To be considered for admission to the physician assistant program, applicants must have a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university within the United States prior to the start of orientation.
A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.8 on a 4.0 scale or higher is required in order to be considered. All prerequisite courses must be taken at a regionally accredited college or university. No grade lower than a C will be accepted for prerequisite coursework. CLEP credits, AP credits and P/F credits will not be considered for prerequisites.
Required Courses
The courses below are required for admissions; you may apply while this coursework is in progress. Coursework completion is required prior to matriculation and pending coursework during the application cycle is acceptable.
Biology* - 16 Semester Hours
- A semester each of human anatomy, physiology, microbiology and genetics
- Physical education and exercise science courses are not acceptable
- Labs are required, when available
Chemistry* - 15 Semester Hours
- A semester each of inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry and biochemistry.
- Labs are required, when available
Psychology - 9 Semester Hours
- Including one course of abnormal psychology
Statistics or Biostatistics - One course
Medical Terminology - One course
* Completion of chemistry and biology prerequisites within five years of matriculation is highly recommended
Practical Experience Requirements
As an applicant, you must have completed at least 750 hours of direct patient care experience as an employee or volunteer in a medical office, hospital or extended-care facility. Shadowing a physician assistant is required. Your experiences may be combined, but all acceptable clinical experiences must involve hands-on care of patients. Patient care experiences obtained through the military (combat medic, field medical tech, etc.) are especially competitive. You may apply to the PA program prior to completing the patient care experience hours but must indicate a plan for completion on your application. Please note, completion of PA shadowing hours prior to application is typically expected for favorable consideration. Additional information regarding the patient care experience requirement is available here.
Technical Standards
Please see technical standards section of the catalog for more information. Further information about accommodations can be found in the Accommodations in Education Policy.
Background Checks
Accepted students must complete a criminal background check and drug screen through the DMU preferred vendor. Results must be released to DMU prior to matriculation and the cost of this process will be paid by the accepted student. Accepted students are required to disclose all past or present charges, convictions, dismissals, deferred judgments and expunged records as related to a misdemeanor or felony. They are also obligated to disclose any additional charges and convictions which occur following completion of the initial criminal background check. Admission to the program may be revoked if misrepresentations or omissions from the application are noted in the background check. DMU students are required to complete annual criminal background checks and drug screenings while enrolled at DMU.
Permanent Residents
Applicants who are legal permanent residents of the U.S. will be required to provide a copy of their permanent resident card ("green card") prior to admission.
Note: Permanent residency status "pending," is not eligible for admission.
Non-U.S. Citizens
Applicants who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents are not eligible for admission to the PA program. Please review the information for international students.
*We do not allow for advanced standing, regardless of previous graduate work in healthcare. All incoming students must complete the entire PA curriculum.