Physician Assistant Program, M.S.
Minimum Totals for Graduation: 130 hours
https://chp.cmich.edu/pa
Admission Requirements, Retention & Termination Standards
Admission Requirement Snapshot
GPA: 3.0
Entrance Exam: None
Application Deadline: September 1, 2024 (for the 2025 entering class, which is a firm deadline)
See Admission Requirement Details Below
Admission Requirements for 2025 Entering Class
The application deadline for the 2024 entering class is September 1, 2024, which is a firm deadline. Official TOEFL (if applicable) scores must be submitted electronically from ETS to CASPA and received by September 1, 2024. The code for electronic mailing from ETS to CASPA is: 0518. Admission to the program is competitive. For further information, contact The Herbert H. and Grace A Dow College of Health Professions Admissions office at 989-774-1730 or by e-mail: chpadmit@cmich.edu.
To be eligible for admission, a prospective student must:
- complete a minimum of 500 paid direct patient care hours at the time the application is submitted;
- complete or be in the final stages of completing an undergraduate degree;
- complete all prerequisites within six (6) years at the time of application;
- No more than two prerequisite courses outstanding at the time of application and all prerequisite coursework is to be completed by December 31 of the application year.
- obtain a minimum of 3.0 GPA (a grade of B) in each prerequisite course;
- obtain an overall, undergraduate cumulative GPA of at least 3.0.
Please reference the PA Admission website to review all of the admission and application requirements.
Prerequisite Courses for Physician Assistant Program
Listed below are the prerequisite courses that must be completed by December 31 of the application year. Only two can be outstanding at the time of application. Students completing the prerequisites at other universities are encouraged to contact The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions Graduate Admissions Office (989-774-1730) to insure the prerequisites taken are course equivalencies. Applicants can also review our course equivalency web pages. However, the final decision regarding whether a course satisfies a prerequisite will be determined by the program director of the Physician Assistant Program.
At CMU, these prerequisites are met by:
Anatomy:
| BIO 337 | Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy | 4(3-3) |
| OR | |
| HSC 214 | Human Anatomy | 4(3-3) |
Physiology:
Pathophysiology:
Microbiology:
Biochemistry –
| CHM 421 | Introductory Biochemistry for Health Sciences | 3(3-0) |
| OR | |
| CHM 520 | Introductory Biochemistry | 3(3-0) |
Developmental Psychology –
| PSY 220 | Developmental Psychology | 3(3-0) |
Like all programs that have competitive admissions, students meeting the admission criteria are not guaranteed admission to the program.
Accreditation
At its March 2024 meeting, the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA) placed the Central Michigan University Physician Assistant Program sponsored by Central Michigan University on Accreditation-Probation status until its next review in March 2026.
Probation accreditation is a temporary accreditation status initially of not less than two years. However, that period may be extended by the ARC-PA for up to an additional two years if the ARC-PA finds that the program is making substantial progress toward meeting all applicable standards but requires additional time to come into full compliance. Probation accreditation status is granted, at the sole discretion of the ARC-PA, when a program holding an accreditation status of Accreditation-Provisional or Accreditation-Continued does not, in the judgment of the ARC-PA, meet the Standards or when the capability of the program to provide an acceptable educational experience for its students is threatened.
Once placed on probation, a program that fails to comply with accreditation requirements in a timely manner, as specified by the ARC-PA, may be scheduled for a focused site visit and is subject to having its accreditation withdrawn. Specific questions regarding the program and its plans should be directed to the program director and/or the appropriate institutional official(s). The program’s accreditation history can be viewed on the ARC-PA website at https://www.arc-pa.org/accreditation-history-central-michigan-university/.
Program Requirements
First Year - Summer (19 hours)
| HSC 630 | Regional Human Anatomy | 5(3-4) |
| PHA 608 | Clinical Medicine I | 4(4-0) |
| PHA 625 | Clinical Pharmacology I | 3(3-0) |
| PHA 633 | Scientific Basis of Medicine I | 2(2-0) |
| PHA 650 | Diagnostic Tests I | 2(1-2) |
| PHA 660 | History and Physical Examination I | 3(2-2) |
First Year - Fall (20 hours)
| PHA 609 | Clinical Medicine II | 4(4-0) |
| PHA 620 | Infectious Diseases | 3(3-0) |
| PHA 626 | Clinical Pharmacology II | 3(3-0) |
| PHA 634 | Scientific Basis of Medicine II | 2(2-0) |
| PHA 640 | Clinical Problem Solving I | 3(1-2) |
| PHA 651 | Diagnostic Tests II | 2(2-0) |
| PHA 661 | History and Physical Examination II | 3(2-2) |
First Year - Spring (21 hours)
| PHA 610 | Clinical Medicine III | 4(4-0) |
| PHA 630 | Clinical Procedures I | 3(2-2) |
| PHA 635 | Scientific Basis of Medicine III | 2(2-0) |
| PHA 641 | Clinical Problem Solving II | 3(0-11) |
| PHA 652 | Diagnostic Tests III | 2(1-2) |
| PHA 662 | History and Physical Examination III | 3(2-2) |
| PHA 671 | Preventive Medicine | 2(2-0) |
| PHA 673 | Psychiatry | 3(3-0) |
Second Year - Summer (22 hours)
| PHA 612 | Obstetrics/Gynecology | 3(3-0) |
| PHA 614 | Pediatrics | 3(3-0) |
| PHA 616 | Surgery | 2(2-0) |
| PHA 618 | Emergency Medicine | 2(2-0) |
| PHA 624 | Issues in Practice | 2(2-0) |
| PHA 631 | Clinical Procedures II | 1(0-2) |
| PHA 642 | Clinical Problem Solving III | 2(1-2) |
| PHA 645 | Critical Appraisal of Medical Literature and Evidence-Based Medicine | 2(2-0) |
| PHA 672 | Applied Ethics for Physician Assistants | 2(2-0) |
Second Year - Fall (16 hours)
| PHA 690 | Clinical Education I | 16(Spec) |
Second Year - Spring (16 hours)
| PHA 691 | Clinical Education II | 16(Spec) |
Third Year - Summer (16 hours)
| PHA 692 | Clinical Education III | 16(Spec) |
Total: 130 semester hours