Physician Assistant Studies, M.S.

Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA)

Applications are now open in Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) for the 2022-23 cycle. Please click the link below for direct access to CASPA:

Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA)

Admission Requirements

The following information applies to the 2021-2022 admissions cycle. 

Bachelor’s Degree

• The degree must be from a U.S. institution of higher education accredited by a regional accrediting association.
• A bachelor’s degree equivalent from another country may also be accepted. Applicants with a bachelor’s degree from outside of the U.S. must send their transcripts to one of the member organizations associated with the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (www.naces.org/members) for translation. Results must be uploaded into the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA).
• Students may apply while their degree is in progress; however, proof of degree completion will be required before matriculation in the program.

NOTE: Students beginning the M.S. in Physician Assistant Studies who complete their bachelor’s degree in the same month they graduate will need to provide documentation of their undergraduate degree before beginning their coursework at MTSU. Documentation must be sent directly to the College of Graduate Studies at MTSU. Students should either provide a final transcript reflecting the degree conferral or a letter from their undergraduate institution’s records office stating that the student has completed all requirements required for graduation, date by which the degree will be conferred, and confirmation that a final transcript has been ordered and will be sent to MTSU once the degree has been conferred. Students will then be considered as fully admitted to the university. If a student receives financial aid for the program but is later discovered not to have been conferred a bachelor’s degree, that student must pay MTSU back for all dispersed loan amounts.

Minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) Requirements (on a 4.0 scale)

• Overall GPA: 3.0
• Prerequisite Course GPA: 3.0
• Science Course GPA: 3.0
• Graduate Course GPA (if applicable): 3.0 

Direct Patient Care (DPC) Experience

• No minimum number of hours required for an interview, but the focus will remain on the quality of experience.
• Hours logged to satisfy the direct patient care requirement will only be considered if the experience involves direct responsibility for some aspect of patient care, either by administering, influencing, or providing care in a “hands-on” capacity. It is recommended that students acquire direct patient care hours in various medical settings to obtain strong, diverse direct patient care experiences.  

Community Service or Mission Work

• No minimum number of hours required for an interview, but the focus will remain on the quality of experience. 

Physician Assistant Shadowing 

• A minimum number of 40 hours is recommended so that the applicant will have an adequate understanding of the PA profession.
• Applicants must identify and initiate all PA shadowing experiences. The program cannot suggest nor arrange shadowing opportunities for prospective students. 

Letters of Recommendation

• At least three strong letters of recommendation detailing the potential of the applicant to be a PA are required.
• At least one letter of recommendation from a PA is highly recommended. 
• Letters from friends or family will not be accepted. 

Personal Statement

• A personal statement should be crafted to detail the applicant’s desire to become a PA, communicating ideas appropriately and effectively. Well-written personal statements should be free of grammatical and spelling errors. 

Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

• The GRE requirement is waived for this cycle due to COVID 19 restrictions. 

Other Requirements

• Applicants must not have a history of dismissal from another Physician Assistant program for academic or disciplinary reasons.
• The MTSU Physician Assistant Studies Program does not accept transfers from other programs.
• Applicants must not have a history of current drug abuse or conviction of a felony. All students will be required to submit to criminal background checks and drug screens before matriculation and during enrollment in the program.
• All applicants must be able to meet the program’s technical standards. Please refer to the technical standards section found at mtsu.edu/programs/physician-assistant-studies-ms/info.

Prerequisite Courses

*Not subject to the six-year time limit

• All applicants must successfully complete prerequisite requirements with a grade of “C” or higher within the bachelor’s degree or through coursework at a regionally accredited U.S. institution of higher education.
• Prerequisite science courses are to be completed within six years prior to the date of admission. Exceeding the six-year time limit for chemistry and general biology coursework, which are completed as prerequisites for other requirements, is acceptable with a waiver. A waiver of either the six-year requirement or grade requirement for a prerequisite course may be requested by the applicant if any of the following conditions occur:
  • There is a continuous employment history that would demonstrate knowledge of the course content, or 
  • The applicant has a “B” grade or better within the last six years in a more advanced course in the same subject.
• Waivers and completion instructions are available in the MTSU PA Studies program section of the CASPA portal. The waiver must be approved by the program director and shall not negate or supersede the minimum GPA requirements for prerequisite courses. Knowledge-based testing does not satisfy prerequisites.

Advanced Placement

The MTSU PA Studies program does not award or grant transfer credits or advanced placement to any matriculating student. Prerequisite and graduate coursework from other institutions, which may correspond to courses in the program, will not be considered as substitutions for programmatic curriculum.

International Student Policy

Applicants who are not U.S. citizens are required to submit official test scores for either Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the academic International English Language Testing System (IELTS). The following are the minimum scores for admission consideration:

• TOEFL: iBT score of 80, PBT score of 550, or CBT score of 214
• IELTS: an overall band score of 7.0, with no individual band score below 6.0.

International applicants with degrees from outside the United States must have a degree equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree as verified by an acceptable evaluation service. Transcripts must be provided in the original language and with an English translation. In addition, all applicants must successfully complete prerequisite courses with a grade of “C” or higher at a regionally accredited U.S. institution of higher education. All required items must be sent to CASPA for verification and official application to the program. No exceptions will be made.

International applicants must also comply with the International Graduate Admissions policies within the MTSU College of Graduate Studies.

Admissions Practices

The admissions process is highly selective. Applicants who meet the criteria as outlined above will have their files forwarded to the program for faculty review. The program faculty will conduct a holistic review of the applicant’s CASPA application and make recommendations for interviews. It is anticipated that the MTSU Physician Assistant Studies Program will receive a large number of applications for a class of 30 students. Competitive applicants will likely have more than the required minimums; thus, applicants meeting the required minimums are not guaranteed an interview.

The MTSU PA Studies Program endeavors to recruit and retain a diverse community of Physician Assistant students whose qualifications align with programmatic mission and goals. As such, the program has admissions and enrollment practices that advantage specific individuals or groups. Applicants demonstrating any of the following attributes will receive incremental weighting within various sections of the admission’s rubric.

Capacity for Academic Success

• GPAs that exceed minimum requirements.

Commitment and Motivation

• Continual medical/science employment (≥ 1 year)
• Extracurricular commitment (≥ 1 year)
• Volunteer commitment (≥ 100 hours)
• Healthcare/science research (until project completion or graduation)
• Achievement of a graduate degree

Mission-Aligned Attributes

• Second-career applicants
• Military Service with honorable discharge
• First generation college student
• Collegiate athlete
• Applicants from a medically underserved area

Application Procedures

Applicants must apply to the program through the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) to be considered for admission. Students must submit the appropriate CASPA and MTSU applications fees to be considered. If selected for an interview, students may be asked to complete an additional, abbreviated application form through the College of Graduate Studies.

Degree Requirements

The Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies requires completion of a minimum of 108 semester hours comprising both didactic and clinical education. Candidates will be required to maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA to complete the program and graduate. The following grading scale is used in the Physician Assistant Studies program:

No D grades will be assigned.

Curriculum: Physician Assistant Studies

Academic Credit

Total academic credit offered by the program is reflected in the chart below: