Note: The 6-year combined program is designed only for exceptional high school students, entering as Life Sciences freshmen, who wish to qualify for entry into the graduate physician assistant studies program following three years of undergraduate work in the Life Sciences program. The 3-year undergraduate portion of the program is also referred to as the "pre-professional phase," and the 3-year graduate level is referred to as the "professional phase."
B.S./M.S. - Combined B.S. in Life Sciences
and M.S. in Physician Assistant Studies
The combined Bachelor of Science in Life Sciences/Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies is a six-year program (three years of pre-professional courses and a three-year professional phase). The program in Physician Assistant Studies is a master's degree program that provides an entry-level physician assistant professional education.
This combined B.S.-M.S. program is specifically designed for exceptional students entering directly from high school who wish to be admitted to the Master of Science program in Physician Assistant Studies. High school students applying to the undergraduate pre-professional phase are required to have a minimum SAT score of 1100 or an ACT of 24 and a high school minimum cumulative average grade of 85.
Students may qualify for admission into the Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies (professional phase) upon fulfilling the following requirements:
- Submission of an application through the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA). To apply to CASPA go to www.caspaonline.org.
- Completion of all prerequisite undergraduate courses and maintained a minimum 2.75 overall cumulative GPA
- Received no math or science grade lower than C+
- Have verification of a minimum of 100 hours of direct patient health care experience
- Submitted two professional letters of recommendation, at least one from a D.O., M.D., or PA
- Completed a one-page typewritten narrative on reasons for wanting to be a physician assistant
- Had an in-person progression evaluation and recommendation by the program director and the Academic Review Committee for Physician Assistant, and
- Met the Technical Standards of the Physician Assistant program (Technical Standards are available in the Department of Physician Assistant Studies office and on the Web site).
The B.S. in Life Sciences will be conferred after successful completion of the first professional year of the physician assistant master's degree program.
See NYIT's graduate catalog for details on the Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies. Students in this option who are not accepted into the professional phase of the Physician Assistant program must complete the requirements for another Life Science option in order to receive a bachelor's degree.
Graduates of the master's degree program are eligible to sit for the Physician Assistant National Certification Examination (PANCE) administered by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA). Almost all states require applicants for physician assistant licensure to pass the certification examination. The physician assistant program is accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA).
To apply for admission into the B.S./M.S. program, please contact the NYIT Office of Admissions at 516.686.7520 or complete an online undergraduate admission form.