Master's in Physician Assistant Studies - Williamsburg Campus

* Clinical Rotation courses may occur in any order and will likely not occur in the semester layout above.

• MPAS 600 - Family Medicine
• MPAS 610 - Emergency Medicine- Clinical Rotation
• MPAS 620 - Internal Medicine
• MPAS 692 - Capstone I

• MPAS 630 - Pediatrics
• MPAS 640 - Psychiatry- Clinical Rotation
• MPAS 650 - Surgery- Clinical Rotation

• MPAS 660 - Women’s Health
• MPAS 670 - Clinical Elective
• MPAS 680 - Professional Development
• MPAS 693 - Capstone II

• Completed CASPA application
• Completed PA Supplemental Application – Once an applicant’s CASPA Application has been verified and reviewed, a link to the Supplemental Application will be provided via email
• An earned bachelor’s degree with an overall cumulative grade-point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a scale of 4.0
• A minimum average of 3.0 on a scale of 4.0 in required pre-requisite courses. Pre-recs must have a grade of C or better.
• A minimum of 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale in the combined Biology, Chemistry, Physics (BCP) as figured by Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA).
• Ability to fulfill any university admission requirements
• Successful completion (as defined above) within ten years prior to admission of the following undergraduate science courses:
  • Anatomy with lab (Human preferred)- 3 semester hours or more
  • Physiology with lab (Human preferred)- 3 semester hours or more
  • Microbiology with Lab- 3 semester hours or more
  • Medical Terminology
  • Upper Level Science Electives - 6 semester hours (Select from Genetics, Embryology, Immunology, Biochemistry, Advanced Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Histology, Parasitology, Virology, Organic Chemistry II, Analytical Chemistry, any upper level Pharmacology course)
  • General Chemistry 1 and 2 with labs- 3 semester hours or more
  • Organic 1 or Biochemistry - 3 semester hours
  • Psychology (Abnormal or developmental preferred)- 3 semester hours or more
  • Statistics- 3 semester hours or more

• Direct Patient Contact Hours: The purpose of patient contact experience is to provide prospective students an introduction to medicine allowing the aspiring applicant exposure to medical terminology, common normal and abnormal findings, as well as introduction to critical thinking. It also allows for exposure to team-based care where they will encounter a variety of health care providers and how they work together for patient care. Lastly this provides the aspiring PA students ability to build professionalism skills such as communication, rapport, and accountability. The purpose of PA shadowing experience is to provide prospective students an understanding of the physician assistant profession as a unique member of the health care team. This allows the prospective student to have an understanding of the profession prior to enrollment. To achieve this, any patient care experience and PA shadowing that meets criteria will have to have occurred in specific locations as outlined below:

  Patient Care Experience is paid or unpaid direct patient care and/or observation of medical care occurring in a defined healthcare setting: outpatient clinic, inpatient (hospital, nursing home, long term facility), acute care (urgent treatment facility, emergency room, and prehospital acute care), perioperative care (pre-op, operating room, and post op care in both inpatient and outpatient surgery). 
  PA shadowing experience is direct observation of a physician assistant in the delivery of health care with patients and other members of the healthcare team.

• Submission of 3 letters of recommendation (Acceptable references: MD, DO, PA, or NP as well as academic advisors)
• Successful completion of an interview with and positive recommendation from program faculty

*We do not offer advanced placement/accept transfer credit for prior PA coursework. 

• If admitted: Student will be required to complete a satisfactory level 1 background check, urine drug screen, and physical exam with documentation of the following  immunizations as recommended for health care personnel by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
  • Proof of TB Test (positive results will require the students to receive a chest x-ray and further evaluation)
  • Proof of Hepatitis B vaccine and positive Hep B Ab (titer)
  • Proof of MMR vaccine or immunity
  • Proof of Varicella history or vaccination
  • Proof of Tetanus/Diphtheria/Pertussis vaccine
  • Proof of Covid-19 vaccination 
  • Annual influenza vaccine while on clinical year
  • Proof of Polio vaccination
  • Proof of Meningococcal vaccine**
  • Pneumococcal polysaccharide PPV vaccine**

**These vaccinations are not required by the program based on current CDC guidelines. If a clinical site requires these vaccinations, students must comply with facility guidelines to enable clinical placement and ensure completion of all curricular requirements.

• Demonstration to program principal faculty of ability to meet the following technical standards:
  • Sufficient capacity for observation in academic, clinical, and other medical settings; functional vision, hearing, and tactile sensation sufficient to observe a patient’s condition and perform procedures regularly required during a physical examination
  • Effective written and verbal communication skills sufficient to both academic and healthcare settings
  • Sufficient motor function to carry out movements necessary for patient diagnosis and care; for free movement inpatient care and between facilities and buildings in academic and healthcare environments; physical stamina to complete didactic and clinical coursework
  • Sufficient intellectual ability to measure, calculate, reason, analyze, and synthesize, in the context of medical problem-solving and patient care
  • Sufficient emotional health and stability required for exercising good judgment and promptly completing all academic and patient care responsibilities

** Waivers will be considered by the admissions committee on a case-by-case basis. If requesting a waiver for one of the admissions criteria, please contact the MSPAS program. Under no circumstances will the minimum requirements for entrance to the program be waived.

