Biology, B.S., Pre-Physician Associate

The ARC-PA has granted Accreditation-Provisional status to the Alvernia University Physician Associate Program sponsored by Alvernia University.

Accreditation-Provisional is an accreditation status granted when the plans and resource allocation, if fully implemented as planned, of a proposed program that has not yet enrolled students appear to demonstrate the program’s ability to meet the ARC-PA Standards or when a program holding Accreditation-Provisional status appears to demonstrate continued progress in complying with the Standards as it prepares for the graduation of the first class (cohort) of students.

Accreditation-Provisional does not ensure any subsequent accreditation status. It is limited to no more than five years from matriculation of the first class.

The program’s accreditation history can be viewed on the ARC-PA website at https://www.arc-pa.org/accreditation-history-alvernia-university/.

Physician associates are licensed clinicians who practice medicine in every specialty and setting. Trusted, rigorously educated and trained healthcare professionals, PAs are dedicated to expanding access to care and transforming health and wellness through patient-centered, team-based medical practice.  

Alvernia will offer two pathways to obtain a Master of Medical Science in Physician Associate Studies: a Bio-PA (3+2) accelerated track and a traditional post-baccalaureate program. The Bio-PA (3+2) accelerated track is a fast-paced course of study which allows focused students to obtain both a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and a Master of Medical Science degree within five years. At this time, the Bio-PA (3+2) accelerated track is only available for first-year students. We invite transfer students to complete another major and apply for the Master of Medical Science in Physician Associate Studies after completion of their baccalaureate degree.  

Alvernia’s Bio-PA (3+2) accelerated track is a fast-paced course of study which allows focused students to obtain both a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Biology and a Master of Medical Science in Physician Associate Studies degree within five years. Students will first complete three years of undergraduate coursework towards their Biology degree and then enter the physician associate program if all assured criteria are met. The physician associate program is twenty-four months in length and spans six semesters, including two summer semesters, beginning in August (fall semester) of the fourth year of undergraduate study for students on the Bio-PA (3+2) accelerated track. The first three semesters will consist of didactic phase instruction, and the last three semesters will consist of clinical phase instruction. The coursework in the first semester of the didactic phase fulfill degree requirements for the Bachelor of Science in Biology. The curriculum is based on the most recent ARC-PA standards and NCCPA PANCE blueprint and aligns with the University and Program’s mission and goals.  

Step One: Admission Requirements for the B.S. Biology, Pre-Physician Associates (Bio - PA) Track:  

• Decisions regarding admission into the biology portion of the program will be made by the Office of Admissions in accordance with the University undergraduate admissions policies. The Physician Associate Program Director will be consulted as needed.
• Admission into the B.S. Biology, Pre-Physician Associate Track will be available to students who obtain a minimum of 3.5(on a scale of 4.0) high school cumulative GPA. This is a hard cut-off and there will be no rounding. The SAT is optional with a desired score of 1170 to be considered competitive.
• Advanced Placement (AP), transfer, and dual-enrollment credits are not accepted to fulfill PA Program graduate admissions prerequisite requirements. All PA program prerequisite course requirements must be fulfilled at Alvernia University in accordance with the Academic Completion Plan.
• Acceptance into the B.S. Biology, Pre-Physician Associate, is conditional pending verification of final high school transcripts. Upon timely completion of ALL admission criteria, applicants will be offered admission into the accelerated program with a conditional admission into the graduate PA program. Conditional admission assumes each student will meet all PA program admission criteria for the B.S. Biology, Pre-Physician Associate track. Students within the accelerated (3+2) format will follow a modified curricular plan in biology labeled “B.S. Biology, Pre-Physician Associate”. For more information about the B.S. Biology, Pre-Physician Associate Track contact us at admissions@alvernia.edu.

Step Two: Admission Requirements for the B.S. Biology, Pre-Physician Associates (Bio - PA) Track: 

• CASPA
  • All students must apply to the Physician Associate Program via CASPA by October 1st of the third year of the Academic Completion Plan.
• Academic criteria
  • All Academic Progression Requirements must be met.
  • No less than “C” on any science or prerequisite course.
  • Minimum overall cumulative and science and prerequisite GPA of 3.4 for assured admission into the graduate phase of the program.
• Prerequisite Courses
  • Students must take all prerequisite courses at Alvernia University as detailed in the B.S. Biology, Pre-Physician Associate Academic Completion Plan.

Students may use any combination of the following available courses to meet PA program prerequisite requirements:

PA Program PrerequisiteCourse and Lab RequirementCourse Options

Anatomy & Physiology I	One Course with Lab	BIO 107: Human A&P I BIO 117L: Human A&P I Lab
Anatomy & Physiology II	One Course with Lab	BIO 108: Human A&P II BIO 118L: Human A&P II Lab
General Chemistry	Two Courses with Lab	CHE 104: General Chemistry I CHE 110: General Chemistry I Lab CHE 105: General Chemistry II CHE 111: General Chemistry II Lab
General Biology	Two Courses with Lab	BIO 103: Principles of Biology I BIO 103L: Principles of Biology I Lab BIO 104: Principles of Biology II BIO 104: Principles of Biology II Lab BIO 303: Genetics BIO 309L: Genetics Lab BIO 304: Cell Biology BIO 311: Cell Biology Lab
Statistics	One Course with Lab	MAT 209: Probability and Statistics MAT 220: Math/Statistics Computer Lab
Microbiology	One Course with Lab	BIO 221: General Mircobiology BIO 221L: General Microbiology Lab
Psychology	One Course	PSY 101: Introduction to Psychology PSY 208: Human Development Across the Lifespan PSY 250: Introduction to Psychopathology
Organic Chemistry	One Course with Lab	CHE 201: Organic Chemistry I CHE 210: Organic Chemistry I Lab CHE 202: Organic Chemistry II CHE 211: Organic Chemistry II Lab

