English course from an accredited institution in the USA
- Minimum TOEFL scores required: 600 or above on the paper-based test; 250 or above on the computerized test; 100 or above on the internet-based test.
- International applicants must complete the International Graduate Student Application Supplement and provide the proper documentation [see University Catalog]
- A course-by-course credential evaluation of university transcripts.
- Additional requirements for international applicants can be found at http:/www.chatham.edu/admissions/grad_international.cfm
After verifying that the minimum requirements are met, the Physician Assistant Studies program utilizes a holistic approach in reviewing the candidate’s entire application. This process is intended to seek and attract talented and qualified individuals from all backgrounds. Taking multiple factors into consideration during the admissions process helps to attract a student body that is both diverse and academically excellent which provides learning experiences and educational benefits to all students and the entire university community. This approach includes an evaluation of each candidate’s academic achievements as well as their personal characteristics, attributes, and experiences.
- In addition to the minimum academic requirements stated above we take into consideration the following academic achievements:
- Overall GPA of 3.5 and above or induction into a recognized national honor society
- Research, publications, or presentations
- Advanced degrees or training, or multiple basic healthcare training activities.
- We also consider personal characteristics of the applicant including:
- Ethnicity and Cultural background
- Gender
- Socioeconomic status
- We look for a variety of personal attributes in our applicants, including but not limited to the following:
- Leadership
- Enthusiasm
- Trustworthy/Honesty
- Motivation/Dedication
- Confidence
- Tolerance
- Altruism
- Goal oriented
- Team player
- Professionalism
- Self-directed learner
- Significant personal experiences have an impact on how individuals view the world and those around them. The following list provides illustrations of the types of experiences that would be considered but should not be viewed as all-inclusive:
- Life adversities and struggles
- Multilingual ability
- Contact with other cultures, including travel
- Work experience, especially in healthcare
- Military or government service
- Voluntary service, especially with underserved populations
- Significant PA shadowing experience
- Member of a pre-PA club or a national/regional PA association
- Chatham student or alumni
