2023 - 2024 Admissions Cycle Information

Faulkner University PA Studies will be extending the 2023-2024 application deadline to July 19, 2024, to be considered for matriculation in Fall 2024. All application materials must be received by this date. Any prerequisite courses, healthcare experience hours, and/or shadowing hours must also be completed by July 19th. 

Applications can be submitted directly through Faulkner University by completing the Graduate Application found at this link: https://go.faulkner.edu/apply60/inquiryform , or by clicking the “Apply Now” button just under the mission statement on our PA Program website. 

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and qualified applicants will be offered an interview. Following the interview, the admissions committee will make selections and notify applicants of the decision to accept or deny admission.

See below for application and prerequisite requirements.

Applicant Requirements:

• Official transcripts from every accredited United States College or University attended, or from a University outside of the United States with verified US equivalency.
• Bachelor's degree and all prerequisites must be completed within 10 years of application date. Degrees and courses completed more than 10 years ago will not be accepted.
• Evidence of earned, or pending, bachelor’s degree and all prerequisite courses 
  • Up to nine credit hours may be in progress at time of application as long as they are successfully completed prior to starting the PA Studies Program.
  • See prerequisite course requirements below.
• Cumulative GPA ≥ 3.0 (extra consideration will be given to candidates who excelled in their academic coursework).
• Prerequisite GPA ≥ 3.0 (minimum of a C in each course, extra consideration will be given to candidates who excelled in their prerequisite coursework).
• Three letters of recommendation
  • At a minimum, one letter must be from an MD, DO, PA, or NP
  • Letters from family or friends will NOT count towards the 3 letter requirement. 
• Personal Statement
• 100 minimum Direct Patient Care Experience Hours
  • Direct Patient Care Experience Hours will be accepted with experience in any of the following fields:: 
    • Allied Healthcare Provider
    • Emergency Department/Hospital Clinic Technician
    • Medical Assistant
    • Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) or Aide
    • EMT or Paramedic
    • Operating Room Technician
    • Emergency Department/Clinic Scribe
    • Physical Therapist/Physical Therapist Assistant
    • Respiratory Therapist/Aide
    • Radiology Technician/Technologist
    • RN/LPN
• 40 minimum Shadowing Hours with a PA
• GRE scores, including the writing component (Institution code 5028)
• Supplemental Faulkner graduate application

Applicants may enhance their application by meeting any of the below conditions:

• Missional Alignment with Faulkner University
• Faulkner Legacy Student: defined as a student graduating from Faulkner University or having strong ties to the University through family relationships
• Excellence in both Cumulative and Prerequisite coursework GPA
• Completion of additional coursework (Max of 3 courses) that would enhance performance in the PA Program:
  • Immunology
  • Genetics
  • Health Education
  • Pathophysiology
  • Biochemistry
  • Physics
  • Cell Biology
  • Organic Chemistry
• Additional Patient Care and Shadowing Hours over and above the minimum requirements.
• Volunteer Hours (minimum of 100 hours for enhancement)
• Military Service
• Advanced Degree in Health Related Studies (example Masters in Public Health)
• Leadership Experience in a service area related to the healthcare profession

The Program seeks to promote a cohort of students from varied backgrounds and experiences in order to foster a learning environment that prepares PAs to address the needs of a diverse society.

The Faulkner Physician Assistant program does not accept advanced placement credit. (Standard A3.13(c))

Additional questions should be addressed to Faulkner Graduate Enrollment at chsadmissions@faulkner.edu

Prerequisite Requirements

The following prerequisite courses are minimums and must be completed at a regionally accredited institution in the United States, or at an institution outside of the US with proven US equivalency, within 10 years of matriculation:

8 semester hours of general biology for science majors with lab
3 semester hours of microbiology
8 semester hours of human anatomy & physiology with lab
8 semester hours of general chemistry for science majors with lab
3 semester hours of statistics (math or psychology)
3 semester hours of general psychology
3 semester hours of abnormal or developmental psychology
1 semester hour of medical terminology
Total Prerequisite Hours: 37 hours

Click to view average statistics for accepted students.

