Physician Assistant Studies (MS)

Yes. The University of Pittsburgh Physician Assistant Studies program utilizes a ranked waitlist. Applicants on the waitlist have been deemed qualified for admission, and waitlist placement is determined by a composite score that includes both the applicant’s pre-interview screening (CASPA review) and post-interview evaluation. Waitlist rank is in numerical order and may change as offers are accepted or declined and as the class composition evolves throughout the cycle.

Because movement depends on the decisions of admitted applicants, the waitlist process can be unpredictable. The program cannot guarantee that the waitlist will move in a given admissions cycle. Waitlisted applicants will be notified if their status changes, and all applicants, including those on the waitlist, will be notified when the class is filled, once the admissions cycle has ended. Offers may be extended from the waitlist up to, and after, the start of the program in January.

Pitt’s Guaranteed Admissions Programs (GAP) offer students a secure pathway to graduate study, ensuring admission to select Pitt graduate programs while allowing them to pursue any* undergraduate major that aligns with their interests and career goals. While it does not shorten the time required to complete a degree, you will gain special access to faculty, current students and opportunities to learn more about the field throughout your undergraduate studies.

Students applying to Pitt as first-year undergraduate students may be eligible for the GAP offered by select SHRS graduate programs. Answer the question “Would you like to be considered for a Guaranteed Admission Program?” on your first-year application to be screened for a guarantee.

SHRS Guaranteed Admissions Programs include:

• Communication Science and Disorders (CSD), Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) and Audiology (AuD)
• Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)
• Physician Assistant Studies (MS) – On-Campus and Hybrid
  • Current Pitt sophomores applying to the Nutrition Science (BS) program may request to be screened for a Physician Assistant Studies upper-division GAP.
• Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD)
• Sports Science (MS)
• Master of Rehabilitation Technology (MRT)
• Master of Science in Health Informatics (MS), On-Campus and Online

*The Communication Science and Disorders Guarantee requires students to complete an undergraduate degree in Communication Science (BA).

Counts toward required hours:

• Experiences with direct, hands-on patient care and active responsibility for clinical tasks as part of a health care team.
• CNA / Patient Care Technician (PCT)
• EMT / Paramedic
• Medical Assistant (hands-on clinical duties
• LPN / RN
• Respiratory Therapist
• Phlebotomist
• Radiology/Imaging Technologist
• Surgical Technologist
• Physical Therapy Assistant (PTA) / Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA)
• Athletic Trainer (direct patient care responsibilities)
• Dialysis Technician

Does not count toward required hours:

• Experiences that are observational or primarily administrative, clerical, instructional or non-clinical
• PA/physician shadowing or observing
• Volunteer roles without direct patient care responsibilities
• Administrative/clerical roles (front desk, scheduling, billing/insurance, medical secretary)
• Research roles without direct patient care responsibilities
• CPR/ACLS or other instructor roles without direct patient care responsibilities
• Patient transporter/sitter roles without clinical responsibilities
• Pharmaceutical/medical device representative roles

Not sure if your experience qualifies? If you are unsure whether your experience meets the definition of direct patient care, submit a brief description of your role, setting and typical duties for review to PittPAHybrid@shrs.pitt.edu.

Each cohort is individual and as such the average GPA for accepted students varies. Qualified applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution. They should have a “Cumulative Undergraduate” GPA of 3.0 (based on 4.0) in all undergraduate- and post-baccalaureate-level coursework and a minimum GPA of 3.0 (based on 4.0) in the prerequisite science courses. Exceptions may be made for candidates who present compelling evidence of success in graduate coursework, including successful completion of a graduate-level program.

Yes. Community engagement opportunities are available during the program; however, availability and participation may vary based on a student’s location and schedule. Many opportunities occur in the Pittsburgh region and may be most accessible to students who live locally or who are in the hybrid program and are in Pittsburgh for immersion. In addition, some activities are organized by student groups or individual students rather than facilitated directly by the program.

Examples of opportunities Pitt PA students have participated in include:

• Future Health Care Providers Outreach Program (FHCPOP)
• Street Medicine and other opportunities through Pitt partners
• Homewood Home Health Program and Homewood Senior Station
• The Hub – Pitt Vaccination Center volunteering

Hybrid students are also encouraged to pursue community engagement in their home communities and to share opportunities with classmates through student leadership channels.

Learn more about these offerings, initiatives and more on the Department of Physician Assistant Studies page.

The on-campus and hybrid programs are full-time programs and require a full-time commitment. The curriculum is intensive and demanding during both the didactic and clinical phases, and the program strongly discourages outside employment.

If a student chooses to work, employment is not an acceptable reason for class or clinical absence, missed or late assignments, or poor academic or professional performance.

Students are not required to work for the program and may not serve as the primary instructor for any component of the curriculum. Students must not substitute for or function as instructional faculty, clinical staff or administrative staff at any time. In addition, students are not permitted to substitute as clinical or administrative staff during supervised clinical practice experiences.