Admissions

The MSPA program at UMHB began the inaugural cohort in January 2021. Application for admission to the UMHB MSPA program will be available through the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) starting in April and closing August 1 each year. Applications must be verified by 11:59 PM ET on the deadline date. Interviews with rolling admissions will start in June each year. Admission to the UMHB MSPA program is extremely competitive. The following list includes the minimum requirements, however meeting minimum requirements does not guarantee applicants an interview nor admission to the program with one exception – all UMHB undergraduate or graduate students who meet these requirements will be offered a one-time interview invitation. If the applicant interviews in a future admission cycle they are not guaranteed an interview. Applications will be evaluated at the time of submission. With the exception of required prerequisites, the program will not evaluate items added after the submission date.

Below are the required academic standards/prior education experience and documents for a completed UMHB MSPA application:

Academic Standards/Prior Education Experience

• Completion of a bachelor’s degree from a U.S. regionally accredited college or university or the equivalent academic accomplishments, approved by the World Education Service (WES) Credential Evaluation
• An overall GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale as calculated by CASPA
• A last 60 hours GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale as calculated by CASPA
• A science GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale as calculated by CASPA (This GPA includes all college science courses taken at regionally accredited institutions.)
• Overall prerequisite GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale as calculated by CASPA
  • All prerequisite courses must be taken at a U.S. regionally accredited college or university and completed by August 31 during the year prior to matriculation

Admission Requirements

• Original transcripts submitted to CASPA
• Completed essay portions on the CASPA
  
• Three professional letters of recommendation
  • Recommendation letters can be from professors, medical professionals, employers, ministers, or area leaders. These letters should reflect your desire and commitment to becoming a physician assistant, as well as notable accomplishments

• Demonstration of Experiences on the CASPA (Visit the CASPA Help Center to determine how to choose the category that best fits the experience)
  • Healthcare-related experience
    • Our program evaluates all healthcare-related experience hours as a whole rather than stratifying the hours into separate categories such as patient care experience, healthcare experience, and shadowing hours. We recommend following CASPA’s guidelines when categorizing these, but the program will evaluate these experiences together once an application is received.
    • Virtual shadowing hours will be accepted.
  • Community service
  • Leadership experiences

Additional Requirements for International Applicants or Domestic Applicants Who Attended Foreign Universities

• Transcript Evaluation by World Education Services (WES), submitted through CASPA
• Official iBT TOEFL scores submitted to CASPA, with a minimum total score of 100 AND at least 25 in each section (reading, listening, speaking, and writing). TOEFL scores are only valid for two years.
• Immigration documents, including a copy of a valid passport submitted to www.umhb.edu/graddocs
• If offered admission, further documents may be requested by the UMHB International Student Services Office
• All prerequisite courses must be taken at a U.S. regionally accredited college or university and completed by August 31 during the year prior to matriculation
  

Disclosure of Admission and Enrollment Practices

• The UMHB MSPA program will grant a one-time interview to all applicants who are current full-time students or graduates of UMHB who meet the minimum requirements for admission. If the applicant interviews in a future admission cycle they are not guaranteed an interview. An interview does not guarantee admission into the program.
• Falsification of any application materials will be grounds for denial of admission to or expulsion from the MSPA program.