• Curriculum
• Admissions Requirements
• How to Apply
• Equivalency Guides

Physician Assistant Studies - Link to Department

Master of Science

Please Note: Completion of admission requirements does not guarantee an interview or admission to the program.

 

Admission requirements

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution before start of PA program
• 3.0 minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA
• 3.0 minimum prerequisite GPA
• GRE score:  minimum of 800 combined verbal and quantitative sections, and a 3.5 analytical writing score (exam must be taken by July 31^st and the score must be submitted by September 1^st)
• 500 hours of direct hands-on patient-care experience by September 1^st  of the year prior to admission
• TOEFL score, if not having had completed 4 years of high school in the United States (exam must be taken by August 1^st  and the score received in PA office by September 1^st)
• Completed CASPA application by September 1^st  (Application is available May 1, 2012 - September 1, 2012)
• Completed online WSU Graduate Application, including submission of all required supplemental documents (Application will be available from July 15, 2012 - September 1, 2012)
• Successful completion of a personal interview

***All deadlines noted on this website must be abided by in order to be considered for admission to the WSU PAS Program. Due to the highly competitive nature of admission to this program, successful completion of all admission requirements does not guarantee admission to the program.

  

Essential Application Information

Bachelor’s degree

1. Applicants must obtain a bachelor’s degree before the first day of class.  

2. This degree must be from an accredited college or university. 

3. The undergraduate degree may be in any field of study, although science degrees are preferred.

4. If coursework was completed at a non-US institution, transcripts must be evaluated by a WSU approved evaluation service (WES, etc). The results of the evaluation must be sent to Wayne State University.  Please see the following website for information regarding foreign transcript evaluation:

http://www2.cphs.wayne.edu/program/Transcriptguide.php

 

Cumulative Undergraduate Coursework GPA

1. The minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA average acceptable for consideration of admission is 3.0.

2. If the cumulative undergraduate GPA is lower than 3.0, applicants may request that their last 60 undergraduate credit hours be used to calculate the cumulative GPA. This request must be emailed to the WSU Office of Student Affairs at cphsinfo@wayne.edu with a copy to the WSU PAS admissions email at PAadmit@wayne.edu, by August 1^st. Please note: Only undergraduate coursework will be used in the calculation; no graduate coursework will be used. If undergraduate courses were taken after graduation, these courses will be used.  Use of Last 60 Credit Hour Waivers are valid for one application cycle. Re-applicants must apply for a current waiver, as waivers do not roll over from one application cycle to the next.

3. Any questions regarding undergraduate coursework may be directed to: cphsinfo@wayne.edu.

 

Prerequisite Coursework GPA

1. The minimum prerequisite coursework GPA average acceptable for consideration of admission is 3.0.

2. All prerequisite coursework grades must be a “B” or higher.

3. All science prerequisite coursework (human anatomy, human physiology, microbiology with lab, and chemistry courses) must be completed within 6 years of the time of application submission.

*If any of the science courses were completed greater than 6 years prior to the time of application submission, a waiver from the WSU PAS program must be obtained prior to August 1^st. This request must include: a) the name, course number, institution name of the course(s) to be waived, b) a detailed explanation which describes why the employment experience demonstrates mastery of the prerequisite course content. A detailed account of the principles and objectives and the prerequisite course content must included, along with specific employment duties   Please note: a grade of “B” or higher must have been earned in the science course considered for the waiver.

6 Year Prerequisite Waivers are valid for one application cycle. Re-applicants must apply for a current waiver, as waivers do not roll over from one application cycle to the next.

 

 

Prerequisite Coursework

The following prerequisite courses must be completed by September 1^st:

1. Human Anatomy - one course
2. Human Physiology -  two courses; one course MUST be above 3000 level
3. Microbiology with lab - one course
4. Chemistry - two courses; one of the courses must be organic chemistry or biochemistry
5. Nutrition - one course, general human/clinical nutrition
6. Developmental Psychology - one course
7. Basic Statistics - one course
8. English composition -  two courses
9. Medical Terminology - one course

Questions about prerequisite course equivalencies?

Consult the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (EACPHS) Office of Student and Alumni Affairs transcript evaluation guide, and complete your transcript evaluation at:

http://www2.cphs.wayne.edu/program/Transcriptguide.php

Applicants are highly encouraged to have their completed prerequisite courses evaluated by an EACPHS Office of Student and Alumni Affairs advisor in order to have assurance of appropriate prerequisite coursework completion. The form to do this can be found at:

http://141.217.208.102/stuaff/PreReq.html

Submit the completed form and any additional information (transcripts, etc) to the EACPHS Office of Student and Alumni Affairs at: cphsinfo@wayne.edu. The evaluation of transcripts should be done early in your application process, in order to have enough time to take additional courses if needed.

Email any questions regarding prerequisite coursework to the EACPHS Office of Student and Alumni Affairs at: cphsinfo@wayne.edu

 

GRE

1. All applicants must complete the General Test of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) within 5 years of the time of application submission. Exams taken prior to this date will not be considered.

