The Tarleton MMSc-PAM program seeks to recruit and retain learners that will demonstrate academic excellence and competencies required to effectively meet the health care needs of the communities they will serve. The program employs a holistic admissions process by which balanced consideration is given to each candidate’s experiences, attributes, and metrics.  

All applicants must apply through the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA).

The Tarleton MMSc PAM CASPA application cycle will be available when the CASPA cycle opens each April.

Starting with the 2026–2027 application cycle, the Tarleton MMSc PAM program will institute a priority deadline of August 1st. All applications submitted by August 1st will receive priority consideration. Applicants who fall into our automatic interview groups must apply by the priority deadline to be granted their automatic interview.

Applicants must complete and submit the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) application no later than October 1st.

Please note that CASPA closes the application portal at 11:59 PM (EST), or 8:59 PM (PST). All applications received after that time will not be considered.

All applications submitted by the deadline will be considered pending interview seat availability.

Degree 

Baccalaureate Degree from a U.S. regionally accredited college or university.

• Baccalaureate degrees must be completed and confirmed on an official transcript by the end of December prior to matriculation.
• Failure to provide a confirmed baccalaureate degree on an official transcript submitted through CASPA may result in rescission of an acceptance offer.
• WES evaluations are not accepted as verification for baccalaureate degrees earned from non– U.S. regionally accredited colleges or universities.
• International learners who have completed a master’s degree or higher from a U.S. regionally accredited institution may be considered for and interview and admission if all prerequisite courses have also been completed at a U.S. regionally accredited institution.

Grade Point Average (all three must me meet to be considered)

Overall GPA 3.0   

U60 Grade Point Average (the last 60 credits earned) 3.0 

 Prerequisite GPA of 3.0

Requisite coursework:

Must be completed at a U.S. regionally accredited institution with a grade of “C” or higher. It is the responsibility of the applicant, not the program or any program representative, to verify that the courses they have completed or plan to complete meet this requirement. The program will not evaluate or confirm the accreditation status of institutions on behalf of applicants and reserves the right to deny any coursework that does not meet this requirement.

The following are REQUIRED courses and MUST be completed with a grade of “C” or better. 

All prerequisite coursework must be completed at a U.S. regionally accredited institution. Courses must be recorded on an official transcript with the grade and credits received for the course. Please note that ACE (American Council on Education) coursework cannot be used to satisfy prerequisite requirements for our program.

Prerequisites may be completed online or in person.

Applicants may apply with up to ONE prerequisite in progress. The in-progress course must be listed on your official transcript showing that the applicant is either registered for the course or in the process of completing said course. If a prerequisite is missing completely from the transcripts, the applicant will not be considered for that cycle. That prerequisite must be completed, and updated transcripts must be submitted to CASPA with the course grade and credits listed by December 31 the year prior to matriculation. If an application is submitted with more than one prerequisite in progress, the applicant will not be considered for that cycle.

Grades of Pass (P) for prerequisite coursework will be accepted only for those completed in the academic year 2020–2021 (Spring 2020, Summer 2020, Fall 2020, Spring 2021, Summer 2021).

There is no time limit for completion of prerequisite coursework. However, the program strongly recommends repeating prerequisite coursework if it has been over ten years since completion.

CLEP (College Level Examination Program) or Advanced Placement (AP) credit may not be used or substituted to meet prerequisite requirements.

No applicant will receive advanced placement in the program.   

The Tarleton MMSc PAM program does not accept transfer credit from a student previously enrolled in another PA program or experiential credit.   

A minimum of 500 hours of healthcare and/or patient care experience in a healthcare setting must be completed at the time of application submission. No updates after application submission will be accepted.

CASPA Definitions:

• Healthcare Experience: Both paid and unpaid work in a health or health-related field where you are not directly responsible for a patient’s care, but may still have patient interaction; for example, filling prescriptions, performing clerical work, delivering patient food, cleaning patients and/or their rooms, administering food or medication, taking vitals or other record-keeping information, working as a scribe, CNA (depending on job description), medical assistant, etc.
• Patient Care Experience: Experiences in which you are directly responsible for a patient’s care. For example, prescribing medication, performing procedures, directing a course of treatment, designing a treatment regimen, actively working on patients as a nurse, paramedic, EMT, CNA, phlebotomist, physical therapist, dental hygienist, etc.

Starting the 2026–2027 application cycle, scribing will be accepted as filling the 500-hour minimum requirement.

Starting the 2026–2027 application cycle, up to 100 hours of shadowing a Physician Assistant can be counted towards meeting the 500-hour minimum. Please note that hours shadowing any other clinical profession will not be accepted.

Candidates must submit verifiable information regarding their healthcare experiences on CASPA.

• Two letters of recommendation are required.
• Letters should be from physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, research mentors, professors, or volunteer coordinators/supervisors who have had direct interaction with the applicant and can attest to the applicant’s qualities, strengths, and suitability for a career as a physician assistant.
• At least one letter from a physician assistant is preferred but not required.
• Letters must not be from a family member or peer.

Applicant personal statements must be submitted through the CASPA portal. All narrative entries should be clear, concise, well-written, and free of grammatical or spelling errors.

Degree and prerequisite coursework taken outside of the United States is not accepted.

English proficiency is required for admission to the program.

All applicants who are not naturalized U.S. citizens (including permanent residents, temporary residents, and other non-U.S. citizen classifications) must document their level of English proficiency in the Personal Information section of CASPA.

