Admission Requirements

March 29, 2023 2024-04-16 21:46

The Rocky Mountain College MPAS program receives information about many job openings. If you are interested in learning about nationwide placement opportunities, please contact Sharon Klem, Office Manager/Program Review Coordinator, 406.657.1190, sharon.klem@rocky.edu.

Chart of Requirements: PDF download

Selection Process / Preferences

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and ranked according to the number of admission points awarded during the selection screening process. A campus visit and interview with the admissions committee will be offered to selected applicants.

All materials must be submitted to CASPA by October 1

All completed applications undergo a preliminary selection screening process that evaluates and awards admission points based upon program preferences.

Applications are ranked upon the following criteria:

Past Academic Performance (60%) – this includes a thorough review and scoring for:
1. Cumulative and science GPAs: A minimum cumulative college GPA of 3.00 and a minimum science GPA of 3.00 is required;
2. Grade improvement in repeated courses.
3. Number of prerequisite courses completed.
Geographic Regionality (10%)
In accordance with the stated mission of the program to prepare health care providers to meet the needs of this rural region, applicants are awarded admissions locality preference points based upon the following:
1. Permanent address within the program’s stated region: Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, North or South Dakota, Utah, or Idaho (four percentage points possible); and
2. Population of the location in which the applicant graduated from high school – there is a rural preference (four percentage points possible).
Clinical Work Experience (20%)
The quantity and quality of past clinical work experience (direct patient care), as well as any formal health career training (EMT, CNA, LPN, RN, RT, MT, etc.) are assessed as part of each applicant’s screening evaluation. Candidates with clinical experience are clearly more competitive.
Personal Statements (5%)
As evidenced by the CASPA essay, applicants are evaluated for their ability to express themselves in written communication.
Letters of Recommendation (5%)
The letter writer’s assessment of the applicant’s ability to be a future physician assistant is the basis for this evaluation.

Required for Admission

Bachelor’s degree required upon matriculation to the master of physician assistant studies program (MPAS);
Science GPA of 3.00 – no science prerequisite may be a “C-” or below;
Cumulative GPA of 3.00;
Chemistry coursework to include two semesters of organic chemistry -OR- one semester of organic chemistry and one semester of biochemistry. General Chemistry does not fulfill this requirement – however, we expect that it is taken as a prerequisite to get into any of the advanced chemistry courses. -8 credits
Biology coursework to include 15 credits of:
- Two semesters of human anatomy & physiology with laboratory (from a biology, physiology, zoology department, or an allied health program) – 8 credits
- One semester of Microbiology w/lab (3 credits)
- One semester of genetics – 3 credits
Prerequisite biology and chemistry may not be taken by an online or correspondence format;
1-2 credits of medical terminology (online course acceptable);
Mathematics to include a pre-calculus or higher course (functions, trigonometry, exponents, and logarithmic functions) and a statistics/probability course (defined as pre-mathematical functions and statistics and probability) – 6 credits;
Psychology (development or abnormal highly recommended) – 3 credits;
3 credits earned in a social science course such as sociology, geography, anthropology, political science, or economics;
One course in English composition – 3 credits;
1,500 paid hours of direct, hands-on patient care before you submit your CASPA application;
Applications will be accepted online through CASPA (http://paeaonline.org/caspa/). Students must use CASPA to submit an application to Rocky Mountain College;
In addition to the CASPA fee, a non-refundable program application fee of $45.00 is required once the application has been submitted; and
One of the three reference letters submitted to CASPA must be from a health care provider (preferably from a physician assistant). Letters of reference from family members will not be accepted.

We highly encourage one year of undergraduate physics or additional quantitative courses and/or laboratory experiences. We also highly recommend additional writing classes.

Patient care experience: The higher the quality of patient care experience, the more competitive the applicant will be judged. However, all applicants with direct patient care and high quality patient interactions are encouraged to apply.

Graduates of Rocky Mountain College who have met all the requirements for admission and have earned a bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 60 credits earned at RMC will be granted an automatic interview. Please note: this interview DOES NOT guarantee acceptance into the program – students will compete with all other interviewing students for matriculating status.

Coursework Older Than 10 Years

We do not enforce an expiration date for prerequisites. However, candidates whose prerequisite coursework is older than 10 years are strongly encouraged to consider updating these core science courses.

PA Shadowing Hours

We strongly encourage candidates to have a minimum of 40 hours shadowing PA’s in a variety of settings, including a Primary Care setting. These hours are due at the time of submission of your application to CASPA.

TOEFL

TOEFL is required of all applicants when English is not the first language. Rocky Mountain College follows a set standard for all international applicants.

Official Transcripts

In accordance with Rocky Mountain College admissions policies and procedures, those students selected for admission to the PA program are required to submit official transcripts from all colleges/universities previously attended. These transcripts must be received directly from the college/university. Student submitted copies are not acceptable. Copies submitted to CASPA do not fulfill this requirement. Transcripts should be mailed directly to:

Rocky Mountain College
Master of Physician Assistant Studies Program
1511 Poly Drive
Billings, MT 59102

Transcripts must be received prior to the scheduled class matriculation date or class standing will be revoked.
Failure to submit the mandatory transcripts or fulfill any other requirements specified in a conditional offer of admission to the program, prior to the scheduled class matriculation, will result in the withdrawal of the conditional offer.