How to Apply
Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee acceptance into the program. Hundreds of highly qualified candidates apply every year. Fifty-five candidates are selected annually.
Step 1
Apply to Miami Dade College for admission or readmission. Students who have not enrolled in a class at MDC in the last 12 months must apply for re-admission.
If you live out of state and are unable to visit in person, please use our contact form.
Step 2
Meet the selection requirements
- A Bachelor's degree is required to apply.
- Complete all Pre-requisite courses
- Natural science lecture courses must be completed within 10 years of the application deadline.
- Natural Science GPA of 3.0 and above.
- Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above.
- Healthcare Experience is highly recommended but not required. This can be documented as direct patient care and/ or shadowing. While there is no minimum number of hours, applicants with prior direct patient care and/or shadowing may be given higher considerations.
- Students must be enrolled in or have successfully completed HSC 0003 – Introduction to Health Care (2.5 credits) and HSC 0003L – Introduction to Health Care Lab (.5 credits). Introduction to Healthcare course (HSC003/Lab) is an institutional requirement. For more information about this course please call (305) 237-4103.
- Introduction to Healthcare (HSC 0003) Waiver Process
- Students who have an eligible healthcare license, and a valid CPR card, may apply for a waiver for this course. Students should apply for an exemption at https://www.mdc.edu/medical/healthc-are-exemption-process.aspx
- Florida Civic Literacy: Students seeking admission to the PA program must demonstrate competency in civic literacy. The civic literacy requirement has 2 components (civic course and exam) which can be satisfied in two ways:
- Successfully complete AMH 2020 or POS2041 and pass the FCLE exam.
- Successfully take the POS2041 CLEP exam with a score of 50 or higher (meets course and exam requirement).
- For more information on meeting Florida Civic Literacy please visit the link below.
- https://www.mdc.edu/testing-tests/TestPage.aspx?testId=93
- PA program specific documentation required in ( see Step 3) download the updated PA Supplemental Documents.
- Health Care experience Form
- Shadowing form
- Three Letters of Recommendation
- One letter must be from a Physician Assistant
- Two from faculty or other healthcare professionals
- PA-CAT completion with scores sent to MDC (See Step 4)
Step 3
A student who has completed all the requirements in Step 2 should request a milestone review:
- Schedule to meet with an academic advisor at Medical Campus to verify completion of program requirement. Please note all requirement courses must be completed by the semester prior to the milestone target review date (summer semester). Visit The New Student Center at the Medical Campus or Call: 305-237-4141 or Email: madvisement@mdc.edu for an appointment.
- Order and send official transcripts no later than July 1st of the year you are applying. Please send transcripts to:
Miami Dade College
Attention: Transcript Department Processing Services
11011 S. W. 104 Street, Room 301
Miami, Florida 33176-3393
- For more information about submitting transcripts to the College visit the MDC Transcripts website. FMG's must send translated transcripts and TOEFL to the above address as well.
- Visit Medical Campus Program Requirements web page to request a Milestone Review by the target deadline date.
- PA Program Supplementary Documents -
- To complete the milestone review process you must download the updated PA Supplemental Documents.
- Complete and upload through the PA Selection Portal no later than October 15th. For questions related to submitted documents contact: mdcpaprogram@mdc.edu.
Step 4
Study, Register and take the PA-CAT:
The Miami-Dade program uses the PA-CAT as a part of its selection process.
PA-CAT covers the following subject areas: Anatomy, Physiology, General Biology, Biochemistry, General and Organic Chemistry, Microbiology, Behavioral Sciences, Genetics, Statistics.
PA-CAT scores should be sent from the test sponsor. Due dates for scores are based on your application round. If scores are late, they may be rolled over to the next target review date.
However, the application cycle closes on October 15th. It is highly recommended you take the PA-CAT no later than September 15th to ensure receipt of your scores on time. (Note: It can take up to 4-5 weeks for your scores to be sent to the college.)
Step 5
Selection for an interview
Students are selected for an interview once all admission requirements are met. Students who receive notification of an interview should respond within 48 hours or risk the chance of securing a spot. The interview process involves an oral interview along with a requirement to write a short essay in 30 minutes.
The program's selections committee is seeking applicants who:
- Desire a career as a physician assistant and have a good understanding of the role of the PA
- Mission driven: the student priority aligns with the Miami Dade PA-program mission
- Demonstrates the ability to successfully complete a rigorous healthcare program
- Possess some experience in the delivery of health care
- Demonstrates a commitment to the team concept in health care
- Communicates effectively and efficiently both in writing and in speech
- Demonstrate a commitment to community service
Admission Preference
- Military Veterans
- Miami-Dade County residents however, all students are considered
*** Please note that PACAT scores at 525 and above are most desirable****
What Are the Qualities of a Good Student?
The ideal student has the academic ability, prior health care experience, and personal maturity to successfully complete the program and to ensure a productive career as a physician assistant. Ability to relate to people, capacity for calm and reasoned judgment in encountering emergencies, and a demonstrated commitment to patients are qualities essential for a physician assistant.
The program's selections committee is seeking students who:
- Sincerely desire a career as a physician assistant and have a good understanding of the role of the PA
- Are able to successfully complete a college level program based on a strong foundational knowledge of basic sciences
- Possess some experience in the delivery of health care
- Understand the role of a primary care practitioner
- Demonstrate a commitment to the team concept in health care
- Thrive in a service career providing help and care to other people
- Communicate effectively and efficiently both in writing and in speech
- Demonstrate a commitment to community service.
