FAQ

Baylor University offers a full-time, entry-level Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS) degree. This hybrid curriculum is completed in 24 months through distance education combined with in person immersions that take place in Waco, Texas during the first 12 months and supervised clinical practice experiences in various locations in the second 12 months.

For questions related to admission to the Baylor University PA program, please contact our enrollment team by email at Robbins_Grad@baylor.edu or by phone at 254-710-4400.

Baylor University has applied for Accreditation - Provisional from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). Baylor University anticipates matriculating its first class in October 2025, pending achieving Accreditation – Provisional status at the June 2025. ARC-PA meeting. Accreditation - Provisional is an accreditation status granted when the plans and resource allocation, if fully implemented as planned, of a proposed program that has not yet enrolled students appear to demonstrate the program’s ability to meet the ARC-PA Standards or when a program holding accreditation-provisional status appears to demonstrate continued progress in complying with the Standards as it prepares for the graduation of the first class (cohort) of students.

No. While both programs share the Baylor name and heritage, they are separate programs. For more information on the Army-Baylor program, please visit military.robbins.baylor.edu/physician-assistant.

The Baylor PA program accepts applications from U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, and DACA recipients. Non-U.S. citizen applicants should consider the following:

• An applicant must have a US Social Security number or a non-US National ID to complete the background check prior to matriculation.  
• An applicant must complete a medical examination and have health insurance prior to matriculation.  
• Non-US citizen applicants may have limited access to federal financial aid. More information can be found here.
• All applicants are encouraged to confirm their eligibility to sit for the licensure exam in the state in which they reside prior to matriculation. More information on state licensure can be found here.

Please see the Prerequisite webpage for a full and detailed list of program prerequisites.

A minimum of 500 hours of direct healthcare experience (paid or volunteer) in the U.S. must be completed by all applicants to the Baylor PA program prior to application. Examples include, but are not limited to, scribe, therapist, therapist aide, technologist, phlebotomist, Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), EMT-Paramedic, pharmacy technician, health educator, nurse, nurse aide, patient care attendant, health-related Peace Corps volunteer, or other cross-cultural health care experience. Preference will be given for: 

• Experience greater than 500 hours
• One year or more paid professional experience as a healthcare professional beyond licensing, certification, or graduation.

Please contact our enrollment team by email at Robbins_Grad@baylor.edu or by telephone at 254-710-4400 for case-by-case specific course related questions. The PA program Admissions Committee will make the final decision as to whether the course substitution is accepted.

No. All prerequisite coursework must be complete at the time of application.

If a prerequisite course is repeated, the credit hours assigned to the course may be counted only once in fulfilling the required number of hours. Both grades will be calculated into the cumulative and science GPA. Higher grades do not replace lower grades.

No Advanced Placement (AP) or CLEP credits are accepted for prerequisite or program courses. Additionally, no credit within the program is granted for prior experiential learning, degrees, certifications, advanced training, or transfer coursework.

Passing (P) coursework is accepted from Spring 2020 through Spring 2021 semesters in instances where Pass/Fail grades were given due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

All prerequisite coursework must be completed at a regionally accredited institution within 10 years, on a year-to-year basis, from the application year. For a list of regional accrediting organizations and accredited institutions, please visit the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) website.

All applicants must apply through the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) and provide a completed application, supplemental application, transcripts, official GRE scores, and letters of recommendation.

Prospective students must submit their applications through CASPA, where they will be verified. Once verified, applicants will be notified to create a Baylor Graduate School portal account, where they will complete a supplemental application and track their application status.

The CASPA application must be verified by April 1, 2025, to be considered. Verification does not take place until CASPA determines that the application is complete. This process can take up to four (4) weeks once all documents are received by CASPA, so plan accordingly.

The number of PA program applications determines each applicant’s CASPA fee. Please see the CASPA website for additional information. 

All original transcripts should be sent to CASPA. Only official GRE scores are accepted; self-reported GRE scores will not be accepted. The Baylor University PA program GRE code is 1397. After sending these items to CASPA, they do NOT need to be submitted to Baylor University.

The Baylor PA program requires three (3) letters of recommendation. At least one (1) letter must come from a healthcare professional knowledgeable of the applicant’s clinical performance. All references must be submitted electronically through CASPA. 

