Admission Requirements

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship or permanent residency

  An applicant to MPAS must be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States.

• Baccalaureate degree

  A baccalaureate degree or its equivalent from an accredited college or university. Baccalaureate degrees must be completed by the spring semester prior to matriculation.

• Overall GPA and Science GPA of 3.0

  Applicants must have the required 3.0 (on a 4-point scale) to be considered.

• Physician Assistant College Admissions Test (PA-CAT)

  MPAS requires applicants to take the PA-CAT. The PA-CAT is a specialized exam designed to assess applicant knowledge in key prerequisite basic science subjects typically required for PA school.

  How to Schedule Your PA-CAT

  Step 1: Register and Purchase Exam Eligibility

  • Visit https://www.pa-cat.com/ to create your PA-CAT account and purchase your exam eligibility.
  • Ensure that the FIU MPAS Program is selected as the institution to receive your score report within your PA-CAT account.
  • You can access your PA-CAT account anytime at the PA-CAT website.
  • It is recommended that you take the PA-CAT early in the application cycle to be considered for early admission. The latest recommended date to take the PA-CAT is December 5, 2025. The PA-CAT score submission deadline is January 15, 2026.

  Step 2: Schedule Your Exam

  • Within 24 hours of purchasing your PA-CAT exam eligibility, you will receive an Authorization to Test email from Pearson VUE.
  • Follow the instructions in the email to create a Pearson VUE account and schedule your exam.

  For more information about the PA-CAT, please go to the PA-CAT Candidate Hub. Be sure to review the Candidate Handbook for important exam policies and details on scheduling and testing.

  General scores for the PA-CAT examination can range from 200–618 with mean scores averaging 512.7.

• Three letters of recommendation

  Letters should be from Physicians, Physician Assistants, Nurse Practitioners, Professors or any individual who has worked with the applicant in a healthcare environment. 
  Only recommendations submitted through CASPA are accepted.

• Prerequisite Courses

  Complete all prerequisite courses with a grade of “C” or higher. Since MPAS is moving towards changing the prerequisite validity period from 7 years to 10 years, the Admissions Committee will consider potential candidates and their coursework on an individual basis. These courses can be completed at any accredited college of university but must meet the course level and description as detailed in the requirements section and must be completed by December of the application cycle (i.e. prerequisites completed in spring will not be accepted).

  Online coursework for lectures and labs is acceptable; however, some fully online programs and coursework are not accepted at FIU MPAS. Please email paschool@fiu.edu with the institution's name, course prefix, and course number for review before enrolling in the course.

  FIU and MPAS do not accept courses taken through Portage Learning to satisfy the required prerequisites. Courses taken directly with Geneva College as a degree-seeking student are accepted.

  11 Total Prerequisites

  Course	Credits
  Statistics Starting with an introduction to probability, the course provides an introduction to statistical techniques used in management science. It includes descriptive statistics, probability distributions, estimation and testing of hypotheses.	3
  General Chemistry I and Lab Fundamental principles of chemistry: states of matter, atomic structure, stoichiometry, chemical bonding, acid-base reactions, and gas laws.	4
  General Chemistry II and Lab Fundamental principles of chemistry: thermodynamics, solutions, kinetics, equilibrium and electrochemistry.	4
  General Biology and Lab Biology 1: Biomolecules, cells, energy flow, genetics, and physiology.	4
  General or Introductory Microbiology with Lab Introduction to the principles and techniques of microbiology, genetics, taxonomy, biochemistry and ecology of microorganisms.	4
  Human Anatomy and Lab* Survey of organ systems of the human body with major emphasis on the skeletal, muscular, and peripheral nervous system. Guided examination of prosected human cadavers. *See Description note for Human Physiology	4
  Human Physiology and Lab* Functions of the human body and the physio-chemical mechanisms responsible for each organ’s function. *Human Anatomy and Physiology 1 and 2 with Labs may satisfy Anatomy and Physiology requirement if both 1 and 2 are taken, totaling 8 course credits.	4
  Organic Chemistry I and Lab An introduction to chemical bonding and atomic structure theory as it pertains to the chemistry of carbon compounds.	4
  General Biochemistry (lecture only) Biochemistry - Chemistry of proteins, lipids, carbohydrates and nucleic acids. Principles of enzymology, metabolism and bioenergetics	4
  Genetics Mendelian inheritance and introduction to molecular genetics.	3
  Medical Terminology The course covers basic medical language skills including pronunciation, spelling, and definitions as a foundation for developing the degree of competency required to read and understand medical reports and communicate with physicians and other medical professionals.	3

• Direct patient care experience and shadowing experience

  Direct patient care experience (DPCE) or “hands-on” patient contact is required for your application. Selected applicants often have more than 1000 DPCS hours (minimum of 500 hours DPCE).

  Acceptable DPCE:

  Nurse (RN or LPN), EMT or Paramedic, Physical Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Respiratory Therapist, Surgical Technologist, Medical Assistant, Certified Nursing Assistant, Medic (Army), Chiropractor, Pharmacist, Optician, EKG Tech, Phlebotomist, Respiratory Therapist,  Ultrasound Tech, Patient Care Tech, Medical Tech, Radiologic Tech, Midwife, Cardiovascular Perfusionist, Imaging Tech, Home Health Aide, Dietician/Nutritionist, Exercise Physiologist, Physical Therapist Aid, Athletic Trainer, Scribe, Speech Therapy, Research Assistant, Pharmacy Tech, Certified Athletic Trainer, Mental Health Tech, Dental Hygienist, Research Coordinator, Patient Care Tech.

  Shadowing experience is recommended but not required.

  Documentation:

  Applicants must submit documentation on location's letterhead to include timeframe worked, location, hours, duties, supervisor's name and supervisor's signature.  Note: Only DPCE and shadowing hours submitted with CASPA application will be applicable.

• Technical Standards Attestation for Admission, Progression, and Graduation Form

  All applicants must access the Technical Standards Attestation for Admission, Progression, and Graduation form from the link in CASPA, sign, and upload the completed form in the appropriate section of CASPA.  If applicant does not have a Panther ID yet, please enter "N/A" on the form where the Panther ID is entered.