Physician Assistant Studies : IUPUI Bulletins

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Physician Assistant Studies

The Master of Physician Assistant Studies program in intended for individuals with prior experience (paid or volunteer) in a health related field and with a commitment to provide health care in underserved and rural communities. The program consists of seven (7) consecutive semesters over 27 months and includes 75 credit hours of didactic courses and 36 credit hours of clinical rotations for a total of 111 credits. Proposed start term is May 2012.

Prerequisite Courses

All courses must be completed with a ‘C’ or higher from a regionally accredited institution. All science courses must be at a level for science majors and include a lab. The courses belwo do NOT include specific course prerequisites that may be required by your institution or program. Please contact your specific institution for course prerequisite requirements.

Biological Sciences with lab, must include general biology (2 semesters), human anatomy (1 semester), human physiology (1 semester), and microbiology (1 semester)
Chemistry with lab, must include general chemistry (2 semesters), and organic chemistry (1 semester)
Statistics or biostatistics (3 credit hours) 200 level or higher
Psychology or sociology (3 credit hours)
Medical terminology (minimum 2 credit hours)
Nutrition/Health Promotion/Wellness or equivalent (3 credit hours)*
English to include composition, and communication or speech (6 credit hours)

*Nutrition course preferred. There are a number of courses that may meet this requirement. Please contact Dawn Lipker (dlipker@iupui.edu) to confirm.

NOTE: Additional recommended courses are Organic Chemistry II and Biochemistry

Admission Requirements

Bachelor's degree, in any major, from a regionally accredited institution completed prior to the date of enrollment
Completion of all or no more than one (1) prerequisite course in progress by the application deadline, must be completed with a 'C' or higher
Minimum 3.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA) on a 4.0 scale
Three (3) letters of reference, one of which must come from a Health Care Professional
500 word personal statement
GRE or MCAT scores taken within the past 5 years (test early and submit scores to school code 1325)
Application for admission and non-refundable application fee using the CASPA system
IUPUI online graduate application for admission and $60 non-refundable application fee
On campus interview
500 hours (paid or volunteer) of direct patient experience in at least two different health care settings within the past 5 years
International applicants must meet additional requirements as determined by the IUPUI Office of International Affairs, http://iapply.iupui.edu/

Graduate Record Examination Revisions

The GRE is being revised beginning August 1, 2011: http://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/know. The change will be beneficial to students and admission committees since the scores will differ by 1 point rather than the old scale of 10 points allowing for student comparisons to be based upon smaller score increments. The revision will also include improvements in the test questions to more closely align with the skill sets needed for graduate / professional study.

We will accept current GRE scores or the revised scores, as long as they meet the 5 year rule, the choice is yours. The ETS Company will provide institutions with equivalency charts so scores can be compared for equal consideration. We suggest you view the link above to determine if you prefer to take the current test or the revised test.