USF Graduate Academic Catalogue

Degree Requirements

• Baccalaureate Degree must be from a U.S. regionally accredited College or University.
• Baccalaureate degrees must be completed by the end of fall semester prior to matriculation (This means you must have graduated no later than the end of December, or earlier.)
• Baccalaureate Degree and prerequisite coursework taken outside of the U.S. is not accepted (regardless if made equivalent by a U.S. institution).
• Prerequisite coursework must be taken at a U.S. regionally accredited College or University.

GPA Requirements

• Minimum Overall GPA of 3.0 and Science GPA of 3.0 to be considered.
• Meeting the minimum GPA requirements does not guarantee an interview or admission. See our Application Process page for Interview Selection Process.
• USF PA Program utilizes the GPA’s as calculated by CASPA. We do not recalculate GPA’s. For information regarding CASPA’s GPA calculation, please contact CASPA.

GRE Requirements

• Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is required for your application to be considered.
• Official scores are required and must be from tests taken within the past five (5) years.
• GRE scores must be sent directly to your CASPA application from ETS.
• The name of our program on ETS: University South Florida PA Program CASPA GRE code 8854. (DO NOT use the USF institution code of 5828.)
• GRE scores are due in your application no later than our program’s application deadline date. Check our Application Timeline page for this date.

Prerequisite Coursework

• CLEP (College Level Examination Program), AP (Advanced Placement), IB (International Baccalaureate), ACE Credit (American Council on Education), and AICE (Advanced International Certificate of Education) course credit may not be used or substituted to meet prerequisite requirements.
• Prerequisite coursework must be completed at a U.S. regionally accredited College or University.
• Prerequisite coursework must be completed by the end of the fall semester prior to matriculation.
• The courses listed below are required for consideration and admission into the USF PA program: 
  • Microbiology with laboratory - 1 Semester (or semester hour equivalent)
  • *Organic Chemistry with laboratory - 1 Semester (or semester hour equivalent)
  • Organic Chemistry II OR Biochemistry – 1 Semester (or semester hour equivalent)
  • Human Anatomy and Physiology with laboratory - 2 Semesters (or semester hour equivalent)
  • Statistics - 1 Semester (or semester hour equivalent)
  • Medical Terminology - 1 Semester (or an on line certificate courses
  • Note: *Chemistry laboratory can be taken with either Organic Chemistry I, Organic Chemistry II or Biochemistry. Laboratories may be part of the main course or can be taken separately.
• Dual enrollment course credits from an accredited college or university are acceptable for prerequisites.
• Courses designed for non-science majors will not be accepted.
• Transfer credit or Admission with Advanced Standing from another PA or MD program is not accepted. All program curriculum requirements are required for graduation and must be completed at the USF PA program.
• Veterans are encouraged to apply, and as all other applicants, must meet all the prerequisites for admissions. Veterans with questions regarding prerequisite course work should contact the PA program. Please provide a copy the Joint Services Transcript with course descriptions to determine if the course in question satisfies the prescribed prerequisite. USF MCOM has an account with JST to receive transcripts.

Experience in Healthcare Setting

• A minimum of 500 hours of direct patient care experience in a health care setting must be completed prior to application.
• Hands-on patient care experiences 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 description of the applicant’s duties during those hours. The title of a position is not as important as the duties the applicant performed in terms of patient contact and interaction with patients and other healthcare providers (physicians, PAs, nurses, etc.).
• Examples of direct patient care experiences may include but are not limited to: EMT, paramedic, medical assistant, scribe, patient care tech, nurse, surgical tech, athletic trainer, physical therapy aide, etc.
• Applicants will submit verifiable information regarding their health care experiences on CASPA.
• Shadowing experiences are not accepted as direct patient care but are valuable for the applicant to gain a better understanding of the PA profession.

Letters of Recommendation

• Three letters of recommendation are required.
• Letters should be from Physicians, Physician Assistants, Nurse Practitioners, Research Mentors, Professors, Volunteer Coordinators/Supervisors who had direct interaction with the applicant and can attest to his/her qualities, strengthens and suitability for a career as a Physician Assistant.
• At least one letter of recommendation must be from an individual who supervised or worked with the applicant in a clinical setting.
• Letters should not be from a peer or family member.

Residency

• US Citizen: an individual who was born in the US or attained US citizenship another way, such as through naturalization.
• Permanent US Resident: an individual who was granted lawful permanent resident status. These individuals commonly have a Permanent Resident Card (I-551), often referred to as a "Green Card."
• In-State or Out-of-State for tuition purposes