The University of South Dakota

University Requirements

• Applicants to the program must have completed a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university before entering
• • No preference is given to any specific major
• Applicants must be a US citizen or permanent resident
• Clinical and work experiences will not be accepted in place of coursework
• Applicants must complete all prerequisite coursework by June 1 of the year of intended enrollment
• Required coursework graded Pass/Fail, survey courses and CLEP credits will not be accepted for any of the hours. An exception for General Psychology may be permitted.  Requests for this exception must be approved by the Program Director 
• It is highly recommended that all courses are taken in the 10 years prior to application
• A minimum overall and prerequisite GPA of 2.7 (A=4.0) is required for admission 
• Grades below "C" are not accepted for prerequisite coursework
• Grades obtained in repeat courses are averaged into the overall GPA
• Students are advised that employment during the didactic phase of the program is highly discouraged and not allowed during the clinical phase due to the heavy academic demands of the program

Required Courses

(Survey courses will not be accepted for prerequisite requirements)

*Combined Organic/Biochemistry are not recommended; however, if taken, it must be at the junior level or above.
**If Anatomy & Physiology are taken separately, a minimum of one lab is required if not offered with both courses.

Advanced Placement

The USD Physician Assistant Studies Program does not grant advanced placement to any applicant admitted to the Program. No program courses will be waived, and no advanced credit for any previous course work will be given even though it may be similar or identical to course work in the Program. All courses are designated as required and must be taken by every student.

Selection Criteria

The requirements for admission described in the previous section are minimum requirements for admission.  Because admission to the Program is highly competitive, the Program has designed a number of "Selection Criteria" for applicants. In considering applicants for admissions to the Program, the Admissions Committee will give preference for admission to applicants who possess the following:

• An overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher (on a 4.0 scale)
• A prerequisite GPA of 3.00 or higher (on a 4.0 scale)
• Age of academic experience (highly recommended that courses have been completed within the 10 years prior to application)
• Motivation to become a physician assistant based on a thorough understanding of the PA profession
• Desire for future practice in a medically underserved area
• Work or volunteer experience demonstrating direct patient care
• Ability to communicate effectively in the personal written statement, in the application, and in the personal interview
• Personality and motivational characteristics that are conducive to success as a PA student and health care provider
• Personal qualities relating to maturity and professionalism as demonstrated in the interview and letters of recommendation

Graduate Record Examination

Our program does not require the GRE at this time.

Graduates of Foreign Institutions and Non-U.S. Citizen Applicants

• Students who have earned college/university credit outside of the U.S. must complete an Application for Evaluation of Foreign Educational Credentials. The PA Program requires a course by course evaluation (including verification of lab components where required) to be completed through World Education Services (WES). Reports from Educational Credential Evaluators will not be accepted. To submit your application please visit http://www.wes.org/index.asp. Admission will not be considered and credit will not be reviewed for possible transfer acceptance until a report is received
• Must be proficient in English (TOEFL score of at least 550 (paper-based), 213 (computer), or 79 (Internet-based); or IELTS score of a 6.0 or higher)
• Please contact the International Graduate Admissions office for further requirements