Master of Science: Physician Assistant Program

Admissions Requirements

Note: Application requirements have changed for the 2025-2026 admissions cycle. Please carefully review the information included here.

The 2025-2026 application cycle for our program opens on April 24, 2025, and closes on January 15, 2026, for applicants who wish to matriculate with our next cohort on August 31, 2026. Applications must be submitted and verified through the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) by January 15, 2026.

Applications must have all admissions requirements completed at the time of submission except for pending prerequisite courses and in-progress degrees. Applications submitted with pending prerequisite courses will not be reviewed until all official transcripts, score reports, and supporting documentation have been received. Applications with in-progress degrees will be reviewed if all other requirements have been met by January 15, 2026, and the anticipated degree completion date is no later than August 21, 2026.

The PA program does not offer advanced placement. Transfer students are not accepted. 

Email PhysicianAssistant@scuhs.edu with any questions.

I.  A U.S. Bachelor’s Degree or Higher from a Regionally Accredited College or University

A regionally accredited college or university is an institution that holds active accreditation recognized by the Department of Education from one of the following accreditation agencies. All degrees must be conferred by August 21, 2026, to be eligible for fall enrollment.

  • Middle States Commission on Higher Education
  • New England Commission on Higher Education
  • Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
  • Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
  • Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges
  • Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission
  • Higher Learning Commission

If you hold an international degree and are applying to our program, you must obtain a bachelor’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited college or university in the United States to be eligible for admission.

II. Required Courses

All prerequisite courses must be completed at a regionally accredited college or university. Applications may be submitted with pending prerequisite courses; however, your application will not be reviewed until the official transcript for each pending course is received. Official transcripts verifying successful course completion must be received by CASPA by January 15, 2026. Additionally, score reports for Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) exams that are being used to fulfill a prerequisite course and any supporting documentation for prerequisite courses (e.g., course descriptions, syllabi) must also be received by the program by January 15, 2026 to be considered.

All prerequisite courses must be completed with a C grade or higher. Pass/fail grades will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, however, please note that pass/fail grades are not calculated into CASPA GPAs. Online courses are accepted. Credit requirements are inclusive of quarter and semester credits. No quarter-to-semester credit conversion is applied. One course cannot be used to fulfill multiple prerequisite courses. Repeated courses cannot be used to fulfill additional credit requirements for prerequisite courses.

Core Science Courses

Each core science course used to satisfy the prerequisite courses below must have been completed no earlier than 2018 (7 years from the current admissions cycle). Introductory core science courses are accepted, but upper-level courses are preferred. A lecture component is required; a laboratory component is not required but is strongly recommended.

  • Chemistry* (8 credits)
  • Human Anatomy** (4 credits)
  • Human Physiology** (4 credits)
  • Microbiology*** (4 credits)

* Acceptable chemistry courses include general, organic, inorganic, and biochemistry

** Combination human anatomy and physiology courses are accepted; however, you cannot use the same course to fulfill both requirements (exceptions include 8-credit combination courses). If the word “Human” is not included in the course title, a course description or syllabus from the term the course was taken must demonstrate a human focus to be considered.

*** Acceptable microbiology courses include general or medical microbiology

General Courses

Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) credits will be accepted to fulfill the Mathematics, Psychology, English Composition, and Statistics prerequisites only. You must receive a score of 3 or higher on an AP or IB exam to receive credit for the applicable prerequisite course(s). If this score is not noted on your official college or university transcript, you must request an official score report from the College Board or International Baccalaureate Organization which must be received by January 15, 2026. Prerequisite courses cannot be fulfilled through the College-Level Examination Program, credit by examination, or certificate courses.

  • Mathematics* (2 credits)
  • Psychology (3 credits)
  • English Composition** (3 credits)
  • Sociology or Anthropology*** (3 credits)
  • Statistics (3 credits)
  • Medical Terminology (1 credit)

* Acceptable mathematics courses include those that are algebra or higher, however, a statistics course will not fulfill this prerequisite.

