Program Requirements

Students enter the Physician Assistant program in the summer term of each year.

The 24-month, full-time program requires continuous attendance. Therefore, students should plan finances carefully to avoid the necessity for employment. Information on financial assistance opportunities is available in the Student Financial Services office, Student Services Center.

Students must meet academic and technical standards prior to admission to the program. Admission to the program is required prior to registering for any MSPA course. An overall GPA of 3.0 or better in the physician assistant curriculum is required to progress into the clinical year of the program.

All physician assistant students are required to have a personal cell phone, email address and Internet access.

Refer to the PA Admissions Booklet 2025-2026 Application Cycle for detailed admissions requirements, curriculum information and application instructions. 

  • Completed CASPA Application
  • Applicants to the Physician Assistant program must have a bachelor’s degree or higher conferred from a nationally recognized institution.  The degree and graduation date must be reflected on the official transcript that is included with the completed CASPA application.
  • Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.
  • Completion of the following prerequisite courses with a minimum grade of B (3.0) in each course:
    • Anatomy and Physiology 1
    • Anatomy and Physiology 2
    • General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry or Biochemistry
    • Medical Terminology
    • Microbiology
    • Introduction to Psychology, General Psychology or Developmental Psychology
    • Elementary Statistics, Biostatistics or Statistics in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Science prerequisite coursework must be at least 4 credits and include a lab component.  Anatomy and Physiology prerequisites must be completed within seven (7) years of application submission. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure course equivalency.

  • Three (3) letters of recommendation.
  • 1000+ hours of patient contact experience.
  • Foreign educated students must have their international college transcripts from all higher-level institutions attended evaluated by one of the following credential evaluators: ECE (Educational Credential Evaluators) at www.ece.org or WES (World Education Services) at www.wes.org. Please be advised that this process may take several months and must be included with the completed CASPA application.
  • Applicants whose native language or language of the home is not English must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The minimum acceptable TOEFL score for admission is 250 for the computer-based test and 100 for the Internet-based test. Please note that TOEFL scores are only valid for two years. Official TOEFL scores must be reported on the CASPA application and be mailed to CASPA by the application deadline. 

All physician assistant students must receive a minimum grade of C in each physician assistant course (and maintain a 3.0 GPA). Students who receive a final grade below C in any physician assistant didactic course will be awarded a grade of F in the course and will not be permitted to continue in the program.

The selection criteria used to evaluate each applicant will include, but are not limited to:

  • Cumulative GPA
  • Natural science GPA and credits/hours
  • Letters of recommendation
  • Patient contact experience
  • Community, military and/or civil service
  • Conversational fluency in multiple languages
  • Recommended Courses (Biochemistry and Developmental Psychology)
  • Interview

MARYLAND RESIDENCY and ALUMNI

Applicants who reside in the State of Maryland and/or graduates of the institutions listed below will be given preference when applications are reviewed.

  • Bowie State University
  • Coppin State University
  • Frostburg State University
  • Howard University
  • Morgan University
  • Salisbury University
  • Towson University
  • University of Baltimore
  • University of Maryland, Baltimore
  • University of Maryland, Baltimore County
  • University of Maryland, College Park
  • University of Maryland, Eastern Shore
  • University of Maryland Global Campus
  • University of Maryland Center of Environmental Science
  • University of the District of Columbia 

No selection decisions will be communicated via telephone. The decision of the Physician Assistant Admissions Committee is final.

A non-refundable seat deposit is required upon acceptance to the program. This will be applied to your first term bill.

Graduates of the UMB Physician Assistant Program must have the attitudes, knowledge, and skills to function in a broad variety of clinical situations and render a wide spectrum of care. With that, the Program maintains certain minimum technical standards that must be met by all candidates for admission and current students, with or without reasonable accommodation. 