2. The examination must be taken by July 31^st  of the application year  and the official score sheet must be included in the WSU Graduate Application supplemental documentation by September 1^st. Scores submitted after the September 1^st  deadline will not be accepted.

3. The minimum acceptable GRE score is 800 (combined verbal and quantitative sections) and 3.5 analytic writing score. Scores lower than this minimum will render the applicant not eligible for admission.

4. Testing scores from one examination date will be considered for admission, not necessarily the most recent score. We utilize the exam with the highest scores. Also, only scores from one testing date will be considered. For example, we will not consider a verbal score from one exam, a quantitative score from another, and a writing score from yet another. All scores must be from the same exam.

5. Wayne State University GRE Institution code is: 1898

6. Questions regarding the GRE may be directed to: cphsinfo@wayne.edu

 

 Direct “Hands On” Patient Care Experience

1. A minimum of 500 hours of direct hands on patient care experience in a health service environment is required. Paid health care experience is preferred due to the level of responsibility and duties afforded in these positions. Volunteer health care experience may be considered, but paid experience is strongly encouraged.

2. The 500 hours of direct patient hands on patient care experience must be completed by the Sept 1^st  application deadline, and must  occur during the two years prior to the time of application submission.

3. To be acceptable for admission, the direct hands on patient care experience must:

        a) require the applicant's use of medical terminology on a regular basis.

        b) require the applicant’s knowledge of anatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology

        c) demonstrate the applicant's familiarity with medical documentation and patient education

        d) provide regular, direct hands on contact with patients in a health care environment

The questions often arises, “Will my experience be acceptable in fulfilling this requirement?” and many titles of jobs are presented for consideration. We ask that you consider the above requirements to determine if your health experience is acceptable, regardless of your work title. It is preferable that applicants have direct hands on patient care experience in settings such as hospitals or clinics, rather than in homes, pharmacies, and other settings.

Some examples of experience not acceptable toward 500 hours of direct hands on experience requirement : PA or physician observer or shadow (in lieu of other direct hands on health care experience), non-clinical research assistant positions, student clinical experience (student nurse, student EMT, student athletic trainer, or other health care student), student "intern" experiences, candy striper or junior volunteer positions, CPR or ACLS instructor, wellness coach, wilderness medicine instructor, patient transporter, pharmaceutical representative, pharmacy technician, dental assistant, laboratory technician, ski patroller, life guard, aerobics instructor, unit clerk, insurance clerk, medical secretary or other clerical positions, patient greeter.

4. Questions regarding direct hands on experience may be answered in the FAQs section of the WSU PAS website. If your question has not been answered on this site, please direct your question to: PAadmit@wayne.edu

 

CASPA Application (May 1, 2012 to September 1, 2012)

A completed CASPA application must be submitted and received by CASPA on or before September 1^stin order to be considered for admission to the WSU PAS program. Applications “submitted” to CASPAafter the September 1^st deadline will not be accepted. The application can be found at: http://www.caspaonline.org/

 *It is highly recommended that you submit your CASPA application in June/July to insure timely submission and review of all items by CASPA. If CASPA has not sent your application to the WSU PAS program by October 1^st, even if you meet all of the admission requirements, your application cannot be considered for the current admission cycle.

Applicant Recommendations Submitted to CASPA

 Recommendations may be obtained from PAs, MDs , DOs, or other health providers familiar with the role of the physician assistant. At least one of the three recommendations must be completed by an individual who has observed the applicant during direct patient contact experience, and/or a work supervisor - those most familiar with the applicant and their clinical work. The recommendation should include a verification of your completed health care experience hours.  A stronger applicant file is one that has references who have known him/her for a period of time of greater than one year and can comment on their performance with direct patient health care. We strongly urge applicants to avoid references from most academic professors/instructors, unless they are able to fully complete the form regarding observed direct patient contact.

 

 WSU Graduate Application(Submit between July 15, 2012 to September 1, 2012)

A completed WSU Graduate School application and all supplemental material

***PLEASE NOTE: The WSU Graduate Application for the May 2012 WSU PAS program start date will not be available until July 15, 2012. Do not submit your Graduate Application and supplemental documents prior to July 15, 2012, as you will not be able to register for the correct semester to begin the program before this date. ***

  

Supplemental Materials to be submitted with the Graduate Application:

• Resume/CV (Required)

All applicants must submit a current resume/curriculum vitae.

 

• Direct Patient Care Experience-Continuation Plan  (Required)

All applicants should submit a document detailing the health care experience work plan to cover the time span from the submission of the CASPA application to May 2012.

 

 

Wayne State University Physician Assistant Studies Program

259 Mack Ave
Suite 2590
Detroit, MI 48201
(313) 577-1368 PH
(313) 577-5467 FAX

PAadmit@wayne.edu

 

Eugene Applebaum Office of Student and Alumni Affairs

259 Mack Avenue, Suite 1600
Detroit, MI 48201
(313) 577-1716 PH
(313) 577-5589 FAX
cphsinfo@wayne.edu