The CASPA application for the Spring 2025 cohort will open on:
Thursday, April 25, 2024
The program must receive a verified CASPA application by August 1, 2024. Applications verified after our deadline will not be accepted.
The CASPA application for the Spring 2025 cohort will open on:
The program must receive a verified CASPA application by August 1, 2024. Applications verified after our deadline will not be accepted.
Check out our video! How to Apply to the PA Studies Program
The CASPA application period for Spring 2025 is from April 25, 2024 – August 1, 2024.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their applications and supporting documents as early as possible. Applicants are responsible for following up with CASPA to ensure all necessary documents are received. After CASPA confirms receipt of all necessary documents and completes the application, students must forward any updated transcripts for courses in progress at the time of application to the Office of Graduate Admission.
Once your application is verified by CASPA and received by Chapman University, no additional updates will be viewed in the admissions process except for transcripts showing completion of non-science requirements.
Admission to the Chapman University MMS PA Studies Program is competitive. Admissions decisions are based on the following:
The supporting documents required for your CASPA application include the following:
Other experiences needed for your CASPA application include the following:
The application deadline for classes beginning January 2025 is August 1, 2024. All applications must be e-submitted and verified, and all documents must be received by the August 1, 2024 deadline.
Your application is considered complete when CASPA has received all of the following:
For the 2024 Admissions Cycle (for classes beginning January 2025)
CASPA will open on April 25, 2024
Please Note: Persons who have been dismissed from any PA program are not eligible for admission to Chapman University's MMS PA Studies Program.
Are you a reapplicant? Check out these helpful tips for reapplicants from PAEA!
All prerequisite coursework must be obtained from a regionally accredited college or university in the United States with a grade of “C” or better, with the exception of Medical Terminology which may be taken as a pass/fail course.
All science prerequisites must be completed and the grade needs to be reflected on your transcript at the time of application submission; otherwise, your application will be flagged as “does not meet minimum requirements.”
Non-science courses can be “in progress,” but they must be completed by the time of matriculation, and priority will be given to applicants with all prerequisites completed.
Applicants will be denied if they do not meet the minimum admission requirements.
Quarter to semester unit conversion chart
Prerequisite Coursework
Basic Sciences* | Minimum Units |
Human Anatomy and Physiology I & II with labs |
8 semester units |
General Chemistry I & II with labs | 8 semester units |
General Biology I & II with labs | 8 semester units |
Microbiology with lab | 3.33 semester units |
Genetics | 2 semester units |
*Science lectures and labs, except for Genetics, may not be taken in an online or correspondence format. An exception due to COVID-19 allows for courses taken between January 2020 and December 2021 to be online/hybrid. All science prerequisite lectures and labs taken after December 2021 must be completed in person. |
|
General* | |
Medical Terminology (May be taken Pass/Fail) | 1 semester unit |
English Composition | 2.67 semester units |
General Psychology | 2.67 semester units |
Sociology (introductory or specialty course), Cultural Anthropology, Gender Studies, or Ethnic Studies | 2.67 semester units |
Intro to Statistics | 2.67 semester units |
Pre-Calculus or Calculus | 2.67 semester units |
*General prerequisites can be completed online; in-person classes are preferred.
|
|
Recommended Courses | |
Medical Ethics | |
Medical Spanish |
Please see the FAQ page for additional information.
*Rate change in Spring for Physician Assistant only
FALL, SPRING & SUMMER TRIMESTERS |
Refund |
Withdrawal within the first week of classes |
100% |
Withdrawal within the second week of classes |
50% |
Withdrawal within the third week of classes |
20% |
Withdrawal after the third week of classes |
none |
Program tuition is subject to change and typically updated annually. For more information on Tuition, Student Health Insurance, Financial Aid, Refunds, and other student charges, visit the Student Business Services website.
Students are responsible for health insurance, transportation, parking, room and board, textbooks, laptops, medical equipment, and supplies. There are no out-of-state resident fees.