Note: Preference is given to military veterans and Miami-Dade County residents however, all students are considered.
Requirements
- Baccalaureate degree
- PA-CAT completion with scores sent to MDC
- Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above.
- Completion of the required natural science courses with GPA of 3.0 or above.
- All natural science courses must have been completed within 10 years of the application deadline.
- Previous health care career education and/or documented experience are highly recommended.
- A minimum of 50 hours shadowing an MD, DO, PA, or ARNP. *Due to COVID 19 the program will not hold students responsible for completing this requirement during the 2020 application cycle.
- Completion of program-generated written essay.
- English competency in oral and written communication skills is required.
- Preference given to military veterans and Miami-Dade County residents however, all applicants are considered.
- Successful completion of a panel interview (interview rated by panel)
- Three letters of recommendation
- As part of the admissions process, applicants must be available between November and early December to participate in onsite written essay and again be available in the month of January for on site Interviews. Specific dates and times will be communicated to eligible applicants.
Students must be enrolled in or have successfully completed HSC 0003 – Introduction to Health Care (2.5 credits) and HSC 0003L – Introduction to Health Care Lab (.5 credits). Introduction to Healthcare course (HSC003/Lab) is an institutional requirement. For more information about this course please call (305) 237-4103
Please note: All students meeting minimum program requirements are encouraged to request a milestone review. However, meeting criteria for selection does not guarantee progression to discipline courses and not all students will progress to this milestone. Final selection will be based on the student pool.
Selection Test
All students will be required to take the PA-CAT as part of the selection process. To learn more about the PA-CAT, visit the Physician Assistant College Admissions Test (PA-CAT) website.
For information about program requirement for the PA-CAT, please see Step 4 under the Apply to MDC tab on this page.
There is financial aid available to cover some of the cost of the PA-CAT for qualifying students. Please contact the test sponsor for more information.
The PA-CAT format is as follows:
- 9 subjects presented sequentially
- 240 multiple-choice test items
- 4.5-hour total exam window
- Electronically administered by Prometric
- Special Accommodations available. View Resources
PA-CAT Covered Subjects:
- Anatomy
- Physiology
- General Biology
- Biochemistry
- General and Organic Chemistry
- Microbiology
- Behavioral Sciences
- Genetics
- Statistics
Written Essay Selection Test
All students who submitted a request for a milestone review by the target review date and have met all the minimum program requirements are eligible to take the Selection Written Essay test.
Students will write a short essay on an assigned topic utilizing paper/pencil. Students will be given 30 minutes to complete the short essay portion of the examination. This essay will be evaluated by an external review committee based on proper grammar, spelling, and sentence structure. The essay should include an introductory statement and thesis statement, a body, and a conclusion. Essays are graded using a program-generated rubric. The topic of the essay is chosen by the program administrators.
Oral Interview
The following criteria is used to determine which students will be selected for the Oral Interview phase of the selection process:
Based on the above criteria, students ranking 1 to 100 will be invited to an oral interview. The MDC PA selection interview is designed to help the program learn more about the student while allowing the student an opportunity to demonstrate their level of readiness for the PA Program. All students are asked the same questions (with occasional variations to maintain the integrity of questions). Some questions are single and direct in format while others are multipart, layered, or scenario based in nature. Students are expected to answer all questions. The interview evaluates several aspects of the student including but not limited to Professionalism, Knowledge of the PA profession and Sciences, character, and communication skills. This is measured through observation of the student’s behavior, attitude, and response to the interview questions. Notice of students selected for an interview will be sent via email between November and January.
Fifty-five students may be chosen for entry into the discipline phase of the program each year.**
** Students from current class who are decelerated may affect total amount of seats available for the incoming class.
Requirement courses
Math and Natural Science Courses
- CHM 1045 - General Chemistry I and Qualitative Analysis
- CHM 1045L - General Chemistry I and Qualitative Analysis Lab
- CHM 1046 - General Chemistry II and Qualitative Analysis
- CHM 1046L - General Chemistry II and Qualitative Analysis Lab
- BSC 2085 - Anatomy and Physiology 1
- BSC 2085L - Anatomy and Physiology 1 Lab
- BSC 2086 - Anatomy and Physiology 2
- BSC 2086L - Anatomy and Physiology 2 Lab
- MCB 2010 - Microbiology
- MCB 2010L - Microbiology Lab
- MAC 1105 - College Algebra (Or Higher)*
- STA 2023 - Statistical Methods (Must take)*
*Baccalaureate degree must include 2 levels of math & must include College algebra or higher & Statistics.
Program Specific
- HSC 0003 - Introduction to Health Care
- HSC 0003L - Introduction to Health Care Lab
NOTE:
- All science lecture courses taken more than ten years ago must be repeated. Labs do not need to be repeated
- In order to graduate from the program, students will be required to complete the foreign language competency requirement.
- Introduction to Healthcare course (HSC003/Lab) is an institutional requirement. For more information about this course please call (305) 237-4103
View the complete course list (PDF).
Students should review the College Catalog for specific course descriptions, including pre and co-requisite course requirements.
In Program Course Sequence
This course sequence document outlines all the courses a student will take (By Term) throughout their tenure in the PA program.
