Master of Physician Assistant Studies

Department Chair: Sandra Stennett
Telephone Contract: Jessica Septon (801) 626-7282
Director of Clinical Education:
Clinical Coordinator: Jessica Bickley
Medical Director: Dr. Robert Bunnell
Assistant Professors: Nicholas Dean, Clayton Halford, Austin Okelberry, Sandra Stennet

Master of Physician Assistant Studies

The Physician Assistant Program at Weber State University is a 24-month graduate level program awarding a Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS) degree upon completion. One class of 20 students is enrolled in January of each year. Applications are accepted starting in April (date established by CASPA). The WSU PA program application cycle closes July 15th at 11:59 pm ET and must be verified through CASPA by August 15th at 11:59 ET.

To achieve our desired standard of quality, meet accreditation standards, and provide students with an educational experience of exceptional caliber, Weber State University Physician Assistant Program (WSUPAP) requires the highest standards for its applicants. Requirements for being considered as an applicant to the program are outlined below.

Degree and GPA Requirements

Applicants to the WSU PA program must have been awarded a baccalaureate degree (or higher) with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 and a science GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale), from a regionally accredited U.S. institution of higher education prior to enrollment. College seniors are eligible to apply, provided they will receive their baccalaureate degree prior to the month start date, have the required number of clinical hours, and have met all other prerequisites required by the program.

Pre-requisite Coursework

All applicants must complete the following prerequisite coursework at a regionally accredited U.S. institution of higher learning with a grade of B- or higher, prior to application to the program. All specified prerequisite courses are required; no substitutions for prerequisite coursework will be accepted.

Science Courses	Description
Must be completed at a 4-year institution within 7 years of application. Students with prerequisite coursework taken more than seven years prior to the application deadline are required to take the PA-CAT (Physician Assistant College Admission Test). Scores must be reported directly from Exam Master to the WSU PA Program. Online science courses not accepted.
Human Anatomy with Lab - 4 credit hrs WSU Equivalents: HTHS 1110 or ZOOL 2320	Must be “human” and encompass the complete study of anatomy of all major systems of the human body. Two-semester combined Human Anatomy & Physiology course sequences are acceptable if completed at the same institution. Comparative or Vertebrate Anatomy will not be accepted.
Human Physiology with Lab - 4 credit hrs WSU Equivalents: HTHS 1111 or ZOOL 2420	Must be “human” and encompass the complete study of physiology of all major systems of the human body. Two-semester combined Human Anatomy & Physiology course sequences are acceptable if completed at the same institution. Comparative or Vertebrate Physiology will not be accepted. Exercise Physiology does not satisfy this requirement.
Microbiology with Lab - 4 credit hrs WSU equivalents:MICR 2054	A general, medical, or clinical microbiology course is acceptable. Individual courses in bacteriology, virology, mycology, or parasitology do not satisfy this requirement.
General Chemistry 1 & 2 with Lab - 8 credit hrs WSU equivalents: CHEM 1110 , CHEM 1120 , CHEM 1210 , CHEM 1220	Chemistry for pre-professional students

Non- Science Courses (Community college or online courses accepted)	Description
Statistics - 2 credit hrs	Course directed towards an understanding of foundational statistics
Psychology - 3 credit hrs	Student choice of Introductory, Developmental, or Abnormal Psychology
Medical Terminology - 1 credit hr	Any course in Medical Terminology

Terms and Conditions for Prerequisite Coursework

Coursework Completion: All prerequisite coursework must be completed at a regionally accredited four-year U.S. institution of higher learning prior to application to the program.
Expiration of Prerequisite Courses: Students with prerequisite coursework taken more than seven years prior to the application deadline are required to take the PA-CAT (Physician Assistant College Admission Test). Additional information about the PA-CAT and reporting your scores is provided below.
Transcripts: Prerequisite coursework must be verifiable through official transcripts. Due to the number of applications received, we are unable to review transcript content for prospective applicants. All course requirements and prerequisites are published on this website.
Pass/Fail, Online Courses: Prerequisite courses must be taken for a letter grade. Online prerequisite science courses are not accepted.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, courses taken in the years 2020 and 2021 as pass/fail or online will be considered by the Admissions Committee on a case-by-case basis.
Substitutions: Students granted admission must fulfill all application requirements; no substitutions for prerequisite coursework will be accepted, including but not limited to the following: advanced placement, international baccalaureate (IB) courses, credit for experiential learning, courses completed as part of a professional degree, and/or college-level examination program (CLEP) test.