Textbooks | $1500.00 |
ADC or Littman Stethoscope* | $70-$215 |
Portable Oto/Ophthalmoscope | $600 |
Other Medical Equipment | $70 |
Personal Safety Eye Protection | $15 |
White Coat | $40-$100 |
2 Sets of Scrubs | $60-$100 |
Student Health Insurance** | $2,005.00 |
Rinker Campus Parking | $0 |
Clinical Rotation Parking | $50 per rotation x 9 rotations = $450 |
Prior to matriculation & clinical year: | |
HIPPA/OSHA Training Modules | $30 |
Initial Background Check/Drug Screening*** | $76 |
Vaccine Tracking for 27 months | $35 |
Renewal Background Check Before Clinical Rotations*** | $45 |
Renewal Drug Screening During Clinical Year*** | $50-$75 |
Enrollment Health Clearance, Vaccinations & Titers; Annual Tuberculosis Testing; Influenza Vaccination |
Variable |
ACLS/PALS/BLS*** | $200 |
N95 Mask Fit Testing | $50 |
Grand Total: | $5,296.00-$5,566.00 |
*Littman Classic III or the Littman Cardiology IV Diagnostic stethoscope is recommended by the program
**PA students are required to have Health Insurance; therefore, the University bills health insurance as a part of the registration. For more information on the waiver or how to enroll in the health insurance plan please visit the Student Health Insurance webpage.
***A certified background check, drug screening, and medical insurance are required of all accepted applicants prior to matriculation into the program. Additional certified background checks and drug screenings may be required by clinical sites or preceptors.
Graduate student fees for the Physician Assistant Studies Program are non-refundable.
Accreditation standards require that admission criteria into a PA program are established by the program faculty but must include Technical Standards for Admission developed by the accrediting agency, the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA).
Completion of the program signifies that the graduate is prepared for entry into the practice of medicine. Graduates must have the skills and knowledge to function in a broad variety of clinical situations and to render a wide spectrum of patient care. It is essential for good patient care to require minimum standards for the education of the physician assistant.
In the admission process, the University must judge not only the scholastic accomplishments and potential of the applicant, but also the applicant's current physical and emotional status, cumulative and progressive disability, and drug-induced impairments that may pose obstacles to the safe application of the student's knowledge and skill or prevent effective interaction with patients and co-workers.
In accordance with University policy and as delineated by federal and California law, the University does not discriminate in admission, educational programs or employment against any individual on the basis of that individual's handicap or disability and will make good faith efforts at providing reasonable accommodation as required.
Candidates for the program must possess the intellectual ability to learn, integrate, analyze and synthesize data. They must have functional use of the senses of vision, hearing, equilibrium, and taste. Their exteroceptor (touch, pain, and temperature) and proprioceptor (position, pressure, movement, stereognosis, and vibratory) senses must be sufficiently intact to enable them to carry out all the activities required to complete the activities described below. Candidates must have sufficient motor function capabilities to meet the demands of the PA program and the demands of total patient care. They must be able to complete the didactic and clinical curriculum in its entirety.
The candidate for the PA program must possess ability, aptitude and skills in five areas: observation, communication, motor, intellectual, behavioral and social.
This is a guide for courses at Chapman University that can be used to satisfy the Masters of Medical Science PA Studies Program prerequisites.
Prerequisite Requirement |
Chapman Course Equivalent |
Semester Units |
Science: |
||
Human Anatomy with Lab* |
HSCI/BIOL 210 Human Anatomy Lecture and Lab |
4
|
Physiology with Lab* |
HSCI/BIOL 365 Human Physiology Part A Lecture AND BIOL 366 Human Physiology Part B Lecture and Lab |
7
|
General Chemistry with Lab I* |
CHEM 140 General Chemistry I AND CHEM 140L General Chemistry I Laboratory |
4 |
General Chemistry with Lab II* |
CHEM 150 General Chemistry II AND CHEM 150L General Chemistry II Laboratory |
4 |
Microbiology with Lab* |
BIOL 317 Microbiology Lecture and Lab |
4 |
General Biology with Lab I* |
BIOL 204 From Molecules to Cells: Evolution of Life on Earth (Gen Biol I) Lecture and Lab |
4 |
General Biology with Lab II* |
BIOL 205 Evolution and Diversity of Multicellular Organisms (Gen Bio II) Lecture and Lab OR BIOL 208 (BCHM 208) Introduction to Molecular Genetics Lecture and Lab |
4 |
Genetics* |
Genetics (BIOL 330) |
4 |
*Human anatomy and physiology, chemistry, microbiology, and genetics lectures and labs may not be taken in an online or correspondence format. |
||
General: |
||
Medical Terminology |
HSCI 105 Medical Terminology |
1 |
English Composition |
ENG 103 Seminar in Rhetoric and Composition |
3 |
General Psychology |
PSY 101 Introduction to Psychology |
3 |
Intro to Sociology |
SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology |
3 |
Intro to Statistics |
MATH 203 Introduction to Statistics |
3 |
Pre-Calculus or Calculus |
MATH 110 Single Variable Calculus I AND MATH 111 Single Variable Calculus II |
3 |
Strongly Recommended Courses: |
||
Medical Ethics |
PHIL 314 Medical Ethics |
3 |
All Foreign Academic records must be translated to English and certified by University Language Services and submitted to CASPA. If foreign transcripts are in English applicants still need to submit the foreign transcript to CASPA and also have them evaluated by one of the following services: World Education Services (WES), International Education Research Foundation (IERF), and Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE).