Timeline for 2024-2025 Admissions Cycle:

May 1, 2024 CASPA Cycle Opens

December 1, 2024 Application deadline

Applications will be reviewed after completion. Once reviewed, invitations to interview will be issued to the top candidates and will continue with rolling admissions until a full cohort has been reached.

Program Applicant Minimum Requirements:

• Official transcripts from every accredited United States College or University attended, or from a University outside of the United States with verified US equivalency.
  • Courses completed at Faulkner University do not require official transcripts to be requested.
• Evidence of earned, or pending, bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited United States University or from a University outside of the US with verified US equivalency and all prerequisite courses: 
  • Up to 2 prerequisite courses may be in progress at the time of application as long as they are successfully completed (with a letter grade of C or better while maintaining minimum GPA requirements of ≥3.0) by June 1st of the matriculation year.
    • Accompanying labs are not considered additional courses.
    • If Medical Terminology has not been completed, this will not count towards the two outstanding prerequisite course limit.
  • All prerequisites must be completed within 10 years of matriculation date. Courses completed more than 10 years prior to the date of matriculation will not be accepted.
  • At the discretion of the Admissions Committee, comparable courses completed during a terminal health related degree may be considered in lieu of undergraduate prerequisite courses.
• Cumulative undergraduate GPA ≥ 3.0:
  • This will include post-baccalaureate courses; graduate-level coursework will be excluded.
  • Extra consideration will be given to candidates who excelled in their academic coursework.
• Prerequisite GPA ≥ 3.0 (minimum of a C in each course, extra consideration will be given to candidates who excelled in their prerequisite coursework).
  • If courses are repeated, all grades achieved in that course will be averaged for GPA calculation.
• Three letters of recommendation
  • At a minimum, one letter must be from an MD, DO, PA, or NP.
  • Character references from family or friends (regardless of credentials) will NOT count towards the 3 letter requirement.
• Personal Statement
• 100 minimum Direct Patient Care Experience Hours (Documented in CASPA):
  • Direct Patient Care Experience Hours will be accepted with experience in any of the following fields: 
    • Allied Healthcare Provider
    • Military Medic/Clinical Specialist Corpsman
    • Emergency Department/Hospital Clinic Technician
    • Medical Assistant
    • Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) or Aide
    • EMT or Paramedic
    • Operating Room Technician
    • Emergency Department/Clinic Scribe
    • Physical Therapist/Physical Therapist Assistant
    • Respiratory Therapist/Aide
    • Radiology Technician/Technologist
    • RN/LPN
    • Pharmacy Technician
    • Other types of experience may be considered at the discretion of the admissions committee
• 40 minimum Shadowing Hours with a PA (documented in CASPA, virtual shadowing hours not accepted)
• Supplemental Faulkner graduate application ($75 fee)

 Applicants may enhance their application by meeting any of the below conditions:

• Missional Alignment with Faulkner University
• Faulkner Legacy Student, defined as one of the following:
  • Previous degree from Faulkner University
  • Completion of at least half of prerequisite coursework at Faulkner University
  • Submission of a character reference letter from someone affiliated with Faulkner University
• Excellence in Cumulative, Prerequisite, and last 60-hour coursework GPA.
• Prerequisite science courses taken in a university setting.
• Completion of additional coursework with letter grade of B or higher, examples listed below, that would enhance performance in the PA Program:
  • Immunology
  • Genetics (While Genetics is not a required prerequisite course, it is strongly encouraged.)
  • Pathophysiology
  • Biochemistry
  • Physics
  • Cell Biology
  • Organic Chemistry

• Direct patient care experience as one of the following:
  • Nurse (LPN, RN), EMT/Paramedic, Military Medic/Clinical Specialist Corpsman
  • CNA, AT, PT/OT, Home health with verification of duties, Scribe
• Additional Patient Care and Shadowing Hours over and above the minimum requirements (documented in CASPA).
• Healthcare Related Volunteer Hours (minimum of 100 hours for enhancement, documented in CASPA).
• Military Service
• Advanced Degree in Health Related Studies (example: Master's in Public Health)
• Leadership experience in a service area related to the healthcare profession
• Graduate of a school that has established an articulation agreement with Faulkner University's Physician Assistant Studies program.

