Application Materials:

1. Completion of CASPA requirements
2. Completion of Francis Marion University graduate application
3. CV and/or resume
4. Paragraph – Why Francis Marion University Physician Assistant Program
5. Patient Care Experiences

Application Requirements:

Centralized Application Service for PAs (CASPA)

Francis Marion University Physician Assistant Department utilizes CASPA for processing applications.

1. All applications and required documents must be submitted directly to CASPA.
2. Students are also required to complete the Francis Marion University graduate school supplemental application. (Link)
3. Current Resume or Curriculum vitae (CV)
4. A minimum of 250 hours of direct patient care experience (PCE) is needed at the time of application. A more competitive applicant will have more than the minimum required PCE and this will be weighted more favorably in the application process.* (A3.13a)
5. Applications must be completely verified by the application deadline; for the applicant to be considered for an interview.
6. Allow additional time for CASPA to verify applications: (*It is the responsibility of the applicant to confirm that all application materials have been submitted and received by the deadline. The PA program and University are not responsible for notifying applicants of incomplete applications.)

Baccalaureate Degree

• A bachelor’s degree must be completed from a regionally accredited institution.
• The degree may be in any field of study, as long as all prerequisite coursework requirements are met.

GPA Requirements

• Minimum requirement for both cumulative and prerequisite GPAs is at least a 3.0, on a 4.0 scale.
• The program utilizes CASPAs overall GPA calculations for the cumulative GPA requirement; this includes all coursework taken.

Prerequisite Coursework

The following prerequisite coursework must be completed at a regionally accredited U.S. institution:

• General Biology w/lab (4 credits)
• Anatomy and Physiology w/labs (8 credits)
  • two combined anatomy & physiology courses w/labs, or
  • one anatomy course w/lab and one physiology course w/lab
• Microbiology w/lab (4 credits)
• General Chemistry w/labs (4 credits)
• An additional Chemistry w/lab (4 credits) (these are acceptable: Gen Chem II, Organic, Biochemistry, Analytical, Inorganic, Quantitative)
• Statistics or Biostatistics (3 credits)
• Psychology (6 credits)
  • at least once course preferably in abnormal or lifespan development at 200 or above level
• Medical Terminology (1 credit)

**On-line courses and labs are accepted but must be from a U.S. regionally accredited College or University.

Advanced Placement

The program does not grant advanced placement, accept transfer credit from a student previously enrolled in another PA program, nor does it accept experiential credit. All students accepted into the PA program must satisfy all requirements of the didactic and clinical years of study. (A3.13c)

If you have any questions regarding the admissions requirements, please contact fmupap@fmarion.edu