M.S. Physician Assistant

Complete the full CASPA application including Northwestern College's supplemental application responses.

Access CASPA

Available on Northwestern College's program page in CASPA.

Consists of short answer, review of application terms, criminal background questions and acknowledgement of program’s technical standards. 

view technical standards

The personal statement is a brief statement expressing why you are interested in becoming a Physician Assistant (submitted in CASPA). 

Minimum of three (submitted in CASPA). Letters can be from healthcare professionals, previous employers, academic references, etc.

Letters from family members are not accepted.

Official transcripts showing a degree obtained from a regionally accredited institution, or internationally recognized equivalent (submitted in CASPA).

• Applicants may apply while still earning baccalaureate degree. Degree must be obtained before beginning the PA program.
• Accepted students will be required to submit official transcripts before beginning the PA program.
• Any candidate who completed coursework outside of the United States must submit a transcript evaluation from an approved service such as World Education Services (WES), International Credential Evaluations (InCred), or ECE.

All official college transcripts must be submitted to and verified by CASPA.

Overall and science GPAs of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale as calculated by CASPA.  Visit the CASPA website to learn more about the calculation of GPAs.

view calculations

View the table below for course details. 

• Must be completed with a B- or better from a regionally accredited United States institution. 
• Minimum of 3 credits each.
• Five of the eight required courses must be completed by the time of application.
• All prerequisite courses must be completed before beginning the MSPAS program.
• A single course cannot be used to satisfy multiple prerequisites.
• Coursework can be completed online and does not need a lab component.

Submit Northwestern College's $100 non-refundable supplemental application fee. This fee will be waived for any applicant who submits their fee between April 24 - May 24, 2025. Use code NWC-PA.

• Application will not be reviewed until Northwestern's application fee is received (This is a separate fee from the CASPA application fee)
• Fee waivers from applicants with approved CASPA fee waivers are considered

Pay fee here

Minimum of 500 hours of patient care experience

100 of the 500 hours must be completed by the time of application. All hours must be completed before beginning the program.

• Experiences in which you are directly responsible for a patient’s care. Can be paid or unpaid.
  • For example: Prescribing medication, performing procedures, directing a course of treatment, designing a treatment regimen, administering food or medication, taking vitals or other record-keeping information, or actively working on patients as a nurse, paramedic, EMT, CNA, medical assistant, phlebotomist, physical therapist, scribe, dental hygienist, etc.

Minimum of 16 hours of shadowing with a PA

• 8 of the 16 hours must be completed by the time of application. All hours must be completed before beginning the PA program. 

Language requirement
The Northwestern College PA program requires a TOEFL score to demonstrate English proficiency of all non-native English language speaking and/or international applicants unless the applicant has attended high school and earned a degree from an accredited University in any country whose sole national language is English. A minimum TOEFL score of 100 is required for admission to the PA program.

No previous graduate-level medical or PA school attendance
The Northwestern College PA Program will not consider applications from individuals who have attended another PA or graduate medical school in the past.

The GRE & Casper exams are NOT required