Admissions Requirements

Application Process Checklist

The ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ Physician Assistant Program Admissions Committee reviews applicants holistically taking into consideration academic history, leadership qualities, service to the community, and connectedness to the mission. The program awards preference to applicants who have a specific interest in meeting the primary healthcare needs of the underserved urban and rural populations, and/or are from disadvantaged medical backgrounds, and/or Georgia residents, and/or rural area, and/or veterans, and/or graduates from schools in the Atlanta University Center Consortium or MSM Graduate or Pipeline Programs. Those considered most competitive will be invited to an on-campus interview.

Applications will be accepted from April 27th to September 1st through the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA).

CASPA Application and Fees

Complete the .

Official College Transcripts

Submit all official college transcripts to CASPA.

Official GRE Test Scores

GRE - The MSM PA Program requires applicants to submit official scores for the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) taken within the past five years.  Applicant scores must be directly reported from ETS to CASPA.  Use GRE Institution Code 2552. 
 
Please note applicants are required to submit scores for only one exam, either the GRE or PA-CAT.  (not both)   Additonally, there is no minimum score for these tests required for consideration of your application.  
 

You may submit all GRE standardized tests scores through September 1st.

Official PA-CAT Test Scores

PA-CAT -  Ensure ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ PA Program is selected as the institution to receive your score report in your PA-CAT Score Portal. To select ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ PA Program as a score receiving school, log into your PA-CAT Score Portal at .

Please note applicants are required to submit scores for only one exam, either the GRE or PA-CAT.  (not both)   Additonally, there is no minimum score for these tests required for consideration of your application.  
 

You may submit all PA-CAT standardized tests scores through September 1st.

Letters of Reference

Submit three letters of reference to CASPA. Recommended from PA or physician, academic professor, and former employer.  Please note only completed files will be reviewed.  This requires all three letters of reference to be submitted by the Sept 1 deadline.

Healthcare Experience

Complete a minimum 500 hours of direct patient care experiences (e.g., EMT or paramedic, health educator, RN, patient care attendant or nurse’s aide, clinic assistant, Peace Corps or other cross-cultural health care experience, technologist, therapist, clinical research assistant, etc.). All direct patient care hours must be paid (compensated).

Georgia Rural Health Outreach Workforce (GROW) Rural Healthcare Track (RHCT)

The purpose of the Georgia Rural Health Outreach Workforce (GROW) Training Program is to provide ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ PA students with an enhanced training experience in rural areas and increase the ability of rural primary care PAs to identify and address health disparities in rural communities. MSM PA students who are accepted into the Rural Healthcare Track (RHCT) will:

  • Gain hands-on experience as part of a rural health learning community.
  • Participate in experiential didactic learning and clinical training in rural communities nationwide.
  • Complete research projects on emergent and cutting-edge rural health issues.
  • Receive a stipend of $2,000 for every 4-week primary care (pediatrics, internal medicine, family medicine) clinical rotation at an approved rural site (up to $10,000).

Applicants interested in the RHCT are required to complete a supplemental prompt (200-300 words) that assesses (1) their understanding of rural health challenges and opportunities and (2) commitment to rural health practice. Students accepted into the RHCT will be required to complete a minimum of 16 weeks of primary care (pediatrics, internal medicine, family medicine) clinical training in rural areas across the country, including Georgia, Maine, Kentucky, and Tennessee.

NOTE: Completion of the RHCT supplemental prompts does not influence admissions decisions. Applicants who opt out of the supplemental prompts will not be penalized. Only applicants accepted into the MSM PA Program will be considered for the RHCT. Admitted MSM PA students from rural Georgia or other rural and medically underserved areas will be evaluated on their understanding of healthcare challenges and commitment to rural health practice. 

Prerequisite Coursework

Click here for a list of all prerequisite coursework.