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Minimum Requirements

Applicants must meet the following minimum requirements:

  • Bachelor's Degree or Higher

    From a regionally accredited institution of higher education, or, be accepted by a U.S. equivalency reporting agency as an equivalent from a foreign institution

    Please see International Application Requirements

  • Minimum overall GPA (3.0)

    Must have a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale)

  • Science and Prerequisite GPA (3.0)

    Minimum Science and Prerequisite GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale)

    Science GPA includes all courses with subject codes of Biology or Zoology, Chemistry (Inorganic, Organic, and Biochemistry), and Physics

Prerequisite Requirements

View Prerequisite Course Requirements


Health Care Experience

A minimum of 500 hours of health care experience is required at the time of application. Hands-on, direct patient care experience may come from a variety of places. The extent to which an applicant is actually involved in patient care will be weighed based on the details provided by the applicant related to his/her duties during the hours of experience.


Community Service

Community service engagement is highly recommended and will be considered during the applicant screening process. Service activities should demonstrate a commitment to helping others but do not need to be related to the health care industry. Demonstrated leadership activities and a commitment to volunteer service in your community is desired. No minimum number of hours are required.  It is the responsibility of the applicant to explain the community service engagement during the application process.


PA Shadowing

Shadowing a medical provider, including a Physician Assistant, is highly recommended and valuable when considering a career as a PA. Although shadowing is not required, documenting shadowing experience in the application assists the PA Selection Committee when evaluating an applicant’s exposure to and familiarity with the PA profession.


References

Three references submitted on the official CASPA Reference Form are required. It is recommended that students request references from the following:

  • Professor: A person who can attest to the applicant's academic preparedness for the program based on direct experience in a teacher-student relationship.
  • Supervisor: A person who can attest to the applicant's interpersonal attributes and interpersonal communication abilities based on direct observation as supervisor of the applicant's volunteer or work experience.
  • Health care Professional (PA, NP, MD, DO): A medical provider who can speak to the applicant's skills and abilities related to patient care and working as a future medical professional.

Standardized Test Scores

Graduate Record Exam (GRE)

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is not required for admission to the CMU PA Program. 


International Applicants 

International applicants with a degree earned outside the U.S. must meet the following criteria:

  • All required prerequisite courses must be taken at a regionally accredited U.S. higher education institution and be verifiable through official transcripts
  • Must communicate well in English
  • TOEFL Exam score: Minimum 550 paper-based, 80 Internet-based
Additional information about CMU international admissions requirements can be found here

What We Value

Preference in the application screening process will be given to those candidates that have a connection to Western Colorado. For additional information about what we consider a connection to Western Colorado, see our FAQ page here

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