Note

Students who complete the required course work and all Hofstra University undergraduate degree requirements are eligible for the BS degree; however, they will not be eligible to sit for the PANCE exam or to receive the MS degree until all requirements for the MS degree are fulfilled, including completion of the PA Professional Phase of the program. Students who do not continue into the professional phase can earn a BA in Natural Sciences  degree which builds on what has already been taken as part of the pre-PA curriculum. Alternatively, students may choose any other major to transfer into.

Entry and Progression Requirements for direct admission to the dual-degree program (BS and MS)

Students entering Hofstra as incoming first-year students may apply for the direct entry admission to this dual-degree program. The following requirements must be met to be eligible for the dual-degree direct entry program:

1. Enter Hofstra University as a first-year student with a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 in high school academic work and an SAT score of 1300 (evidence-based reading and writing + math sections) or an ACT score of 27
2. Qualified applicants to the direct entry program will be asked to submit a supplement to their application, consisting of two essay questions
3. Advanced placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB) or college credit will not be applied to dual degree courses that begin with BIO, CHEM or MATH.

Students admitted directly to the dual-degree program as incoming freshman students will be admitted automatically to the professional phase of the program beginning the fall semester of his/her senior year, provided they fulfill the following requirements:

1. Complete a successful interview during the junior year;
2. Successful completion of a background check without any convictions during their junior year;
3. Attend Hofstra University for all undergraduate course work;
4. Maintain a minimum cumulative overall grade point average of 3.3 for each of the six fall and spring semesters prior to beginning the PA program curriculum;
5. Achieve a minimum cumulative overall and science grade point average of 3.3 at the end of the spring semester of the junior year;
6. Follow the prescribed pre-professional curriculum;
7. Complete three years in-residence before entering the professional phase of the program;
8. Meet with a pre-professional science advisor (and the PA program advisor, if appropriate) at least once each semester;
9. Document 50 hours of health care experience.
10. Obtain a letter recommending admission to the graduate phase of the program from a faculty member from one of the PHA classes at the end of the spring semester of the student’s junior year;
11. Submit a $1500 deposit (applied to tuition once enrolled) to reserve a seat in the graduate phase.

Should a student meet all conditions, a space will be reserved in the professional phase of the PA program beginning in his/her senior year.  If a student withdraws from the program, they forfeit the seat reserved for them in the professional phase of the program.

The science grade point average is calculated using ALL science courses taken beginning with CHEM, BIO, BCHM or PHYS. If a course is repeated, both classes will count in the science GPA calculations. BIO 100  is excluded from this calculation. The only other courses that will be counted towards the science GPA are HSCI 103, HSCI 105, and HSCI 50 (formerly BIO 103, 105, and 50).

Students who do not meet every condition for the first-year dual degree option may apply to the graduate program as an external candidate via www.caspaonline.org.

Dual Degree Program Requirements – Total Semester Hours: 165

BS/MS in Physician Assistant Studies

Five and One-half Year Sequence

Candidates for the dual degree (BS/MS) must fulfill the following requirements:

1. The successful completion of at least 165 semester hours.
2. The successful completion of the progression requirements listed above.
3. The successful completion of the following courses:

Complete BS Requirements

BS Requirements  in Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences