Prerequisites
General Requirements
The admissions committee seeks individuals with broad educational backgrounds and, as such, does not require applicants to have completed an undergradaute or graduate degree in the sciences. At the same time, an applicant must demonstrate the ability to handle scientific concepts evidenced by the successful completion of all course prerequisites and academic achievement in undergraduate or graduate courses completed. Each of the general requirements for making application for admission to the BCM Physician Assistant Program is presented below.
Degree
Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in the United States. Students enrolled in their senior year of college are eligible to apply if the degree will be completed in May of the year of enrollment.
Grade Point Average
Applicants must have a minimum 3.0 overall GPA on a scale where “A” equals 4.0 to be competitive with others in the overall applicant pool.
Graduate Record Examination
Applicants must have a minimum score of 153 (old score 500) on the verbal and 144 (old score 500) on the quantitative, and 3.5 on the analytical writing components of the GRE General Test to be competitive with others in the overall applicant pool.
The web site for online registration for the GRE General Test is www.gre.org. When filling out the application you will be asked for an Institutional Code, a Department Code and a Major Field Code. The institutional code for Baylor College of Medicine is R6052. The departmental code is Natural Sciences and the major field code for Allied Health is 0601. Test scores cannot be more than five years old based upon the application deadline on Sept. 1.
Course-Specific Requirements
In addition to the above general requirements, all applicants must complete the below science and non-science course prerequisites by May of the year of enrollment. The minimum prerequisite courses listed below cannot be waived or substituted and must be satisfied with a grade of “C” or higher. Science courses taken must be designated for science majors.
Please note: Distance learning or online courses obtained through accredited institutions in the U.S. are recognized to meet the prerequisite requirements. Courses requiring laboratory sections cannot be completed online.
BLS Certification
The course leading to certification must follow either the American Heart Association or American Red Cross guidelines. Online courses without practical experience are not acceptable. Current BLS certification must be through April 2013.
Entering Class Profile
Based upon a review of demographic and academic information on applicants matriculated into the PA Program during 2011 entering class, the typical student was female, 26 years of age, from Texas, and had a bachelor's degree. The mean grade point average was 3.70 and the average GRE score was 1213 (verbal and quantitative) and 4.20 on the analytical writing score. Potential applicants are encouraged to consider these data when preparing their applications for admission. Please note the changes in the scoring of the GRE General Test in 2011, changes will alter the enrolled students' score profiles for the 2012 entering class.
Preferences
Applicants seeking entry to the BCM PA Program are strongly encouraged to complete a medical terminology course prior to matriculation as the technical language of medicine can initially alter ones reading speed and rate of comprehension. Applicants are likewise encouraged to develop the skills required to use basic computer hardware and software programs along with Internet search strategies as much of the curriculum is accessed via an online course management system.