All foreign coursework and degrees must be evaluated for North American equivalencies with calculated GPAs on a 4.0 scale by one of these services and submitted to CASPA. We will only recognize the degree, course credentials, and GPA that they have evaluated.
Depending on the circumstances, the applicant might have to begin with the language services because WES, IERF, and ECE will not evaluate the credential or coursework or calculate GPA without an English translation. All of these services are the responsibility of the applicant.
Undocumented and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) applicants are considered for admission to Chapman’s MMS PA Studies Program. Eligible applicants include U.S. citizens, permanent U.S residents holding a valid green card, and applicants who have been granted DACA status by the U.S. government. Matriculation to the program is contingent upon a valid social security number, current work permit, successful background check, and compliance with the Program’s health clearance requirements. Maintaining eligibility is the responsibility of the student.
Upon completion of the MMS PA Studies Program, graduates must pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE). While DACA students are currently eligible to apply for and obtain a license to practice in California, eligibility varies by state. Therefore, students and prospective applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the State’s licensure entity where they intend to practice and review all licensure and certification requirements imposed by the State(s) of their choice.
Matriculant Student Data
|
Graduated Classes |
||
Class of 2021 |
Class of 2022 |
Class of 2023 |
|
Maximum entering class size (as approved by ARC-PA) |
50 |
50 |
50 |
Entering class size |
50 |
53 |
50 |
Graduates |
46 |
53 |
46 |
* Attrition rate |
8 |
5.66 | 8 |
**Graduation rate |
92 |
100 |
92 |
*Attrition rate calculation: Number of students who attritted from cohort divided by the entering class size.
**Graduation rate: Number of cohort graduates divided by the entering class size.
The Chapman University PA Studies Program is pleased to be able to award a number of merit-based scholarships to incoming students who have demonstrated excellence in the following areas: Academics, Community Service, Healthcare Experience, Leadership, and Research.
The new Simon Scholar PA Scholarship Program creates pathways for underserved Orange and San Diego County students facing adversity by offering full-tuition scholarships. This scholarship supports eligible students who wish to earn their Master in Medical Science degree (MMS) at the Chapman University Physician Assistant program. Learn more about the Simon Scholar PA Scholarship Program here.
Chapman University’s PA Studies Program is a proud recipient of grant funding from the CalOptima Health Workforce Development Fund. The department will award 4 full-tuition scholarships for low-income Orange County residents starting the program in January 2025.
The Graduate Financial Aid Office supports Chapman University’s mission and vision of being a student-oriented institution that provides personalized education to all students. To learn more about financial aid or to apply, please visit the Graduate Financial Aid Office website.
MMS-PA/BS Bridge
Highly qualified Health Science majors at Chapman University who satisfy all Bridge Program criteria are offered an interview. This does not guarantee admission to the program. Interviewed applicants who have satisfied the Bridge Program requirements are carefully considered alongside other qualified applicants, and offers of acceptance are extended to selected candidates. View the Bridge Program criteria here.
The program hosts information sessions and tours each spring to provide information about the program and the application process.
To register for a program event, please visit our PA Program Events Page.
Office: (714) 744-2190
Fax: (714) 744-7911
Email: paadmit@chapman.edu
Jennifer Grumet, MD Director of Admissions
Sevana Karagoulian Admissions Coordinator