 

• GRE
  • All students must take the GRE examination.
• Direct Patient Care Hours
  • The Program defines direct patient care hours as any experience where the applicant provides hands-on patient care and is exposed to patient care delivery and/or the provider-patient relationship. We require a minimum of 200 direct patient care hours with at least 8 hours direct interaction with a PA. Any hours credited as part of education or training will not count. Direct patient care hours may be paid or volunteer. Please refer to our list of acceptable direct patient care hours for guidance.
• Interviews
  • No Interview required
• Custom Essay
  • All applicants will be required to answer six short-answer essay questions within the CASPA portal that are specific to the Alvernia University PA program.
• Letters of Recommendation
  • Three letters of recommendation will be required, including at least one from a healthcare professional and one from a professor/instructor.
• Technical Standards
  • All applicants must meet the program’s officially published technical standards at the time of matriculation and continue to meet them while enrolled in the program.

Step Three: Post-Selection Requirements for Matriculation:

• Non-Refundable Deposit
  • Candidates who accept a seat in the program must pay a $1,000 non-refundable deposit to secure their place in the cohort. Additional information and details regarding the deposit can be found in the acceptance letter.
•  CASPer
  • Accepted candidates must complete the CASPer online, open-response situational judgement test by August 1st of the third year of the Academic Completion Plan. To register for the CASPer test, please visit: https://acuityinsights.app/casper/
•  University and Program Requirements
  •  Prior to matriculation, each student must meet the following program, College, and University requirements no later than August 1st of each year prior to entering the program: 
• All requirements for admission
• Background check.
• Fingerprinting.
• Negative substance abuse test for illegal drugs and substances or controlled substances.
• Immunizations as required by the Alvernia University Medical & Counseling Center and CDC Recommended Vaccines for Healthcare Workers.
• Provide proof of active health insurance. Alvernia University does not offer student health insurance plans. However, below are websites that provide options for health insurance coverage. These are just suggestions; neither the University nor the PA program has any affiliations with either of these sites or coverage options.
  • www.healthcare.gov
  • www.pennie.com
• Attestation to technical standards (or University accommodations if applicable).
• Attestation to student handbook/policies.

B.S. Biology, Pre-Physician Associate Undergraduate Academic Progression Requirements:

• All courses must be successfully completed as outlined in the B.S Biology, Pre-Physician Associate Academic Completion Plan.
• All required science and prerequisite courses outlined in the B.S. Biology, Pre-Physician Associate Academic Completion Plan must be taken at Alvernia University. AP, Dual Enrollment, or other transfer credit will not be accepted for credit toward requirements in this degree program.
• Achievement of “C” or higher on all science and prerequisite courses. Any student who achieves less than a C on any science or prerequisite will decelerate to the traditional four-year track in the Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology.
• Minimum overall cumulative, and science, and prerequisite GPA of 3.2 at the end of each semester during year one of undergraduate study.
• Minimum overall cumulative, and science, and prerequisite GPA of 3.4 at the end of each semester during years two and three of undergraduate study.
• Any student not earning the minimum overall cumulative GPAs listed above will be placed on program academic notice.
• Any student on program academic notice will have one semester in which to raise their overall cumulative GPA to 3.2 (during year one of undergraduate study) or 3.4 (during years two and three of undergraduate study). Students who fail to achieve this benchmark will decelerate to the traditional four-year track in the  Bachelor of Science in Biology Degree. Review of  GPAs occurs twice a year at the end of the fall and spring academic semesters.
• Students who decelerate to the traditional four-year degree track no longer qualify for assured admission in the Physician Associate program. However, all are welcome to apply via the post-baccalaureate route as per the graduate admissions criteria.
• The University repeat/delete option cannot be used for admission to the graduate physician associate program. All grades are factored into GPA calculations in the CASPA portal.
• Students on the B.S. Biology, Pre-Physician Associate track of study must apply to the graduate physician associate program via CASPA by October 1st of their junior year of study (during semester five of the Academic Completion Plan)
• Students with documented violation (s) of the Alvernia University student code of citizenship or the Alvernia University Honor Code will not qualify for assured admissions into the PA program.
• Students who meet all academic progression requirements during semesters one through four of the academic completion plan and who meet all assured admission requirements outlined below will be granted conditional acceptance to the PA program.
• Student academic performance must be reviewed after successful completion of semesters five and six of the Academic Completion Plan to ensure that students have met all assured admission requirements to be granted full acceptance to the PA program
• Students will be formally notified in writing of their PA program admissions status after final spring semester grades and student transcripts are reviewed