If English is not listed as “Native” or “Advanced,” the applicant must provide acceptable evidence of English proficiency through one of the methods listed below for their application to be considered eligible. The program cannot assume English proficiency without this documentation.

Acceptable methods for demonstrating English proficiency include:

• TOEFL score of at least 550 PBT, 213 CBT, or 80 IBT, administered at an official ETS testing center (not at a university)
• IELTS score of at least 5.0
• Completion of an appropriate-level ESL program
• CEFR score of C1

• U.S. Citizen
• Documentation of immigration status will be required if not a U.S. citizen.   

• Transfer credit or Admission with Advanced Standing from another PA program is not accepted.   
• All curricular components of the program are required for graduation and must be completed at the TSU MMSc-PAM program.  

Applicants who meet or exceed the program’s minimum requirements and selection factors; and demonstrate the following attributes and experiences will be granted favorable consideration1 and an invitation for an interview regardless of ranking:

• Current or former member of the United States military²
  • Veterans²
  • Active members³ 
  • Reservist³
  • National Guard³
• Tarleton State University alumni and currently enrolled learners
  • Tarleton State University alumni and currently enrolled learners who meet or exceed the program’s requirements and selection factors will be granted an interview and an opportunity to earn acceptance into the program. 

Favorable consideration1 (but not necessarily an interview) will also be given for applicants who demonstrate the following:

• Texas and Oklahoma residents
• Alumni or currently enrolled in a A&M System School
• Current resident or spent the majority of childhood in a federally designated medically underserved area (MUA), or a health professional shortage area (HPSA) per HRSA.gov.⁴
• First generation in family to attend college 
• Clinical experience in a health professional shortage area (HPSA) or medically underserved area/population (MUA/P) per HRSA.gov. 

¹ Favorable consideration refers to additional points given on admissions rubric. 

² Military Service Records (e.g., DD214) showing an honorable discharge and/or applicable documents must be uploaded to the Document section of the CASPA application. 

³ Active members, Reservists and National Guard members must be in good standing as evidenced by a letter from their commanding officer uploaded to the Document section of the CASPA application. 

⁴ Questions regarding childhood and socioeconomic indicators included in the CASPA application.  

The application screening and review process begins once CASPA notifies the program that an application has achieved Verified status.

Step 1

The Admissions Committee Member confirms the application’s verified status in CASPA and reviews all supporting documents.

Step 2

The Admissions Committee Member verifies that all minimum requirements, prerequisite coursework, and non-academic requirements have been met.

Applicants who do not meet one or more minimum requirements will receive a denial letter. This includes applicants who:

• Have more than one prerequisite course listed as “in progress,”
• Have any prerequisite course not listed on their electronic transcript,
• Have fewer than 500 approved patient care experience hours at the time of application submission, or
• Do not meet all three GPA minimums (overall GPA, prerequisite GPA, and last 60 credit hours GPA) at the time the application is submitted.

Step 3

The Tarleton MMSc PAM Admissions Committee scores and ranks each application using a holistic screening rubric evaluating metrics, attributes, and experience.

Step 4

Competitive applications will receive an interview invitation.

Step 5

Interviews will begin in July and continue until the cohort is filled.

The interview is a required component of the Tarleton MMSc PAM program’s holistic admissions process. The invited candidate will meet with members of the program representatives for an in-person interview. The Admissions Committee will evaluate attributes such as communication, critical thinking, cultural sensitivity, ethical/moral decision making, empathy, self-awareness, knowledge of and commitment to the

Physician Assistant profession, understanding of servant leadership and personal alignment with the program’s mission, vision, and values.

All candidates should be aware that acceptance into a Physician Assistant program is an extremely competitive process. An interview does not constitute or guarantee acceptance. 

At a time designated by the Admissions Committee, the committee will complete a holistic review of each candidate, which includes evaluation of the full CASPA application and interview performance. The Admissions Committee will then assign one of the following decisions: Admit, Alternate List/Waitlist, or Do Not Admit. Decision letters will be sent via email to all interviewees within 10–14 days of their interview.

To ensure a fair and impartial process, at the end of each Admissions Committee meeting, all candidates placed on the Alternate List/Waitlist will be re-ranked alongside candidates from previous interview days. If a candidate on the Alternate List/Waitlist ranks higher than one or more candidates interviewed that day, their decision status will be changed to Admit, and an admittance letter will be emailed to them. This process will be repeated after each interview day through the final scheduled interviews.

After the class has been fully selected, candidates remaining on the Alternate List/Waitlist will continue to be considered in order of ranking if a seat becomes available. Reconsiderations may occur up until two weeks prior to the first day of classes of the first semester.

Acceptance offers are effective for matriculation only in the year of the application cycle and will not be transferred to subsequent years. Re-application is required if a candidate intends to matriculate within a cycle year that differs from their application year. Deferrals to subsequent cohort will not be granted except in cases of required military duty. 

The acceptance letter will include clear instructions with links to resources on where and how to complete the following requirements: 

• Security background check 
  • All entering learners must undergo a security background check prior to matriculation.  
  • The security background check must be completed after you have been offered acceptance and no more than 60 days prior to your enrollment into the program.  

• Drug Screening
  • All entering learners must undergo a drug screening prior to matriculation. 

• BLS or BCLS Certification 
  • Certification upon completion of an American Heart Association approved course. 
  • This is required upon enrollment in the program and must be maintained throughout matriculation.  

• Verification of Immunization History 

• Medical Clearance Attestation Form  

• Completion of HIPPA and OSHA Regulations Course 

• Payment of non-refundable $750 seat deposit