Technical standards, as distinguished from academic standards, refer to those physical, cognitive, and behavioral abilities required for satisfactory completion of all aspects of the curriculum, including development of professional attributes required by the faculty of all students at graduation. A candidate for the Master of Science in Health Science degree, Physician Assistant concentration must not only maintain good physical and mental health, but also have abilities and skills in five attributes, including observation; communication; motor; intellectual; and behavioral and social. Accommodation can be granted under appropriate circumstances to enable a student to satisfy the technical standards; however, a student is not qualified to be in the Program or to graduate, if they cannot meet the technical standards with or without reasonable accommodation, which is determined by the Program and the campus Office of Student Educational Support and Disability Services. 

UMB PA Program Technical Standards 

Good Physical and Mental Health: The candidate must possess sufficient physical stamina and mental stability, with or without reasonable accommodations, to fulfill the requirements of the Program and the requirements of the profession, which include but are not limited to: Work for 8 -12 hours performing physical tasks requiring physical energy without jeopardizing patient and student safety, such as bending, lifting, turning, and ambulating patients. Perform fine motor movements and be able to manipulate instruments and equipment. Tolerate physically taxing workloads. Function effectively under stress. 

Observation: The candidate must be able to observe demonstrations and participate in experiments in the basic sciences, including but not limited to physiological and pharmacologic demonstrations in animals, human cadavers, microbiologic cultures, and microscopic studies of microorganisms and tissues in normal and pathological states. A candidate must be able to observe a patient accurately at a distance and close at hand. Observation necessitates the functional use of the sense of vision and somatic sensation. It is enhanced by the functional use of the sense of smell. 

Communication: A candidate should be able to speak, hear, and observe patients to elicit information, describe changes in mood, activity, posture, and perceive nonverbal communications. A candidate must be able to communicate effectively and sensitively with patients. Communication includes not only speech but reading and writing. The candidate must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently in oral and written form with all members of the healthcare team, including fellow students, faculty, preceptors, and administrators. Candidates must demonstrate proficiency in English as required by Maryland state licensure. 

Motor: Candidates should have sufficient motor function to elicit information from patients by palpation, auscultation, percussion, and other diagnostic maneuvers. A candidate should be able to perform interventions, including but not limited to catheterization and paracentesis. A candidate should be able to execute motor movements reasonably required to provide general care and emergency treatment to patients. Examples of emergency treatment reasonably required of physician assistants include but are not limited to cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the administration of intravenous medication, the application of pressure to stop bleeding, the opening of obstructed airways, the suturing of simple wounds, and the performance of simple obstetrical maneuvers. Such actions require coordination of both gross and fine muscular movements, equilibrium, coordination, and functional use of the senses of touch and vision. 

Intellectual-Conceptual, Integrative and Quantitative Abilities: These abilities include measurement, calculation, reasoning, analysis, and synthesis as well as the ability to establish and work toward goals in a consistently responsible, realistic manner. Problem solving, the critical skill demanded of physician assistants, requires all these intellectual abilities. In addition, the candidate should be able to comprehend three-dimensional relationships and to understand the spatial relationships of structures as well as interpret diagnostic tests such as ECGs and x-rays. 

Behavioral and Social Attributes: Emotional health required for full utilization of their intellectual abilities, the exercise of good judgment, the accurate and prompt completion of all responsibilities attendant to the diagnosis and care of patients, and all other responsibilities of a student enrolled in the Program. Development of mature, sensitive, and effective professional relationships with patients, faculty, staff, preceptors, and other members of the healthcare team. They must be able to adapt to changing environments, to display flexibility, and to learn to function in the face of uncertainties inherent in the clinical problems of many patients. Compassion, integrity, concern for others, interpersonal skills, interest, and motivation are all personal qualities that are assessed during the admissions and education processes. 

*Adopted from “Recommendations of the AAMC Special Advisory Panel on Technical Standards for Medical School Admission,” approved by the AAMC Executive Council on January 18, 1979.

This program requires the satisfactory completion of a criminal background check and possible drug screening. 

Students seeking readmission to the Physician Assistant program are referred to the PA Program Manual. Specific requirements and eligibility must be met for consideration for readmission.

The University of Maryland School of Graduate Studies Physician Assistant program does not offer advanced placement in or transfer into either the didactic or clinical portions of the program.

 

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