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. 

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Application Deadline

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.

Items to submit directly to CASPA:

• Application with application fee
• Official transcripts from all colleges/universities attended
• Three (3) recommendation letters
• Statement of Intent
• Healthcare experience hours verification
• Official GRE score report (Program code: 3865)

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

*In order to be eligible for review, CASPA applications must be complete 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 may apply to the program with no more than two outstanding prerequisites (including any at the time of application), but all prerequisites must be completed prior to the beginning of the program.
• 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.

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 who did not receive an undergraduate or graduate degree in the United States are required to have their degree transcript evaluated by World Education Services (WES). This credential evaluation must document minimum equivalency of a U.S. baccalaureate and/or a U.S. masters degree or higher. When requesting a transcript evaluation, please request a "course-by-course" evaluation with grades.

A minimum of 1,000 hours of hands-on, direct patient-care experience is required at the time of application. 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.

Additional Considerations

• Prerequisite science GPA of 3.0 preferred, 3.5 and above given additional consideration
• 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.
• Successful completion of Organic and/or Biochemistry
• Evidence of
  • leadership
  • volunteer work/service
  • compassion/empathy
  • overcoming significant personal challenges
• Active military or veteran status
• Partners Healthcare employee with 2 or more years of full-time employment