Yes, all applicants selected for the interview process will be contacted and notified. All interviews are conducted using a web-based video platform in which applicants record verbal responses to a series of interview questions. Applicants must have a computer with webcam and internet service to complete this interview. Interview submissions are reviewed by the Admissions Committee as part of the holistic evaluation process.

Yes. A $1000 non-refundable tuition deposit is required to guarantee your spot in the program. This deposit will be applied to your tuition in the first semester of the program. In the event that Accreditation-Provisional status is not granted by the ARC-PA, any deposit paid by an applicant will be refunded in full. The University will not be responsible for refunding application fees or expenses incurred by applicants during the application and/or interview process (e.g., CASPA fees, interview preparation, etc.). 

The PA program is not currently requiring the COVID vaccination; however, it may be a requirement in specific healthcare facilities. PA students unwilling to get vaccinated may not be able to complete the clinical requirements necessary to complete the program. 

Please see the Admissions Requirements page for a full and detailed list of admissions requirements.

Approximately 40% of the program is completed as distance education using a variety of online learning platforms, 10% is conducted as in person immersion sessions, and 50% is completed as supervised clinical practice experiences. Essentially, 50% of the overall curriculum is delivered as distance education, and 50% is completed as traditional face-to-face instruction and clinical phase education.

Courses conducted through distance education are synchronous and asynchronous online learning activities and in person immersion sessions. Generally, each academic trimester consists of one to two lab immersion sessions. These lab immersions occur in Waco, Texas towards the end of the trimester. Most trimesters will have only one immersion.

The Baylor PA program uses the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS) to create and deliver a wide variety of online teaching and learning activities. Distance learning within each course includes both asynchronous and synchronous learning activities. Asynchronous activities may include recorded lectures, required and optional readings, individual and group assignments, and posted discussion boards. Asynchronous activities provide students with considerable flexibility in creating and managing their weekly schedule. Synchronous live classes are held using the Microsoft Teams learning platform to create an online virtual classroom. Faculty use a variety of synchronous learning activities during these class periods such as live discussions, faculty demonstrations, case studies, and group projects to increase critical thinking skills and further understanding of curricular concepts. 

All preclinical and clinical phase courses are graded according to the scale below. Scores and grades are correlated as follows: 

To graduate, students are required to maintain a cumulative grade point average above 3.00.

The physician assistant profession requires extensive training and practice to develop the psychomotor skills required for patient examination, intervention, and effective human interaction. These skills are introduced through distance learning and are practiced and evaluated during onsite lab immersion sessions. Each in person immersion session is scheduled at a strategic time in the academic trimester to facilitate skill development and evaluation. Depending on the course, students also spend time with task trainers, simulation labs, and cadaver labs. Generally, each academic trimester consists of one to two lab immersion sessions. These lab immersions occur in Waco, Texas towards the end of the trimester. Most trimesters will have only one immersion.

Students are required to maintain an overall 3.00 GPA to successfully complete the program.

Students must complete 12 months of supervised clinical practices experience in the clinical phase of the program. This includes the following eleven (11) rotations: 

Core rotations (4 weeks each):

1. Primary care/Family Medicine
2. Internal medicine
3. Women’s health
4. Pediatrics 
5. Emergency medicine
6. Surgery
7. Behavioral health

Selective rotations (3 weeks each):

1. Selective 1
2. Selective 2
3. Selective 3
4. Selective 4

The Baylor PA program has a vast network of clinical sites across the country available. While we strive to keep students close to their home geographical location, we factor in many other considerations when placing students into their clinical sites (e.g., professional and personal needs, specialty exposures, site availability, etc.). The optimal location to improve a student's clinical skills is always paramount when determining their clinical education placement. The Director of Clinical Education (DCE) works with each student to determine optimal clinical placement.

While the distance learning educational format does allow some schedule flexibility, students are full-time and are taking 21 credit hours during the preclinical trimesters. During the clinical phase, students must be present full-time at assigned rotations based on the requirements of the clinical placement site. The academic demands of the curriculum combined with travel requirements for in-person immersions and clinical rotations make employment nearly impossible for most students. Additionally, even part-time employment may negatively affect academic performance and is strongly discouraged.

Students are not required to live on campus. Some students choose to move to Waco for convenience, but many live elsewhere in the country and travel to Waco for immersions. Clinical education managers will do their best to secure placements as close to a student's preferred area as possible; however, location is not guaranteed as emphasis will be placed on quality over convenience.