Master of Physician Assistant Studies

Department Faculty and Staff

Information about all program faculty and staff is available on the program website.

Program Overview

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 cohort 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 August 1 at 11:59 pm MST.

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.

Program Prerequisites

Degree Requirements

Applicants to the WSU PA program must have been awarded a baccalaureate degree (or higher) from a regionally accredited U.S. institution of higher education prior to enrollment. College seniors are eligible to apply if they will receive their bachelor’s degree prior to the start of orientation and have met all other prerequisites.

GPA Requirements

A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 and a science GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale), as calculated by CASPA, are required.

Pre-requisite Coursework

Prerequisite coursework must be completed with a grade of B- or higher at a regionally accredited US institution of higher learning before applying to the program. It is preferred that applicants complete prerequisite science coursework (human anatomy and physiology, microbiology, general chemistry) in person.

The WSU PA Program reserves the right to change its prerequisites between admission cycles. For information about WSU course equivalencies, please visit the WSU Transfer Guide or the WSU Course Catalog.

Prerequisite Courses

For the most up to date information on prerequisite courses visit our program website.

Terms and Conditions for Prerequisite Coursework

Transcripts
Prerequisite coursework must be verifiable through official transcripts. Due to the number of applications received, we cannot review transcript content for prospective applicants. All course requirements and prerequisites are published on the program website.

Pass/Fail or Credit/No-Credit Courses
Prerequisite courses must be taken for a letter grade. Courses taken on a pass/fail or credit/no-credit basis must be converted to a letter grade. Candidates must ask the original institution to convert the grade and then submit the new official transcript to CASPA for GPA calculation.

Expired Coursework
Prerequisite coursework must be completed within seven years of the admissions deadline to be considered valid. If a student earned a B- or higher in a course that has expired, they may still meet the requirement by completing the PA-CAT (required for all applicants) and earning a composite score in the 2nd decile or higher.

However, students who earned below a B- in an expired prerequisite course, must retake the course and get a B- or better to fulfill the prerequisite requirement. This ensures all incoming students have a strong and current foundation in the necessary subject areas.

Substitutions
Students granted admission must fulfill all application requirements. Students using Advanced Placement (AP) coursework to fulfill prerequisite coursework must score a 4 or higher.

No additional substitutions for prerequisite coursework will be accepted, including, but not limited to, credit for experiential learning, courses completed as part of a professional degree and/or the college-level examination program (CLEP) test.

Advanced Placement within the Program
Students are required to complete all components of the WSU PA Program curriculum. There are no waivers for required program coursework, and we do not accept previous professional-level coursework or experience for advanced placement.

Recommended Coursework

Taking recommended coursework can strengthen your application and better prepare you for the academic demands of the program. Completing three or more of the recommended courses with a grade of C or higher, fulfills one of the competitive candidate criteria (see below for more information). For the most up to date information on recommended courses visit our program website.

Clinical Healthcare Experience

A minimum of 500 hours of paid clinical healthcare experience must be accrued within seven years of the application deadline and recorded as part of the official CASPA application.

Experiences in hospital medicine and/or those in positions requiring autonomous, high-level medical decision-making are scored highest. Hours obtained observing, shadowing or as part of an educational program will not count toward 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.

PA-CAT

All applicants are required to take the PA-CAT, a 240-question exam designed to assess academic readiness for the rigors of a Physician Assistant curriculum. It evaluates nine science subject areas and helps applicants showcase their preparedness for PA school. Free PA-CAT study resources are available to support exam preparation.

There is no minimum score required to be considered for an interview, however, exam performance is an important factor in our holistic admissions review and provides additional insight into an applicant’s academic readiness.

Students who have expired science-based prerequisite coursework (discussed above under Terms and Conditions), may use the PA-CAT to validate prior learning if they previously earned a B- or higher in the expired course. In such cases, a 2nd decile or higher PA-CAT score is required to demonstrate sufficient academic preparation.

To submit scores, select the Weber State University PA Program in your PA-CAT candidate portal. Scores must be reported by the application deadline of August 1. Because scheduling can take several weeks, applicants are encouraged to plan ahead and register early. PA-CAT scores are valid for two years.

To learn more about the exam, go to the PA-CAT website.

Competitive Candidate Criteria

The program aims to select candidates whose backgrounds and interests align with our mission, goals, and values. Competitive candidates will have a science GPA of 3.5 or higher (as calculated by CASPA) and two or more of the following:

Being alumni, faculty, and/or staff from a Utah college and/or university
Three or more of the recommended courses
PA-CAT composite scores in the first decile
Service in a clinical or university leadership role for more than 40 weeks
More than 4,000 hours of clinical healthcare experience in an in-patient medicine setting
More than 2,000 hours of clinical healthcare experience in positions requiring autonomous, high-level medical decision-making

Competitive applicants may receive additional points during the application screening process, increasing their likelihood of advancing to the faculty review stage, during which faculty members carefully evaluate and assign weight to each listed admissions criterion. Particular emphasis is placed on academic performance, the quality and quantity of healthcare experience, and demonstrated leadership. These factors are scored on an ascending scale, meaning stronger qualifications result in higher scores.

Applicants with the highest overall scores are more likely to be invited for an interview.

International Applicants

International applicants can apply to the Weber State University (WSU) PA Program 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 US institution of higher education prior to matriculation. We do not provide waivers or exceptions for applicants without a qualifying degree.

International applicants are responsible for maintaining 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).

For purposes of admissions and financial aid, US permanent residents are considered equivalent to US citizens.

English Proficiency

For applicants for whom English is a second language, the program mandates submission of either TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), IELTS (International English Language Testing System) or Duolingo English Test scores as evidence of English proficiency. These tests must have been taken within two years of the program’s August 1 application deadline. The minimum required proficiency level for TOEFL iBT composite scores is “High-Intermediate,” or an equivalent score in Duolingo or IELTS. Weber State University Educational Testing Services (ETS) code for submitting your TOEFL score to CASPA is 4941.

Please visit the English Proficiency and Equivalency conversion table (PDF) for additional information.

Programs

Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS)