¿ìè³É°æÊÓƵ

2027 Application Cycle-¿ìè³É°æÊÓƵ will begin accepting applications for the September 2027 enrollment term on April 30, 2026

The Physician Assistant Department at ¿ìè³É°æÊÓƵ participates in an online application service called CASPA (Central Application Service for Physician Assistants). All applicants should go to the  to apply. All extraneous materials, i.e., reference letters, transcripts, will be sent directly to CASPA. Once an application is complete, it takes CASPA four to six weeks to process the application and send it to the designated schools. Please be mindful of processing times when submitting your application.

Applicants will be considered on a rolling basis; however, all applicants must have a verified date on or before January 15, 2027 to be considered for the 2027 application cycle. A verified date is given when an application is e-submitted and all transcripts, payments, and three letters of recommendation have been received by CASPA and attached to the application.

Please note:

Documents should be sent several weeks prior to this date to ensure items arrive on time.

Once CASPA or the Admissions Office has processed your application, it will be reviewed and considered for an interview. All applicants who have been verified in CASPA by January 15, 2027 will be considered.  You will receive contact within a few weeks of receiving your application, to let you know that your application was received, and what stage of the process it is in.  Candidates may be required to submit a supplemental application to further advance in the selection process.  Requests will be made for supplemental materials via email.  If you have satisfied all the necessary prerequisites, you will be placed in a pool of applicants to be considered for an interview. Applicants to the MS program are interviewed between September and February.  Upon invitation, interviews are held in person, on the ¿ìè³É°æÊÓƵ campus.

Once you have completed an interview, the timeframe for an admission decision varies. Most successful applicants will be notified within two weeks. However, for applicants placed on the waiting list, a decision may come as late as August.

Candidates who are offered admission and are choosing to enroll in the program must confirm their seat in the class by signing their acceptance letter and a $1,500 non-refundable enrollment deposit by the date listed.

Three-Year Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies

General Admission Information and Deadlines

• Applications must be in verified status by January 15th, 2027
• Only one outstanding prerequisite is allowed at the time of application.  That course must be completed by August 1st, 2027 and the grade earned must meet admission requirements for matriculation into the program
• AP/IB courses are acceptable when documented on an official college transcript for credit
• The GRE is not required
• Candidates may be required to submit a supplemental application to further advance in the selection process.  Requests will be made for supplemental materials via email
• Upon invitation, interviews are held in person, on the ¿ìè³É°æÊÓƵ campus

Program Admission Requirements:​

• Baccalaureate Degree (any discipline) from an accredited US college or university
  • Degree can be in process at the time of application, but must be completed by August 1st, 2027 for matriculation into the program
• Three letters of recommendation
• Overall GPA of 3.0 or better (average of accepted students generally > 3.5)
• Overall Science GPA of 3.0 or better
• GPA of 3.0 or better (average of accepted students generally >3.4) in the following four courses:
  • 4 credits of 300 level Anatomy with lab
  • 4 credits of 300 level Physiology with lab
  • 4 credits of 300 level Microbiology with lab (only course that may be taken at the community college level)
  • 4 credits of 300 level Organic Chemistry or Biochemistry with lab
    • It is preferred the above-mentioned courses be taken within a full time semester
    • Online classes/labs are not acceptable for the above-mentioned courses unless completed from Spring 2020-Summer 2021
    • Prefer eight of the above-listed credits are completed within the last twelve months, and all must have been completed within the last five years
• 8 credits of Biology with lab (e.g. Zoology, Botany, General Biology I and II, A & P I and II)
• 8 credits of General Chemistry with lab
• 3 credits of Calculus
• 9 credits of Psychology and/or Sociology (any combination at any college level for a total of nine credits)
• No more than two grades below C in any college level course
• No more than two course repeats
• 120 hours of direct patient contact experience (degree of responsibility during patient care experience taken into consideration-advanced levels of responsibility are highly valued).  May be either paid or volunteer work, including shadowing, in which the individual was exposed to patients in one way or another
• Applicants whose first language is not English must demonstrate their proficiency in the English language by taking the TOEFL test

Additional Admission Considerations

• Number of withdrawals taken into consideration
• Preferable that all science courses and labs are taken in person
• Pass/Fail course grades are strongly discouraged, especially for science and math courses.  If submitted, an applicant may be required to submit further documentation regarding their actual numerical performance in the course  
• Quality of writing on essay component
• An evaluative interview demonstrating a candidate's potential for success in the program

Upon acceptance to the PA program, students are required to pass a medical terminology exam by July 1st, 2027 for matriculation into the program. Accepted candidates will be offered multiple examination dates in the late spring/summer and will have two attempts to pass the exam. Students will be provided with textbook information to prepare for the exam. Failure to pass the medical terminology exam results in disqualification from the program.

