Application Process and Requirements for the Master of Physician Assistant Studies Program

Our Master of Physician Assistant Studies program at the MGH Institute of Health Professions welcomes applications from individuals holding a Bachelor’s degree who seek to enter a career as a Physician Assistant. Our professional staff is here to provide information and answer questions you have during the admission and financial aid process and offer ongoing information throughout the application process.  

Students are not required to arrange their own clerkships. No student, family member of a student, or friend/acquaintance of a student is permitted to contact a clinical facility to request a clinical education experience or to explore the possibility of establishing a clinical education agreement with that facility. The Program is responsible for establishing relationships with clinical education facilities and developing preceptors. In keeping with the Program’s philosophy that clinical education is an extension of the academic program, efforts will be directed at developing a circle of clinical facilities and clinical faculty committed to working with this program to provide quality professional education. For more information, please contact the PA Program (pa@mghihp.edu) directly.

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Important Application Dates

For Program Starting: September 2022
The CASPA 2021-2022 application cycle is now open
The Application Deadline is: October 1, 2021

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Application Process

The Physician Assistant Studies program at MGH Institute of Health Profession participates in the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA). All applicants are required to apply online through this service.

Updates to the application requirements and related policies due to COVID-19, can be found here. 

Items to submit directly to CASPA:

• Application with the application fee
• Official transcripts from all colleges/universities attended
• Three (3) recommendation letters
• Statement of Intent
• Healthcare experience hours verification

MGH Institute of Health Professions does not require a supplemental application. 

*In order to be eligible for review, CASPA applications must be verified on or prior to the deadline. Please note: you should allow several weeks for all required documents to be received and processed by CASPA.

Degree

Baccalaureate degree (BS or BA) from a regionally accredited U.S. college or university or recognized international equivalent.

Prerequisite Coursework

Completion of the following prerequisite courses at a fully accredited institution with a grade of B- or better is required for admission.

All of these courses are offered online by the MGH Institute. Learn more about our online prereqs or select a course below to view its description.

• Human Anatomy & Physiology I & II (8 credits with lab)  or
  • Human Anatomy (4 credits with lab) and
  • Human Physiology (4 credits with lab)
• Biology (4 credits with lab)
• Microbiology (4 credits with lab)
• Chemistry (8 credits with lab) 
• Psychology (3 credits; Abnormal, General or Developmental Psychology are acceptable)
• Statistics (3 credits)

All prerequisite courses must be taken at an institution that is accredited by one of the six regional accrediting bodies. Please refer to the Council for Higher Education Accreditation website for additional information.

Applicants with questions about prerequisite course equivalency and/or acceptability should complete and submit the PA Prerequisite Inquiry Form. Upon submission of the form, replies can be expected by email in 7-10 business days.

Important Notes:

• Applicants must have all prerequisites completed at the time of application submission.
• All prerequisite courses must be satisfactorily completed with supporting documentation submitted to the Office of Admission before starting the program.
• Prerequisite credit cannot be given for courses with a grade of Pass/Fail (Please see our Temporary Admissions Policies for COVID-19).

All official transcripts should be sent directly to CASPA. In order to be considered official, transcripts must be in a sealed envelope and sent directly to CASPA from the institution. 

Foreign Transcripts: Applicants that have earned a degree from a non-US institution are required to submit a course-by-course credential evaluation from one of the following NACES (National Association of Credential Evaluation Services) members: Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc., SpanTran: The Evaluation Company, World Education Services (WES), or the Center for Educational Documentation. If an applicant earned a bachelor’s degree outside the U.S. this credential evaluation must document minimum equivalency of a US baccalaureate degree or higher.

The LCME (Liaison Committee on Medical Education) accredits medical education programs leading to the MD degree in the United States and Canada. Applicants that have earned a MD degree from an accredited LCME Canadian institution will not be required to have that degree evaluated as part of the application process.

A minimum of 1,000 hours of hands-on, direct patient-care experience is required at the time of application submission. Health care experience is important as it exposes students to, and prepares them for, the challenges and rewards of working directly with patients and demonstrates an applicant's commitment to a career in the health professions.

The MGH Institute of Health Professions Physician Assistant program seeks students from a variety of health care backgrounds. The Admission Committee defines patient-care experience as working one-on-one with patients in a paid position. We generally do not accept volunteer hours as direct patient-care experience; however, consideration will be made on a case-by-case basis. Health care experience that involves observation of patient care and does not involve interaction with patients, while valuable, will not be accepted as direct patient-care experience.

The following are some examples of typically acceptable direct patient-care experience:

Nurse, CNA, medical assistant, clinic/hospital-based patient care assistant, physical/occupational therapist/therapy assistant, athletic trainer, exercise physiologist, dental hygienist, respiratory therapist, registered dietician/nutritionist, EMT, paramedic, emergency room technician, clinical researcher/research assistant with direct patient contact, optometrist, optometry assistant, radiology technician. This list is not intended to be inclusive, but to give the applicant examples of health care professions that are considered desirable.

When reviewing health care experience, we are more interested in the job description and the day-to-day responsibilities of an applicant than we are in the job title itself and would consider most employment as health care experience providing it involves evaluating/triaging patients, bedside care, drawing blood, obtaining EKG's, etc. Applicants are able to submit the Patient Care Experience Form if they have questions about whether their direct patient-care experience meets admissions criteria for MGH Institute of Health Profession’s PA program.

If you're looking for job opportunities in direct patient care, below is a link with information about Patient Care Associate opportunities across Mass General Brigham. While employment in a Mass General Brigham institution does not guarantee admission to the PA program, additional consideration is given to applicants with two years of full-time employment in a Mass General Brigham institution.  See information about Patient Care Associate opportunities.  

Additional Considerations

• Prerequisite GPA of 3.0 preferred, 3.5 and above given additional consideration
• Successful completion of a Biochemistry or Organic Chemistry course with a grade of B or higher
• 2,000+ hours of direct patient-care experience in a work setting. Though the minimum requirement is 1,000 hours, additional consideration will be given to applicants with 2,000+ hours.
• Evidence of
  • leadership
  • volunteer work/service
  • compassion/empathy
  • overcoming significant personal challenges
• Active military or veteran status
• Current Mass General Brigham employee with 2 or more years of full-time employment