M.S. in Physician Assistant
Program Requirements
The MS PA Program curriculum is designed to be completed over 27 months (seven semesters) in a lock step, sequential manner, and students must complete each semester in the sequence before moving to the subsequent semester.
In order to be awarded the M.S. in Physician Assistant degree, the student must remain in good academic* and professional** standing, successfully complete and pass all courses (104 credit hours), complete the community service learning requirement, and complete and pass all components of the summative evaluation.
- * MS PA students must demonstrate satisfactory performance in all individual MS PA Program courses and maintain an overall GPA of 3.0 or better.
- **MS PA students must demonstrate appropriate professional behavior at all times.
A cumulative GPA of 3.0 is required for the awarding of a M.S. in Physician Assistant degree.
The M.S. in Physician Assistant degree program does not accept transfer students nor will advanced standing be granted.
Admission Criteria
Applicants to the M.S. in Physician Assistant (PA) Program are required to:
Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) Application
- Submit an online application through CASPA which includes documentation demonstrating having met the admission requirements for the CSE MS PA Program as outlined below.
- Applicants are responsible for all CASPA fees; which are non-refundable;
- In addition to the required CASPA application, applicants must select the CSE MS PA Program page to submit the additional required documentation.
- The application cycle for the CSE MS PA Program is September 1, 2019 through March 1, 2020. All applications must be verified by CASPA by the deadline date of March 1, 2020.
Visit the CASPA website to submit your application.
Supplemental PA Program Application Fee
Applicants must submit a non-refundable $35 Supplemental CSE PA Program fee. The deadline for submitting for the application fee is March 1, 2020.
Visit https://www.steu.edu/pa-app-fee to submit your payment.
Specific Requirements
Applicants must have:
- Earned a Baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution or equivalent
Applicants whose baccalaureate degree will be conferred by May 31, 2019 are eligible to apply
- Achieved an overall GPA of 3.0 or better (as calculated by CASPA)
- Achieved a prerequisite GPA of 3.2 or better (as calculated by CASPA)
The most recent grade will be used in the calculation for any repeated coursework.
- Satisfactorily completed each of the following prerequisites with a "B- (2.7)" or better
- English Composition (3 credits)
Must be taken at a U.S. institution
- General Psychology (3 credits)
- Statistics (3 credits)
- Medical Terminology (1 credit)
Must be taken at a US institution
- General Biology 1 with Lab (4 credits)
- Genetics (3 credits)
- Anatomy and Physiology 1 with Lab (4 credits)*
- Anatomy and Physiology 2 with Lab (4 credits)*
- Microbiology with Lab (4 credits)*
- General Chemistry 1 with Lab (4 credits)
- General Chemistry 2 with Lab (4 credits)
- Biochemistry (3 credits)
- Completed a minimum of 300 hours of direct patient care experience by the time of application
- Completed a minimum of 16 hours of PA shadowing experience by the time of application
- Completed a minimum of 50 hours of community service by the time of application
- Submit three letters of recommendation; one letter must be from a professor attesting to academic capability and at least one must be from a physician or PA attesting to professional capacity
- Submit two personal statements detailing:
- The applicant's fit with the Mission, Vision and Goals of the MS PA Program and the College of Saint Elizabeth
- A social justice issue they are passionate about and believe they can address as a PA
*Must be completed within 10 years of matriculation
Applicants with two outstanding prerequisite courses (in progress or planned) with a demonstrated plan for completion by May 31, 2019 are eligible to apply. Each application is considered from a holistic perspective and reviewed by the faculty.
Applicants may petition the PA Program for consideration of extending the completion date to August 31, 2019 for one of these outstanding prerequisites.
In-person Interview
Interviews will take place after the application deadline.
- Highly qualified applicants will be invited for an in-person interview
- An in-person interview does not guarantee acceptance
- Admissions decisions will be made after in-person interviews have taken place.
