Admissions — Physician Assistant Sciences Program
To be eligible for consideration for admission in Meharry Medical College (MMC) Master of Physician Assistant Sciences (MPAS) program, applicants will need to create an account with the Centralized Admissions for Physician Assistants (CASPA).
- CASPA opens the last Thursday in April annually. However, the admissions window for MMC will be from the time CASPA opens until August 1st.
- Only CASPA verified applications received by September 1st will be considered for the application cycle..
Application and admission into PA programs are competitive; not all applicants who meet our minimum criteria will receive an interview invitation.
The following criteria are required for applicants interested in applying to the MMC Master of Physician Assistant Sciences program:
- Applicants must have an earned bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. college or university, by August 1st of the year prior to matriculation.
- Personal Statement and completion of program specific questions
- Three letters of reference from any of the following: supervisor, professor, PA-C, MD/DO, other healthcare professionals, and/or academic advisor.
- NOTE: Letters must be current and no older than one year old at the time of CASPA submission. References from family members are not accepted.
- Grades earned in required prerequisite courses of less than C will not be considered
- For courses repeated, the higher of the two grades will be used in evaluation of the application
International Applicants
All applicants born outside the United States are required to provide a TOEFL score of 100 or better on the Internet-based test or secure a TOEFL waiver by the application deadline (TOEFL Code 1458).
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- Waivers are automatically granted for applicants with a High School diploma, Bachelor’s degree, or graduate degree from a U.S. institution.
- International applicants are required to submit the TOEFL score and official transcripts, reviewed by the following:
The following prerequisites are required, with an earned grade of C or higher and must be completed by the date of the application being submitted. The Program does not require a minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) for admission in the Program.
- Medical Terminology (1 credit hour)
- must be taken for college credit; no certificates accepted
- Human Anatomy or Anatomy and Physiology I, with lab (4 credit hours)
- Human Physiology or Anatomy and Physiology II, with lab (4 credit hours)
- General Biology I & II (6 credit hours)*
- General (Inorganic) Chemistry I & II, with lab (8 credit hours)
- General Psychology (3 credit hours)
- Abnormal or Developmental Psychology will be accepted
*Advanced Placement (AP) high school course credit will be given for prerequisite courses, if accepted by the undergraduate college or university. However, all students will be required to complete the entire PAS Program curriculum.
Age of Course Work
Anatomy and Physiology must be completed within five (5) calendar years of the application.
The Program gives preference to applicants whose life experience and academic career align with the mission of the PA Sciences Program:
- Graduate from a Historically Black College and University (HBCU)
- Attended public high school >30% free/reduced lunch
- Military veterans with an honorable discharge (must produce a DD214/DD256).
- Masters degree or higher in a health related field, or completion of a health related post-bacc program.
- Shadowed a PA
- Direct patient care
- Community service/volunteer experiences, especially in underserved communities
- First Generation college student
- Recipient of the Federal Pell Grant Program.
- Meharry Legacy (child, grandchild, sibling of a Meharry graduate)
- Resided in a federally designated Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (click here) during high school.
- Completion of strongly recommended course work
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- Microbiology (3 credit hours)
- Immunology (3 credit hours)
- Genetics (3 credit hours)
- Biochemistry (3 credit hours)
- Organic Chemistry I, with lab (4 credit hours)
- Organic Chemistry II, with lab (4 credit hours)
- Statistics (3 credit hours)
- Can be taken in math, business or psychology departments
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