Physician Assistant Admissions Requirements
Major Information
The Springfield College Physician Assistant Studies (PA) program is renowned for its unique blend of academic rigor and hands-on experience in this field. The program educates physician assistants eligible for employment in a wide variety of medical settings and specialties. A hallmark feature of the program is its expedited nature, allowing students who qualify for the Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies program to graduate in 6 years rather than 7 (typical at most institutions), saving a year of tuition and enabling entry into a salaried position a year earlier.
You will enter Springfield College as a first-year student. Those who qualify will earn a Bachelor of Science in Health Science: Pre-PA Studies and complete the Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies in 6 years. The professional phase of the program begins in January of the senior year. The Bachelor of Science in Health Science/Pre-PA is awarded in May of the fourth year. The Master of Science degree is awarded at the conclusion of the PA program.
To successfully matriculate from the pre professional phase to the professional, master’s phase of the program, you must meet all program standards and participate in an interview. What sets our program apart is all qualified Pre-PA students are guaranteed an interview with the graduate admissions committee at the end of their sophomore year. If offered a seat in the graduate professional phase of the program, students are eligible to begin the graduate phase in the spring of their senior year. A maximum of 35 seats are reserved for students through this track.
Any student who is not offered a seat in the graduate professional phase of the program will remain at Springfield College and reapply through our graduate admissions process at the next cycle.
Admissions Criteria
We admit to fill a class of 40 seats. During the application process, 50 qualified applicants will be offered admission. We consistently receive applications from many prospective students who meet our criteria for admission. As a result, we develop a wait list from which we will draw from if we have not filled our 40 seats by the May 1 recommended deposit date.
- The average GPA of students admitted to the physician assistant program is a 3.5
- We do not require the SAT or ACT for admission into this program.
- Recommended job shadowing hours (minimum 15-20) with a physician assistant or other health care professional
- Letter of recommendation from the physician assistant shadowed or other health-care professional
- Letter of recommendation from a science teacher
- Completed physician assistant supplemental essays in the Common Application
- Four years of high school college preparatory mathematics (junior/senior year: pre-calculus, calculus, etc.) and grades of B+ or better
- Four years of high school college preparatory science (junior/senior year: chemistry, physics, AP biology, etc.) and grades of B+ or better
- Other general Springfield College admissions requirements
Matriculation Standards
- Maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5
- Maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5 in all
program prerequisites (pre-professional requirements) - Earn a B- or better in all courses required for the pre-professional program. Earn a B or better for all courses required for the program that are in the graduate professional phase.
- Comply with all technical and department standards for professional conduct and academic performance as specified in the Physician Assistant Student Handbook
Fieldwork Experiences
The last year of the physician assistant master’s program consists of supervised clinical training in family medicine, internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, psychiatry, emergency medicine, and other specialties. Students are required to complete clinical rotations in all areas of medicine. We want you to leave here with all of the experience you will need to feel comfortable in any new job.
Each rotation lasts four weeks and demands a minimum of 40 hours per week. This training takes place in a number of clinical facilities, including offices of private physicians, community hospitals, community health centers, HMOs, Baystate Health System, Trinity Health of New England, and other health care facilities.
Medical Simulation Lab
The state-of-the-art Simulation Center features high fidelity 3G adult and baby patient simulator mannequins that respond to treatment as human patients would, allowing students to experience realistic, hands-on training, and complicated medical techniques without fear of error. A suite for work with standardized patients (live actors) enables additional hands-on learning and practice. The center is instrumental in furthering the training that future health care professionals, such as PAs, receive at Springfield College.