Undergraduate students interested in applying for early admission into the university’s Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies (MSPAS) program must have declared as a freshman and complete all course work as 3-2+ at UC. We do not accept transfer students into the 3-2+ pathway. View our Pre-Physician Assistant academics page for more information on that major.

Additionally, students must complete all requirements of the General Education curriculum for undergraduates as outlined in the University of the Cumberlands undergraduate academic catalog. (You can find the catalog on our website.) Admission is made during the third year of undergraduate study. Must complete all admission criteria by the time of matriculation. We allow applicants to have courses in progress at time of application. Completion of the Pre-PA curriculum does not ensure acceptance into the MSPAS program.

Students who complete the Pre-Professional PA curriculum but do not continue on to the professional phase of the PA program will need nine hours of biology, five hours of chemistry and sixteen hours of electives to complete a major in biology. Alternatively, they can complete a Biology of Science degree in Independent Directions with a focus on applied health sciences. A third alternative is to complete a Bachelor of General Studies degree. Information on these alternatives may be found elsewhere in the University of the Cumberlands’ Undergraduate catalog.

Students who successfully complete the pre-physician assistant curriculum and are accepted into the MSPAS program are awarded a Bachelor of Health Science degree by the University after the successful completion of the first year of didactic coursework in the MSPAS program. Students are then awarded the Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies degree after the successful completion of the second year of coursework.

In addition to the admissions requirements noted above for general applicants, the following courses are required prior to application for Pre-professional students:

• BIOL 113 - Intro. to Population Biology Lab.
• BIOL 114 - Intro. to Cellular Biology Lab.
• BIOL 121 - Medical Terminology
• BIOL 133 - Intro. to Population Biology
• BIOL 134 - Intro. to Cellular Biology
• BIOL 244* - Human Physiology OR BIOL 443 - General Animal Physiology
• BIOL 246 - Biodiversity
• BIOL 340 - Genetics
• BIOL 343 - Human Anatomy
• BIOL 345 - Microbiology
• CHEM 111 - General Chemistry Lab. I
• CHEM 132 - Chemistry 1 w/ lab- 3 semester hours or more
• CHEM 211 - General College Chemistry Lab. II
• CHEM 232 - Chemistry 2 w/ lab - 3 semester hours or more
• CHEM 321 - Organic Chemistry Lab. I
• CHEM 322 - Organic Chemistry I
• Upper Level Science Electives - 6 credit hours (Select from Genetics, Embryology, Immunology, Biochemistry, Advanced Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Histology, Parasitology, Virology, Organic Chemistry II, Analytical Chemistry, any upper level Pharmacology course)
• Psychology (3 credit hours)
• Statistics

*preferred

University of the Cumberlands Pre-Physician Assistant students are not guaranteed admission to the PA program; however, pre-professional UC students that meet all requirements for admission will automatically be granted an interview. Each PA applicant that meets all admissions requirements is graded using an admissions rubric that awards points based on academic performance, geographic location of the applicant, clinical work experience, and letters of recommendation.

In addition, the committee has determined that just as a UC 3-2+ student who meets minimum requirements will be guaranteed an interview in that application cycle, any UC student enrolled in a military program with the intention to become a military PA and meets requirements will also be guaranteed an interview in the year in which they apply. 

Direct Patient Contact Hours: The purpose of patient contact experience is to provide prospective students an introduction to medicine allowing the aspiring applicant exposure to medical terminology, common normal and abnormal findings, as well as introduction to critical thinking. It also allows for exposure to team-based care where they will encounter a variety of health care providers and how they work together for patient care. Lastly this provides the aspiring PA students ability to build professionalism skills such as communication, rapport, and accountability. The purpose of PA shadowing experience is to provide prospective students an understanding of the physician assistant profession as a unique member of the health care team. This allows the prospective student to have an understanding of the profession prior to enrollment. To achieve this, any patient care experience and PA shadowing that meets criteria will have to have occurred in specific locations as outlined below:

Patient Care Experience is paid or unpaid direct patient care and/or observation of medical care occurring in a defined healthcare setting: outpatient clinic, inpatient (hospital, nursing home, long term facility), acute care (urgent treatment facility, emergency room, and prehospital acute care), perioperative care (pre-op, operating room, and post op care in both inpatient and outpatient surgery). 
PA shadowing experience is direct observation of a physician assistant in the delivery of health care with patients and other members of the healthcare team.

*Students will need a minimum of 500 hours of paid employment or volunteer hours; must include a minimum of 50 hours PA shadowing. 

Documentation of language fluency for non-native speakers of English, such as a score report from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the 8 International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or a report from Duolingo. This requirement is waived for students who have completed bachelor’s or master’s level coursework in the U.S. at an accredited institution. The minimum acceptable TOEFL or IELTS scores for admission are: 

• Paper-based TOEFL (PBT) - 550 
• Internet-based TOEFL (IBT) - 79 
• IELTS - 6
• Duolingo - 100

Any international coursework completed must have official transcript evaluations completed and submitted to the University by the evaluation firm. Evaluations MUST include GPA for admission.
Approved Evaluation Firms are:

• World Education Services (WES)
• Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE)
• International Education Research Foundation (IERF)
• Educational Perspectives (EP)
• SpanTran