Physician Assistant Studies, M.S.

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) Minimum GPA requirement as calculated by CASPA: 3.0 overall AND If graduate degree completed, minimum GPA: 3.0 overall for graduate coursework Science GPA will be utilized as preference placement only Direct Patient Care (DPC) Experience All completed but no designated minimum number of hours needed for holistic faculty application review. 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. Medical scribe experience is not accepted as direct patient care. The focus for DPC will be on the quality of experience. Direct patient hours CANNOT be completed with a relative or family member. Community Service or Mission Work No minimum number of hours required for an interview, but the focus will remain on the quality of experience. Hours do not need to be health care related. Physician Assistant Shadowing Applicants must identify and initiate all PA shadowing experiences. The program cannot suggest nor arrange shadowing opportunities for prospective students. NOTE: Virtual shadowing is not accepted. 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. Other Requirements Applicants must not have a history of dismissal from another Physician Assistant program for academic or disciplinary reasons. 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 within the student handbook. Standardized Tests Applicants whose primary language is not English will be required to complete an English Proficiency exam with minimum score as follows: 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. Prerequisite Courses Course Work Semester Credit Hours Anatomy and Physiology with Lab 8 Microbiology 3 Organic Chemistry or Biochemistry with Lab 4 Medical Terminology 1

• Not subject to the 10-year time limit
All applicants must successfully complete prerequisite requirements with a grade of "B-" 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 10 years prior to the date of admission. A waiver of the 10-year requirement for a prerequisite course may be requested by the applicant if the following occurs: there is a continuous employment history that would demonstrate knowledge of the course content. Prerequisites and waivers must be completed and verified by the end of February of the matriculating year. NOTE: Online courses and labs are accepted from a regionally accredited U.S. institution of higher learning All courses need to be completed by February prior to matriculation (February 2025). Advanced Placement 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 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. Regardless of where undergraduate studies are completed, if a student does not indicate English as the primary language the program may require an English proficiency exam score to be submitted. In addition, all applicants must successfully complete prerequisite courses with a grade of "B-" or higher at a regionally accredited U.S. institution of higher education. Prerequisites may NOT be completed at a foreign institution for credit. 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.