Program Start Date(s):
- Fall 2021 - August 30, 2021 (Anticipated)
Application Deadline(s):
- Fall 2021 - March 1, 2021
Application Process
Application to the program can only be made through the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA). Please visit the CASPA website for more information.
You must also complete the Computer-Based Assessment for Sampling Personal Characteristics (CASPer) evaluation. Please go to takecasper.com to sign up for the American Professional Health Sciences test (CSP10101) and reserve a test using your CASPA application ID number and a piece of identification.
A completed CASPA application and CASPer results must be complete before your material can be submitted to the admissions committee for review. Applicants considered to be the most competitive will be invited to San Diego for a personal interview which will be conducted between August and December. All applicants will be notified of their admission status by March 1.
Application Criteria
- All applicants must meet the program’s technical standards.
- Completion of a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university prior to matriculation into the program.
- Minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 and minimum science GPA of a 3.0.
- The listed prerequisite coursework from a regionally accredited institution of higher learning in the United States completed within the last 5 years* (2016 - 2020) from date of application submission:
- *Consideration will be given to pre-requisites older than 5 years if the applicant has continued with his/her science education or has been employed in a field requiring the use and updating of their science knowledge.
- One thousand hours of direct (hands on) patient care experience. Shadowing, while helpful, does not count toward these hours.
- The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), taken within the last 2 years, is required of all applicants for whom English is not their native language. We may waive the TOEFL requirement for applicants with Masters or Doctoral degrees from an accredited US institution. To review your application, we must receive official scores from ETS for the TOEFL. Only the IBT (Internet Based Test) form of the TOEFL will be accepted. We require a total score of 93 and a speaking score of 26 for entry into our program.
Preferences
- Point Loma Nazarene University graduates
Course Prerequisites
- Anatomy & Physiology:
- One semester of Anatomy.
- One semester of Physiology are required. They may be met by taking two semesters of a combined Anatomy & Physiology course.
- Chemistry:
- Two semesters of General Chemistry for science majors (with labs).
- One semester of Organic Chemistry (with labs).
- One semester of Biochemistry.
- Microbiology:
- One semester of microbiology.
- Statistics:
- One semester of Statistics.
All prerequisites must be completed with a grade of B- or better and can be undergraduate, graduate or post-baccalaureate coursework. Each course must be at least three semester credit hours or 4 quarter credit hours.
Applicants may apply to the program with no more than two outstanding prerequisites (including any in progress at the time of application), but prerequisites must be completed with documentation of official grades received, prior to the beginning of the program. Admission is conditional upon completion of these prerequisites with grades of B- or better. College seniors are eligible to apply provided that they will have fulfilled all the baccalaureate requirements (including degree conferment) before matriculating.
Advanced Placement
The PLNU PA Program values rigorous academic preparation and previous health care experience in the evaluation of applicants. However, it is not the policy of the program to award advanced placement or, to accept for credit, any previous academic or other experiential learning toward completion of the MSM degree. All matriculated students are required to participate in and complete the entire curriculum of the program in order to meet the requirements of graduation.