Admissions • Prerequisites • Patient Care Experience • Letter of Recommendation • Program Information
Admissions
(Please note that this information below may change.)
Applicants must submit their application on or before the August 1 deadline and all supporting materials including transcripts, letter of recommendation, and resume, must be received at CASPA on or before August 1 of each year. There are no exceptions to the posted deadline.
No, the cycle of admission runs annually. Anyone wishing to defer acceptance will have to reapply to the program.
The admissions process is complex and there is no single answer that applies to all applicants. Faculty members review all applications and recommend which applicants should be invited for an interview. During the time application materials are being received, no status updates are provided. Applicants who are not considered for interviews will receive notification to this effect at some point during the application period, after their application is reviewed by faculty.
No.
The program accepts one class of 36 students each year. The academic year begins in January.
In response to requirements in the professional practice environment stating that facilities providing care to patients must minimize the risk to patients that may be presented by persons with prior criminal activity, a criminal background check will be completed on all students prior to clinical rotations.
**An aberrant result on a background check may result in the inability to complete the program requirements as well as your inability to obtain medical licensure.
Clinical education sites may set their own standards in regard to who they will admit based on the results of a substance screening. Students who are not willing to submit to a substance screening or cannot pass a substance screening may not be able to be placed at an affiliated clinical education site, and thus cannot meet the requirements for graduation.
Prerequisites
(There are no exceptions to these policies.)
ALL PREREQUISITES must be completed by August 15 of your application year. If you receive an interview, verification of completion of the prerequisites must be shown at the time of the interview in the form of an official transcript containing the coursework.
You may start your application in the Spring, while taking your prerequisites. However, all prerequisite coursework must be completed by August 15.
No, there is no limit on the amount of time that has passed since you completed your prerequisites. However, we strongly recommend that you have completed the courses within the 7 years prior to matriculation.
No, we do not accept substitutions for our required prerequisites, no matter your work experience or education level. We do not waive them for students who are already working in health care or who have already completed graduate education.
Again, there are no substitutions or waivers of these requirements.
No, you must obtain a “C†or better in all of the required prerequisite courses.
Science courses with a lab are preferred. However, taking the lab component is not an absolute requirement.
No, all prerequisites must be completed no later than August 15th of the year prior to matriculation.
No; a degree in any field is acceptable as long as the prerequisite courses have been fulfilled.
Yes. All prerequisite courses must be completed at a regionally accredited college or university in the United States. For candidates holding foreign degrees, a total of 60 semester credits (approximately two years) at a regionally accredited U.S. college or university must be completed as well, prerequisite credit included. No exceptions.
Yes, as long as all your prerequisites were completed at a regionally accredited U.S. institution.
The Program does not accept advanced standing/placement. Students enrolled in the Program will be required to complete all courses.
Patient Care Experience
No. However, your life experiences will be broadened through contact with patients in any setting, i.e., hospital, outpatient clinic, or nursing home. Although not a requirement, we do value candidates with life experiences. Other forms of experiences might include working with habitat for humanities, Red Cross, or other charitable organizations.
Yes. Shadowing PAs and other health professionals will improve your understanding of the PA profession and how PAs interact with the healthcare team.
Letters of Recommendation
Three letters of recommendation from any person who can provide an objective evaluation of your work ethic, character, empathy, and academic performance.
Program Information
Our program is 28 months length, beginning with 15 months of didactic education and followed by 13 months of clinical rotations.
The estimated student tuition rates can be found at Cost & Aid.
Due to the challenges of the curriculum, students enrolled in the Program are strongly discouraged from attempting to maintain outside employment.
PANCE performance can be found at Graduate Performance on Certification Exam.
We have arranged numerous clinical rotation sites for students to complete their supervised clinical training. Sites will be assigned by the Clinical Director.
Upon graduation, students will have earned a Master of Physician Assistant Studies degree. Graduating from the PA Program does not satisfy certification or licensing rights. After graduation, students will have received adequate preparation to take the PANCE. A passing score on the PANCE gives a PA program graduate certification as a physician assistant (PA-C). Licensing requirements vary from state to state.
*All information listed on this page is subject to change as the program goes through its approval and accreditation.*
Requirements for licensure in all states
Will a Master of Physician Assistant Studies from OCU University meet the educational requirements for licensure in all states: Yes, The MPAS from OCU University meets the educational requirements for licensure in all 50 states.
