Department of Physician Assistant Studies
Carol Biscardi, PA-C, Ph.D., Director
Room: NAAB 532
Tel: 908-737-6192
Email: cbiscard@kean.edu
Degree Offered
M.S. in Physician Assistant Studies
Program Description
Kean offers a Master's of Science in Physician Assistant Studies degree that is a 29-month, 105-credit-hour program where students are immersed in rigorous didactic and clinical training. It is a full-time program, completed as a cohort. It includes coursework in medical and behavioral sciences and ethics, along with over 2000 hours of clinical rotation in different medical and surgical disciplines from emergency medicine to pediatrics to psychiatry. Program graduates will be prepared to provide evidence-based, holistic healthcare treatments and effectively utilize the latest medical technologies.
Visit for more information about faculty, curriculum and admissions guidelines: Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies
Admission Requirements
BOTH the CASPA application and the Kean University CAS supplemental application MUST be completed and "verified" by the deadline in order for the application to be fully reviewed
Deadlines – Priority Deadline January 15, 2023, Regular Deadline April 1, 2023
Meeting or exceeding the admission requirements does not guarantee an interview or admission to the program. Applications are being accepted through CASPA.
- Baccalaureate degree (or foreign equivalent) from an accredited institution.
- Official transcripts from all institutions attended (this includes transcripts that reflect transfer credit)
- Minimum cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
- Prerequisite minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
- Healthcare Experience of a minimum of 250 hours (can be fulfilled by volunteering, shadowing PAs/Physicians, work as medical scribe, physical therapy aide, patient care technician, pharmacy technician, ophthalmology technician, or EMT). All candidates considered for admission must have spent at least 20 hours of the 250 required hours shadowing or working with a certified PA.
- GRE General Exam – competitive candidates are those who achieve scores approaching 40th percentile and above in each test area. MCAT scores cannot be substituted for GRE. The CASPA GRE code is 3150.
- Three letters of recommendation – one should be from a course professor and one must be from a PA-C that you either worked with or shadowed
- Professional Resume or CV
- Official TOEFL or IELTS scores or Duolingo score report. English Test is required of all international students.
- Personal interview – it is expected that interviews will be granted to candidates who exceed admission criteria. Being granted an interview with the Admissions Committee does not guarantee admission to the PA Program.
- $75.00 supplemental application fee (non-refundable)
Prerequisite courses: qualified candidates required to have a C or better in each prerequisite course. Qualified candidates will not have more than two grades of C in their prerequisite courses.
- Human Anatomy*
- Human Physiology*
- General Biology*
- Microbiology*
- General Chemistry I and II*
- Biochemistry (or combined Organic Chemistry/Biochemistry)
- Statistics (or Calculus)
- General Psychology (or Developmental, Abnormal Psychology)
- Medical Terminology**
*All science courses, except Biochemistry, must have a laboratory component; Human Anatomy and Human Physiology may be taken as a combined course, i.e., Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II. All prerequisite courses must be taken within the past 7 years of application. Acceptable substitutes for Human Anatomy include – Functional Anatomy, Comparative Anatomy, and Vertebral Anatomy. Acceptable substitutes for Human Physiology include Systems Physiology, Mammalian Physiology.
**Medical terminology may be taken as an on-line course.
For the 2022/2023 admission cycle, the PAS Program will accept hybrid/online prerequisite courses for taken during the following semesters: Spring 2020, Summer 2020, Fall 2020, Spring 2021, and Summer 2021. Students must have a grade for these courses; P/F grades will not be considered. Courses prior and subsequent to these dates must be on-campus courses in the US.