Recommended Coursework

Pharmacoloy	Pathophysiology	Organic Chemistry	Biochemistry	Technical Writing	Spanish	Genetics	Immunology
*WSU Equivalents*
HTHS 3240 (preferred) or HTHS 2240	HTHS 2230	CHEM 2310 , CHEM 2320	CHEM 3070	ENGL 2100	Any Spanish Language Course	ZOOL 3300	MICR 3254

Clinical Healthcare Experience

A minimum of 500 hours of clinical healthcare experience must be accrued at the time of application and recorded as part of the official CASPA application. Experiences in inpatient settings and/or those in positions requiring autonomous, high-level, medical decision-making (as listed below) are scored highest. Hours obtained observing or shadowing, or as part of an educational program will not be counted towards the 500 hours.

Healthcare hours and clinical experience are subject to verification, and the program reserves the right to contact supervisors to confirm reported hours.

Examples of acceptable clinical healthcare experience include, but are not limited to:

Limited Level	Moderate Level	High Level
Phlebotomist PT Assistant Laboratory Technician Pharmacy Tech Medical Interpreter Research Assistant EKG Tech Psych Tech ED Tech Medical Scribe	CNA or CMA Dental Hygienist Licensed Clinical Social Worker Speech Language Pathologist EMT LPN Radiology Tech Occupational Therapist Ultrasonographer Med Tech Exercise Physiologist	Paramedic RN Respiratory Therapist International Medical Graduate Medic/Corpsman Pharmacist Athletic Trainer Dietician Perfusionist Midwife Physical Therapist

PA-CAT

To ensure students matriculate into the program with equivalent academic preparation, students whose coursework is older than seven years must either retake prerequisite courses or score, at minimum, in the 3rd quintile on the PA-CAT to demonstrate readiness for the curriculum.

To learn more about how and where to take the exam, go to the Exam Master PA-CAT website.
PA-CAT scores are good for two years.
To report scores, select Weber State University PA Program in your Candidate Score Portal.
Applicants must complete the PA-CAT by the end of June in order for scores to be reported by the program’s application deadline of July 15th.
Scheduling the PA-CAT exam may take up to three weeks; please plan accordingly.
The Admissions Committee considers both composite and quintile scores when evaluating performance.

Competitive Candidates

The program aims to select candidates whose background and interests align with our mission, goals, and values. Only those candidates who fulfill three or more of the following criteria will receive additional review and scoring by the Admissions Committee:

Criteria include:

WSU students, alumni, faculty, and staff
Science GPA >3.5
>9 credit hours or more of recommended coursework
Graduate degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution of higher education
PA-CAT composite scores in the top two quintiles
Paid clinical healthcare experience in an inpatient or hospital setting
>100 hours of community service
Service in a leadership role for > 8 months
Diverse backgrounds: underrepresented minorities in medicine (Black/African American, Native American, Latinx), economically disadvantaged (Pell Grant recipient), history of military service, first-generation college students

Each of the above criteria are evaluated and weighted individually. Completion of a graduate degree, academic strength, and quality and quantity of healthcare, leadership, and community service hours will be weighted at a higher level on an ascending scale during the application screening and review process. Candidates with higher scores are more likely to be invited for an interview.

International Students

Candidates are considered for admission to the Weber State University PA Program without regard to their country of origin. For purposes of admissions and financial aid, U.S. permanent residents are considered equivalent to U.S. citizens.

DACA (Deferred Action Childhood Arrivals)

Students with DACA status are currently eligible to apply for and obtain a license to practice as a physician assistant in Utah. Prospective applicants should consult the requirements of the licensing authority in any state in which they consider practicing to determine qualifications for licensure. Information concerning licensure in Utah can be found at the Utah Department of Professional Licensing. Information about other states can be found on the NCCPA website.

International Applicants

International applicants are welcome to apply if they meet our admissions requirements. Applicants with international medical degrees are ineligible to apply unless they also hold a qualifying degree (bachelor’s or higher) from a regionally accredited U.S. institution of higher education prior to matriculation. We do not provide waivers or exemptions for applicants without a qualifying degree.

It is the responsibility of international applicants to maintain their F-1 student status while in the United States. For more information, please refer to the current section of the WSU International Student and Scholar Center (ISSC).

TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)

Applicants for whom English is a second language must submit their TOEFL scores with their application. The test must have been taken within the two years prior to the July 15th application deadline for an applicant to be considered for an interview.

Minimum required TOEFL iBT proficiency level scores must be “high-intermediate”. Weber State University Educational Testing Services (ETS) code for submitting your TOEFL score to CASPA is 4941.

Programs

Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS)