Admission Requirements
Franklin College > Academics > Graduate Health Sciences at Franklin College > Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies (MSPAS) > MSPAS Admissions > Admission Requirements

Academic Requirements

  • A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited United States institution prior to matriculation into the PA program. Official transcripts conferring degrees completed after submitting the application through CASPA must be sent directly to the PA program at Franklin College
  • A minimum cumulative BCP GPA of 3.0 is required. The Franklin College PA Program utilizes CASPA to calculate a BCP that includes only biology and chemistry classes.  This is different than the BCP reported by CASPA, which also includes physics classes. No individual course grades below a “C” may be counted for a pre-requisite course. Admission to MSPAS programs is highly competitive and a much higher GPA than the minimum is normally required for admission.

Required Classes

All pre-requisite course work should be completed prior to September 1 in the year before the January program start. However, a student should still apply early in the cycle with in-progress pre-requisite course(s). An applicant may complete a maximum of 1 pre-requisite course after September 1. Official transcripts for any courses completed after submitting the application through CASPA must be sent directly to the PA program at Franklin College and demonstrate a “C” or better in the required course.  Course/grade substitution may be requested only after a completed CASPA application is received.

  • Chemistry (3)
    • General Chemistry with labs (2 semesters)
    • Organic Chemistry with lab (1 semester)
  • Biology (5)
    • General Biology with labs (2 semesters)
    • Human Anatomy & Physiology with labs (2 semesters)
    • Microbiology with lab (1 semester)

*Chemistry and biology coursework should be completed within 7 years of matriculation. Biology and chemistry courses designed for science majors are preferred. Online labs are NOT accepted, but due to COVID-19 online labs taken in 2020 and 2021 will be considered. Due to COVID-19, Satisfactory or Pass course outcomes will be considered in lieu of letter grades for courses taken from January 2020 until August 2021.

  • Social Sciences (2)
    • General Psychology (1 semester)
    • 1 additional behavioral/social science class (1 semester)
  • Statistics/Biostatistics (1)
    • Any course (1 semester)
  • Composition/Communications (1)
    • 1 composition or communications course (1 semester)
  • Medical Terminology (1)
    • 1 Medical Terminology course (1 semester)

Recommended Classes

  • Biochemistry
  • Bioethics
  • Cell Biology
  • Genetics
  • Immunology
  • Pathophysiology
  • Pharmacology

Required Immunization and Physical Examination

  • A current physical exam certifying that the student meets the technical standards.
  • A negative tuberculosis skin test.
    • Before the clinical year: a negative two-step tuberculosis test OR a QuantiFERON-TB Gold (QFT-G) blood test within 12 months
    • Those known to have infection or disease in the past will NOT be tested.  They will need to provide documentation from their health care provider and a negative chest x-ray performed after the date of the positive PPD documentation.
  • Hepatitis B proof of a protective titer showing immune status.
  • MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) proof of a protective titer showing immune status.
  • Varicella (chicken pox) proof of a protective titer showing immune status.
  • Up-to-date annual influenza vaccination.
  • Tdap vaccination within past 10 years.
  • COVID19 vaccine series.

Patient Care Hours

A minimum of 200 documented patient care hours under the supervision of a licensed health care professional is required.

  • Direct, hands-on patient care hours are intended to demonstrate the applicants experience working in a healthcare setting. Assessment of the quality of the patient care hours will be based upon the description of the applicant’s duties performed in terms of patient contact and interaction with other healthcare providers. Examples of direct patient care include but are not limited to nurse, certified nurse assistant (CNA), medical assistant, EMT, paramedic, emergency room tech, scribe, surgical tech, athletic trainer, PT aide, etc.

Physician Assistant Shadowing

We encourage you to observe (“shadow”) a PA in the field.  We prefer PA shadowing in multiple specialties. Note: shadowing hours are recorded in CASPA and should not count towards your patient care hours.

Letters of Recommendation

Applicants must provide three letters of recommendation. One from a professor/instructor and one from a physician or other healthcare provider. The third letter is of the applicant’s choosing. The third letter should not be from a personal reference and you should avoid using clinicians you only shadowed as a reference.

Special Considerations

The following admission and enrollment practices are followed.

  • Franklin College students and graduates are at an advantage in the admission process. Any current Franklin College student or recent graduate (<5 years) that has met all of the standards for admission AND has a CASPA calculated cumulative and BCP GPAs of 3.4 or above will be guaranteed to move onto the interview phase of the admissions process. They are still required to submit an application to Franklin College through CASPA. Any Franklin College graduate that does not meet the above GPA requirement may still apply through CASPA and be considered for admission to the PA program. Additionally, the program gives preference to applicants with: higher cumulative and BCP GPAs, higher Junior/Senior/Grad GPA, more direct patient care hours, a higher quality of patient care hours, higher shadowing hours (and higher number of different specialties shadowed), higher quality personal statements, stronger professional references, stronger mission match
  • Applicants who meet any of the following criteria will receive additional consideration in the admissions process for each criterion met. Students must declare on their CASPA application under the Franklin College section that they wish to be considered.
    • Applicant is a graduate of Franklin College.
    • Applicant is from a medically underserved area in Indiana as designated by the Indiana State Department of Health.
    • Applicant is a current or former member of the US military.

Early Admission for Franklin College Undergraduate Students

Franklin College undergraduate students have the opportunity to apply as early as their junior year for early admission. They must have all prerequisite courses completed, in progress, or planned to be completed prior to January matriculation of their agreed upon cohort. Courses in progress or outstanding courses must be documented on the Outstanding Courses Form.

The Franklin College undergraduate students must apply through CASPA. Juniors and seniors with a BCP GPA of 3.4 or above will be guaranteed to move onto the interview phase of the admissions process. Students with a BCP GPA less than 3.4 will be evaluated for attributes outlined on the Admission Requirement website page before a decision is made regarding interview invitation.