Admission Requirements

Application deadline is October 1st
The application will be considered on time if it is e-submitted to CASPA by the October 1st deadline. Although supporting documents may be submitted to CASPA after the deadline, candidates are strongly encouraged to complete their application by the October 1st deadline.

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.

Applicants must document their physician assistant shadowing experience by completing the “Health Care Shadowing” section of the CASPA application.

Pass/fail in pre-requisite courses 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.

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 1st. An academic advisor signature is required. The form may be found on the web at http://www.chatham.edu/admissions/documents/AcceleratedGradDegree.pdf.

Articulation Agreements

Chatham University's physician assistant studies program has articulation agreements with the following colleges: Allegheny College; Baldwin Wallace College; Mount Aloysius College; Mt. Vernon Nazarene College; and Thiel College. Students from these institutions are eligible for reserved seats per the specifications of the articulation agreement between Chatham University and these institutions.

• 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
• Cumulative science GPA of 3.0 or better with a minimum of 20 semester credits
• A grade of “B” 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)
  • English (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
• Three references: one academic, one from a volunteer or work experience, and one other (candidate's choice) submitted through CASPA. (Two work references are acceptable for those who have not had a recent academic experience.)
• PA Shadowing Experience Requirement – One PA shadowing experience of at least four hours is required for admission to the program. The shadowing experience must be documented in the "Health Care Shadowing" section of the CASPA application.

Technical Standards
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 Assistant Director of Graduate Admission, Maureen Stokan, 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.

• We recommend, but do not require, the following courses:
  • Genetics
  • Statistics
  • Nutrition
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Medical Terminology

Letters of Recommendation
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). (Two work references are acceptable for those who have not had a recent academic experience.)

The application will not be considered complete until all three letters are received. Additional letters of recommendations can be sent directly to Chatham University, Office of Graduate Admissions, Woodland Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15232.

International Applicants

• Official TOEFL or IELTS scores are required for international students whose native language is not English
• Minimum TOEFL scores required: 600 or above on the paper-based test; 100 or above on the internet-based test. Minimum IELTS score: 6.5 or above.
• 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/international/gradprocess.cfm

Admissions Process Guidelines
After verifying that the minimum academic 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 talented and qualified individuals of all backgrounds. Taking multiple factors into consideration during our admissions process positively achieves the educational benefits of a student; body that is both diverse and academically excellent. This approach includes an evaluation of each candidate’s academic achievement as well as their personal characteristics, attributes and experiences. In order to receive credit for these factors, applicants are required to provide additional information in the personal statement section of the CASPA application. Further corroborating documentation may be requested before credit is awarded.

• In addition to the minimum academic requirements stated above we take into consideration the following academic achievements:
  • Overall GPA or science GPA of 3.5 and above
  • Research, publications or presentations
  • Advanced degrees, certifications or training
• We also consider personal characteristics of the applicant including:
  • Ethnicity and Cultural background
  • Socioeconomic status
  • Chatham student or alumni
• 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:
  • Multilingual ability
  • Contact with other cultures, including travel, for a period of one or more months
  • Work experience, especially in healthcare
  • Military non-profit or government service
  • Voluntary service, especially with underserved populations
  • Significant PA shadowing experience
• Surveys of deans and faculty from various universities have identified the following personal attributes in successful graduate students:
  • Motivation
  • Trustworthiness
  • Professionalism
  • Leadership
  • Team player
  • Self-directed learner