Eastern Michigan University’s Physician Assistant (PA) Program is a two-year graduate professional program consisting of 103 semester credit hours that emphasizes basic medicine and clinical methods. The program will prepare its graduates to be certified and licensed to practice as physician assistants under a practicing physician’s supervision. The program aims to facilitate the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to respond positively to the challenges and opportunities of future trends in healthcare delivery. Learning methodologies include traditional lecture, problem-based learning, small group projects, role-playing, use of standardized patients, case-based problem solving, and hands-on work in the patient simulation lab.
The program’s focus is on higher-order learning that will prepare PA students for critical thinking, ethical decision making, and the synthesis and judgment of problems based on the biopsychosocial model. PA students will need to be insightful and aware of their own professional roles and limitations, as well as the needs, styles, and values of patients, and those of other health professionals. They should aspire to be life-long learners of the art and science of medicine, as well as active learners who ask questions, uncover meaning, and make decisions.
The program is divided into a combined lecture and problem-based learning didactic year and a clinical year. The didactic year consists of 18 courses that focus on clinical medicine, patient assessment, pharmacotherapy, pathophysiology, and simulation exercises. These courses will be organized around specific areas of medicine. For example, students’ courses during their first semester will focus on Dermatology, Psychiatric Medicine, Ear, Nose and Throat, Ophthalmology, and Cardiology. Second-semester courses will focus on Pulmonology, Gastroenterology, Hematology, Nephrology, and Urology. The third-semester courses will focus on Endocrinology, Neurology, Orthopedics and Rheumatology, and Women’s Health. The Clinical Year for the EMU PA student consists of 3 semesters of course delivery primarily via supervised clinical practice experiences (clinical rotations) with clinical preceptors and patient interaction. In preparation for clinical rotations, students will complete an intensive Introduction to the Clinical Year course. There will be 9 clinical rotations that will be taken in any order. All students will complete rotations in Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, General Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics, Psychiatric Medicine, and Emergency Medicine. Each student will also complete two elective rotations. The clinical preceptorship will occur after the successful completion of all 9 clinical rotations.
Graduates of the program will earn a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies. Each student must complete all 103 credits to graduate.
September 2025
College of Health and Human Services
Everett L. Marshall Building,
YPSILANTI,
Michigan,
48197, United States
A baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college/university or appropriate international institution (as evaluated by one of the four approved evaluation services) must be completed prior to matriculation. Candidates may apply while their degree is in progress, but degree completion, demonstrated by transcript evaluation, is necessary prior to matriculation into the PA Program.
Grade Point Average
A minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4 point scale is required at the time of application. CASPA calculates GPAs. A cumulative undergraduate GPA includes all college courses taken prior to and after receiving a bachelor’s degree. It is the expectation that the average successful applicant has a GPA much higher than 3.0. Although graduate work will be considered in the evaluation of a prospective student’s application, GPA for admission will be based solely on undergraduate coursework.
Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
The GRE revised General Test or GRE General Test is required and plays a significant role in applicant evaluation.
A minimum score of 95 on the TOEFL iBT
IELTS: 6.5
Pearson English Language Test (PTE): 53
Michigan English Test (MET): 57
Application deadline: January 15.
*There may be different IELTS requirements depending on your chosen course.
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