** Any course without “Composition” or “Writing” in the title must be a writing-intensive course that includes instruction on critical reading and writing, analysis, comprehension, investigation, evaluation, explanation, and/or refutation. A course description or syllabus from the term the course was taken must demonstrate the above to be considered.

*** Acceptable Sociology or Anthropology courses include only those courses taken within a Sociology or Anthropology department. Alternative courses may be accepted on a case-by-case basis if the college or university that you attended did not have a Sociology or Anthropology department.

III. Recommended Courses

  • Conversational Spanish

IV. Healthcare Experience

A total of 1,000 paid hours of healthcare experience is required at the time of application submission. Updates to experiences will not be accepted after submission. Paid and volunteer experiences from a single location should be entered separately on CASPA; those marked as both paid and volunteer will not be accepted.

Experiences may include (but are not limited to):

  • Medical Assistant
  • Scribe
  • EMT
  • Nurse Assistant
  • ER Technician
  • Physical Therapy Aide
  • Patient Care Technician
  • Behavioral Therapist
  • Phlebotomist
  • Pharmacy Technician
  • Ophthalmic Technician
  • Optician
  • Speech Pathologist
  • Paramedic
  • Radiologic Technologist
  • Chiropractic Assistant
  • Surgical Technician
  • Registered Dietician

V. Additional Requirements

  • Overall GPA (calculated by CASPA): 3.0 or higher
  • Biology, Chemistry, Physics (BCP) GPA (calculated by CASPA): 3.2 or higher
  • Core science prerequisite GPA* (calculated by CASPA): 3.2 or higher
  • Evaluations: Three (3) required, PA and supervisor preferred

* The core science prerequisite GPA is calculated using all core science prerequisite courses (chemistry, human anatomy, human physiology, and microbiology courses) completed within the past 7 years (2018 to present), regardless of the earned grade, that would otherwise qualify as a core science course. CASPA will not update the Overall and BCP GPAs after application submission, however, the MSPA Program will accept updates to the core science prerequisite GPA up to the application deadline.

Applicants are expected to demonstrate professionalism in their interactions with the program and our faculty and staff. Applicants who demonstrate unprofessional behavior at any time will not be considered for admission. Clarification regarding your application may be requested via email. If we request clarification of any items on your application, you will have 14 days to respond to our request. If you do not respond via email within 14 days your application will be denied.

Negative evaluations; academic, licensure, and military infractions; misdemeanors; and felonies will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. The Admissions Committee reserves the right to deny any applicant who has a history of any of the above. Additionally, these may prohibit participation in required supervised clinical practice experiences (SCPE), eligibility to take the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination, and/or eligibility for state licensure. Due to this, all academic, licensure, and military infractions; misdemeanors; and felonies must be disclosed on CASPA and any supplemental applications. Failure to disclose the above may result in applicant denial, recension of an enrollment offer, or administrative withdrawal from the program. Additionally, programs are required to report an applicant’s failure to disclose this information to the PA Education Association.

VI. Preferences

All admissions decisions are made in accordance with our program mission, vision, and goals. Additionally, preference is given to applicants with evidence of the following:

  • Greater than the minimum GPA of 3.2 for CASPA-calculated Biology, Chemistry, and Physics (BCP) and core science prerequisite GPAs
  • Paid healthcare experience within a hospital, urgent care, outpatient clinic, or surgical center
  • Graduated with a Biological or Biomedical Sciences major which includes (but is not limited to) the following :
    • Biochemistry
    • Biological Sciences
    • Biology
    • Biomedical Science
    • Biotechnology
    • Cell Biology
    • Chemical Engineering
    • Chemistry
    • Integrative Biology
    • Microbiology
    • Molecular Biology
    • Natural Science
    • Neuroscience
    • Pharmacology
    • Psychobiology
  • Entered into a four-year college or university directly from high school
  • Took Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses
  • Took prerequisite courses at a four-year college or university
  • Electronic transcript shows <2 withdrawals
  • Achieved one or more of the following benchmarks on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE):
    • Quantitative score ≥150
    • Verbal score ≥152
    • Analytical score ≥4.0
  • Continuous (≥1 year) leadership and volunteer roles within the past 7 years
  • Knowledge of, and interest in, the PA profession
  • Knowledge of, and interest in, integrative health
  • Compassion
  • Integrity
  • Professionalism
  • Accountability
  • Initiative
  • Humility
  • Grit