Special Consideration for CSE Students and Alumni
- CSE students and alumni who meet the minimum requirements will be invited for an interview
- An in-person interview does not guarantee acceptance
Technical Standards
Applicants accepted for admission to the CSE PA Program will be required to verify that they understand and meet the PA Program's Technical Standards prior to matriculation.
It is expected that students be able to adhere to the technical standards throughout all aspects of the CSE PA Program including the classroom, small group, simulation and clinical rotation courses and in all interactions with faculty, instructors, fellow students, preceptors, members of the healthcare team, patients and their families.
Read Standards
Course Sequence
First Academic Year: 39 credits
Fall B Session (9 credits)
| PA601 | Human Anatomy One | 3 |
| PA603 | Physiology, Pathophysiology & Genetics One | 3 |
| PA611 | Foundations of PA Practice | 1 |
| PA621 | Patient Centered Communication and Approach to Diversity | 1 |
| PA671 | Foundations of Critical Thinking and Clinical Decision Making | 1 |
Spring (17 credits)
| PA602 | Human Anatomy Two | 3 |
| PA604 | Physiology; Pathophysiology & Genetics Two | 3 |
| PA612 | Team-based Practice and Ethics in Healthcare | 1 |
| PA622 | Patient Evaluation and Principles of Public Health | 3 |
| PA631 | Clinical Medicine One | 4 |
| PA641 | Clinical Pharmacology One | 2 |
| PA672 | Integrated Clinical Decision Making in Patient Centered Care One | 1 |
Summer (13 credits)
| PA613 | Principles of Healthcare Delivery and Patient Advocacy | 1 |
| PA623 | Patient Evaluation and Principles of Patient Education | 3 |
| PA632 | Clinical Medicine Two | 4 |
| PA642 | Clinical Pharmacology Two | 2 |
| PA661 | Epidemiology and Principles of Evidence Based Medicine | 2 |
| PA673 | Integrated Clinical Decision Making in Patient Centered Care Two | 1 |
Second Academic Year: 47 credits
Fall (11 credits)
| PA614 | Professional Growth and Development for PA Practice | 1 |
| PA624 | Patient Evaluation and the Impact of Social Determinants of Health | 3 |
| PA633 | Clinical Medicine Three | 3 |
| PA643 | Clinical Pharmacology Three | 1 |
| PA662 | Research Methods | 2 |
| PA674 | Integrated Clinical Decision Making in Patient Centered Care Three | 1 |
| PA680 | Didactic Capstone | 0 |
Spring (18 credits)
| PA615 | Leadership, Advocacy and Social Justice Seminar | 1 |
| PA663 | Evidence Based Medicine Seminar | 1 |
| PA675 | Applied Clinical Decision Making and Cost-Effective Patient Care Seminar | 1 |
| PA681 | SCPE Core Internal Medicine | 5 |
| PA682 | SCPE Core Family Medicine | 5 |
| PA683 | SCPE Core Pediatrics | 5 |
Summer (18 credits)
| PA616 | Essentials of PA Practice Seminar | 1 |
| PA676 | Applied Clinical Decision Making and Patient Safety Seminar | 2 |
| PA684 | SCPE Core Women’s Health | 5 |
| PA685 | SCPE Core Psychiatry | 5 |
| PA686 | SCPE Core General Surgery | 5 |
Third Academic Year: 18 credits
Fall (18 credits)
| PA617 | Leadership, Advocacy and Service in PA Practice Seminar | 1 |
| PA677 | Applied Clinical Decision Making and Transition to Clinical Practice Seminar | 2 |
| PA687 | SCPE Core Emergency Medicine | 5 |
| PA690 | Summative Capstone | 0 |
| PA691 | SCPE Elective | 5 |
| PA692 | SCPE Elective Clinical Practicum | 5 |
The order of the Clinical Rotation courses will vary by student placement and availability of clinical rotation sites.
The MS PA Program follows its own academic calendar that may not match that of CSE.