Advanced Standing

All PAS courses must be taken at ¿ìè³É°æÊÓƵ with the following exception: advanced standing for PAS329 Statistics for Evidence Based Practice will be granted only for graduates of ¿ìè³É°æÊÓƵ who took the equivalent course (e.g. NSC 310 or HSC 329) at ¿ìè³É°æÊÓƵ as a required element of their degree program.

Admission Preferences

Students applying for the MS track who have graduated from ¿ìè³É°æÊÓƵ with a 4 year degree will be guaranteed an interview if they meet the minimum requirements. This does not guarantee admission.

BS/MS and MS students who are verified as having lived in a Health Professional Shortage Area in Primary Care or in a Medically Underserved Area through the age of 18 will be awarded preference. 

To address the workforce needs in the WNY and Rochester area, in some cases candidates who currently reside, have previously resided, or attend college in the area will be given preference.

The physician assistant (PA) degree is recognized as an undifferentiated professional degree that requires the development of entry level knowledge and skills in multiple domains of health care.  PA education requires the development of judgment through a wide range of learning activities and supervised clinical practice experiences in preparation for making appropriate, autonomous clinical decisions while practicing on interprofessional health care teams directed by physicians.  

The purpose of this document is to ensure that all students entering the ¿ìè³É°æÊÓƵ Physician Assistant Program (the PA Program) are aware of and understand the requirements of our program and the profession, so that informed decisions can be made regarding pursuit of this profession. Nothing in this document is meant to deter the application or participation of any student who is able to complete the requirements of the PA curriculum with or without reasonable accommodations.

Continue Reading

Total Credit Hours for PA Program = 104

Didactic Phase Year 1

FALL YEAR 1: 16 credit hours

• PAS 510/L & PAS 516/L  Advanced Human Anatomy
• PAS 511 Microbiology
• PAS 513 Clinical Lab Medicine
• PAS 514 Pathophysiology
• PAS 535 Medical Professional Issues (MPI) I
• PHI 321 Medical Ethics

SPRING YEAR 1: 15 credit hours

• PAS 515 Fundamentals of Medicine I
  • Cardio, Pulm, GI, Endo, Urology, Radiology
• PAS 517 Physical Diagnosis I
• PAS 517L Physical Diagnosis Lab I
• PAS 518 Pharmacology I
• PAS 329 Statistics

Didactic Phase Year 2

FALL YEAR 2: 17 credit hours

• PAS 519 Fundamentals of Clinical Medicine II
  • Rheum, Derm, Cardio, Psych, Neuro, Radiology/POCUS
• PAS 520 Physical Diagnosis II
• PAS 520L Physical Diagnosis II Lab
• PAS 521 Pharmacology II
• PAS 522 The Cultural and Psychosocial Dynamics of Medicine
• PAS 536 Medical Professional Issues II
• PAS 538 Orthopedics

SPRING YEAR 2: 18 credit hours

• PAS 524 Pediatrics
• PAS 525 Clinical Problem Solving
• PAS 526 Surgery
• PAS 527 Geriatrics
• PAS 528 Emergency Medicine with POCUS
• PAS 529 Research Methodology
• PAS 531 Preventative Medicine

Clinical Phase

• The following courses are divided between summer, fall and spring
• Total clinical year credit hours = 38
• PAS 601-610 Clerkships
  • students will complete 10 four week clerkships = 30 credit hours
    • 7 core rotations
      • family medicine
      • emergency medicine
      • internal medicine
      • surgery
      • pediatrics
      • women's health (including prenatal and gyn)
      • mental health
      • 3 non-core/electives
• PAS 612 Research I
• PAS 613 Research II
• PAS 614 Clinical Seminar I
• PAS 615 Clinical Seminar II
• PAS 616 Clinical Seminar III

Clinical clerkships are arranged by the PA Program. Students are prohibited from soliciting or arranging clinical sites or preceptors. Requests may be considered.