Requirements for Admission  

  Prerequisite Courses

• The Anatomy & Physiology prerequisite must have been completed within seven years prior to matriculation (taken summer 2006 or more recently). The courses must include all body systems and be a full-year (two semester sequence) or the equivalent. This must consist of either 4 credits of anatomy with lab and 4 credits of physiology with lab OR 8 credits of A&P I & II (both with lab). Animal Physiology or Exercise Physiology will not satisfy the physiology prerequisite.
• All prerequisite courses must be completed with a grade of “C” or better.
• Prerequisites may be in-progress or planned at the time of application, but must be completed by December, prior to matriculation. Please include any in-progress or planned coursework in your CASPA application. Upon completion of the in-progress and planned coursework please submit official transcripts to UNE.
• If you are accepted and decide to matriculate into the MSPA Program, official transcript(s) from all colleges and universities attended must be sent directly to UNE's Office of Graduate and Professional Admissions, to become part of your student file at the University.
• Courses in advanced physiology, pathophysiology, microbiology, statistics, physics, and biochemistry are highly recommended.

• At least 90 undergraduate credits from a regionally accredited institution(s) at time of application, and a Bachelor Degree prior to matriculation (unless in UNE pre-PA accelerated 3/2 track).
• A minimum overall cumulative GPA of 3.0 is required.
• A minimum CASPA BCP GPA of 3.0 is required. (BCP is the calculated CASPA GPA of all biology, chemistry, and physics courses completed.)
• A minimum of 250 hours of direct patient care is required.
• To get a clear understanding of the PA role on the medical team, “shadowing” of PAs in preferably more than one practice type is highly recommended and will be given consideration upon review of your CASPA application. “Shadowing” must be recorded in the “Health Care Shadowing Experience” section of CASPA and does not count toward direct patient care hours.
• Computer experience is strongly recommended.

Note: Before matriculation, accepted applicants will need to obtain a physical exam with proof of up-to-date immunization status and a current American Heart Association Basic Life Support course for the Provider. Immunization of students is based on current Centers for Disease Control recommendations for health professionals. This information must be presented upon registration.

As required by clinical training sites, students will be subject to criminal background checks and drug screens prior to matriculation, and periodically throughout the PA program.

Procedures and Policies

• Applications for admissions are accepted through the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) at www.caspaonline.org
• Deadline for submission of a CASPA application is October 1st of each year prior to the summer start of the Program.
• On-campus interviews are granted to qualified applicants upon invitation by the Admissions Committee, and are required for admission to the program.
• Admissions are rolling and decisions are made after each interview session and continue until the Program starts.
• International students and students with international degrees must have transcripts evaluated for degree and grade equivalency to that of a regionally accredited institution in the US. See International Students for a list of educational credential evaluators. 
• UNE requires all deposited students, to submit official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended, to the Office of Graduate and Professional Admissions prior to matriculation.
• International applicants must submit the International Student Supplemental Application Form at time of acceptance to the university.
• All applicants to UNE must be able to understand and communicate in English to be admitted to the university. UNE accepts several methods of English Proficiency, see International Students. If applicable, the TOEFL requirement must be completed and the score received by the application deadline.

The Admission Committee reserves the right to make changes or exceptions to the admission policies and procedures without notice when it deems such a decision is appropriate.

For additional information on the admissions process and requirements, please access the PA website.

Transfer Credit

Transfer Credit
Transfer credits are rarely awarded to students who transfer from another physician assistant program. The program director will award transfer credits on a case-by-case basis.

Advanced Placement
There is no advanced placement.

Experiential Learning
No credit will be awarded to students for experiential learning.