VII. BSHS/MSMS Pathway

Students enrolled in the Southern California University of Health Sciences (SCU) Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences (BSHS) or Master of Science in Medical Science (MSMS) programs are preferentially provided an interview with the Master of Science: Physician Assistant (MSPA) Program if they meet all minimum admissions requirements as outlined above and fulfill the following additional requirements at the time their application is reviewed:

  • Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5 within the BSHS or MSMS program
  • Successful completion of at least one term in the BSHS or MSMS program
  • Letter of recommendation from the BSHS or MSMS program director

Please note that preferential interviews are only provided for the application cycle during which the student is in the applicable program with an anticipated degree completion date of August 21 in the year of anticipated matriculation, as well as the cycle immediately after graduation. Additional preferential interviews will not be granted after this period and applicants will be reviewed as part of the general application pool for an interview in future application cycles. Being invited for an interview as a BSHS or MSMS student does not guarantee acceptance into the MSPA Program. If an applicant is accepted after a preferential interview, matriculation into the MSPA Program is contingent upon the successful completion of the BSHS or MSMS program at SCU.

VIII. HBCU Alliance

Applicants who received a bachelor’s degree or higher from a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) are preferentially provided an interview with the Master of Science: Physician Assistant (MSPA) Program if they meet all minimum admissions requirements as outlined above. Preferential interviews through this alliance are capped at 25 interviews per application cycle and are offered on a first come, first served basis based on the date that all application requirements are completed (excluding an in-progress degree).

IX. Admissions Process

  1. Applicants must apply to the program through the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA)*. Once a verified application is received, an Admissions Advisor will screen the application to ensure that it meets all minimum admissions requirements by the applicable deadline(s) as outlined above. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
  2. All applications are reviewed based on the published admissions requirements and the information provided. Competitive applicants will be invited for an interview. Please note that being interviewed does not guarantee a seat in the program or on the waitlist.
  3. Candidates offered a seat in the program will have 14 days to respond to the conditional enrollment offer and complete the supplemental application, enrollment agreement, and $1,000 non-refundable deposit to be applied to their tuition. All remaining applicants will be notified of their application status (waitlisted or denied) by April 2026.
  4. Applicants selected for our waitlist may be offered a seat in the program through the second week of classes if an offered applicant withdraws from the program or an enrollment offer is rescinded. Waitlist applicants who are offered enrollment must complete the supplemental application and enrollment agreement and submit a $1,000 non-refundable deposit to be applied to their tuition within 72 hours.

*SCU does not refund CASPA application fees under any circumstance, including loss of accreditation during the application cycle.

X. Pre-matriculation Requirements

Once the class is fully seated, information about additional requirements will be provided. These may include the following requirements which must be completed prior to matriculation, unless otherwise noted.

X. Student Employment Policy

  • Due to the rigorous nature of the program, students are discouraged from working. Didactic and clinical schedules will not be altered for employment.
  • Students are not mandated to hold any position of employment in the institution. University or program employment is not a term of acceptance or continuation in the program.
  • Students of the program are not employees of the hospitals or clinics and, therefore, work entirely under the preceptor’s supervision. Students are not to substitute for paid clinicians, clerical staff, or other workers at their assigned clinical sites.

Accessibility and Disability Services

Students seeking reasonable accommodations or support services while enrolled at SCU can do so through the Student Services Office (SSO). We encourage you to register with SSO as early as possible to allow sufficient time for the approval and notification process.