Additional Notes

• Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the program will honor up to two “Pass” grades in prerequisite classes taken anytime between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2020. No more than 2 total prerequisite courses may be pass/fail.
• Advanced Placement (AP) credit is accepted to satisfy up to one prerequisite course if the AP credit is accepted by the applicant's degree-granting institution and is posted on official academic transcripts as credit toward a specific course.
  • Note: While AP credits are accepted, it is recommended to have AP prerequisite courses repeated in a university setting.
• CLEP examination credit is not accepted.
• Science prerequisites must be specifically for science majors.
• Online courses that meet the general coursework requirements are typically accepted; however, prerequisite science courses are recommended to be in-person/on-ground.
  • For applicants with many online courses on their transcript, it is recommended to take several in-person upper-level sciences. This demonstrates the ability to handle the level of rigor of an in-classroom setting.
• Each course may only satisfy one prerequisite.
• Applicants submitting prerequisite courses and/or a bachelor’s degree from a university outside of the United States must provide a certified, translated transcript from NAIA Incred or World Education Services that specifically states the US equivalent course(s) and/or degree.
  • Please refer to the Faulkner University website for admission requirements for international students: https://www.faulkner.edu/admissions/international-students/ 
• The Program seeks to promote a cohort of students from varied backgrounds and experiences in order to foster a learning environment that prepares PAs to address the needs of a diverse society.
• The Faulkner University Physician Assistant Studies program does not accept advanced placement credit toward PA Studies courses. (Standard A3.13(c))
• A completed application must be submitted through CASPA in order to be reviewed by Faulkner University. The application cycle for the Fall start will begin in May annually. The deadline for all application materials to be verified in the CASPA application portal is December 1st annually.
• Refer to the Faulkner University Physician Assistant Studies website for additional matriculation requirements. https://www.faulkner.edu/graduate/graduate-degrees/physican-assistant-studies-ms-pas/

Matriculation Requirements

Once candidates have been offered a seat in our program, there are several requirements that must be met prior to matriculating in the Fall. All acceptances are contingent upon satisfactory completion of the following requirements. Acceptance letters will provide detailed instructions for each item listed below.

1. Seat Deposit: Once an offer is extended, the candidate will be required to pay a non-refundable deposit in order to reserve their seat. 
2. Prerequisites / Bachelor’s Degree: If any prerequisites were in progress at the time of application, the candidate will be required to submit official transcripts to verify successful completion. If a bachelor’s degree is pending at the time of application, the candidate will be required to submit official transcripts showing degree conferral. All items must be completed by June 1st of the matriculation year. 
3. Criminal Background Check and Drug Screen: The PA Program will set up an account for the candidate to complete a criminal background check and drug screen. The candidate will be responsible for the cost of the background check and drug screen. Unsatisfactory results will result in forfeiture of the candidate’s seat.
4. Health Insurance - All students must maintain a valid major medical insurance policy while registered at Faulkner University. This includes classes during the didactic and clinical phases of the program. 
5. Physical Examination - Candidates must have a comprehensive physical examination performed by their healthcare provider to demonstrate that the student is free of any physical or mental impairment(s) which may pose a potential risk to him/herself or to patients or which may interfere with the performance of clinical responsibilities.
6. Immunizations - All students are required to maintain immunizations that are recommended by the CDC for healthcare workers. These include: hepatitis B, influenza, COVID-19 (or exemption), measles/mumps/rubella (MMR), varicella (chickenpox), meningococcal, and tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis (Tdap).

Additional questions should be submitted to:

PA Admissions
paadmissions@faulkner.edu

Click to view average statistics for accepted students.