🩺 Seton Hill University Physician Assistant Program – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Program Overview

Program History
Seton Hill’s first PA class began in 1998 and graduated in 2000.

Program Size
The program admits 50 students per year, including both B.S./M.S. advancing students and new graduate-entry students.

Degrees Awarded
Graduate-entry students earn a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies (M.S.) upon successful completion.
B.S./M.S. students earn a Bachelor of Science in Medical Studies at the end of the Spring II semester of the graduate phase, and then a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies upon program completion.

Faculty Clinical Practice
The faculty of Seton Hill’s Physician Assistant Program bring more than 120 years of combined clinical experience to the classroom and all continue to actively work in the field.

Admission Requirements

Admission Requirements

See the B.S./M.S. Admissions or the M.S. Admissions sections of our site for full details.

Prerequisite Coursework

• Applications may have outstanding prerequisites, but all courses must be completed by matriculation.
• May be completed at any CASPA-verified U.S. institution.
• Online lecture courses and community college courses are accepted.
• Online labs are not accepted.
• If you have two courses that meet one prerequisite, the higher grade will be used. Both courses may be listed in CASPA.

Psychology Prerequisite

The psychology prerequisite may be met with Abnormal Psychology, Life Span Development, or a course with equivalent content; Intro to Psychology does not fulfill this requirement.

Prerequisite Updates

Recent curriculum changes have simplified our chemistry requirements. We now only require:

• Organic Chemistry I
• Any 1-credit Chemistry Lab
• Biochemistry
  • We no longer require General Chemistry I & II, Organic Chemistry II, or additional labs.
  • For CASPA fields listing outdated requirements, select “No course for this requirement.”

Course Age Policy

All prerequisite coursework must be completed within seven years of the program’s matriculation date. This means that any prerequisite class taken more than seven years prior to the start of the program will not be accepted toward admission requirements.

For example, if the matriculation date for the program is January 2028, all prerequisite courses must have been completed on or after January 2021.

This policy ensures that applicants’ foundational knowledge in key sciences—such as anatomy, physiology, chemistry, and biology—is current and relevant to the rigor of graduate-level physician assistant education.

Prerequisite GPA Calculation

The prerequisite GPA is calculated based on the courses you have completed that meet our required prerequisites. If a course has been taken more than once, both grades are averaged to determine the cumulative prerequisite GPA. Only courses that are older than seven years are excluded from the calculation.

GPA Policy

A minimum 3.2 GPA is required for consideration. Applicants below this threshold are encouraged to retake coursework to improve their GPA before applying.

Advanced Placement (AP) Credits

AP credits are not accepted for any PA Program prerequisite courses. All prerequisite courses must be completed at an accredited institution with a grade of C or higher.

B.S./M.S. students may transfer AP or dual-enrollment credits toward undergraduate degree requirements, but not toward PA-specific prerequisites.

GRE Requirement

The GRE is not required. Seton Hill uses a holistic review process that evaluates academic performance, healthcare experience, and readiness for the program rather than standardized test scores.

Healthcare & Shadowing Requirements

Applicants are required to complete a minimum of 300 hours of direct patient care experience, which may be either paid or volunteer, and to shadow three physician assistants in different specialties for at least four hours each. All direct patient care and shadowing requirements must be completed by the time of matriculation if the applicant is accepted into the program. Applicants may apply with outstanding hours as long as they are actively working toward completing them prior to the program start date.

Transfer Students

Direct transfers into the B.S./M.S. or M.S. PA Programs are not accepted.

However, students may transfer to Seton Hill in another major while preparing for the graduate phase.

Preference for Seton Hill Students

No preference is given to current Seton Hill students or alumni. All applicants are evaluated equally.

Transcript Review

We do not review transcripts prior to application. Upon application, an unofficial review is done to calculate GPA. Upon acceptance, a Physician Assistant Program faculty member will officially review your transcripts and will notify you of any outstanding prerequisites.

Waitlist Policy

Qualified applicants can be placed on a waitlist for up to one year. If a seat becomes available before the class matriculates, offers are extended to students on the waitlist.

Curriculum & Student Experience

Faculty-to-Student Ratio

• Lecture Courses: 1 instructor per 50 students
• Lab Courses: 1 instructor per 13 students
• Problem-Based Learning: Small groups of 10–12 students

Part-Time Enrollment

The program is full-time only; part-time enrollment is not available.

Class Schedule

Graduate-level classes typically run 8 a.m. – 6 p.m., with occasional evening or Saturday sessions.

During the clinical phase, students complete a minimum of 36–40 hours per week of patient care, which may include evenings, weekends, or night shifts.

Employment During the Program

Working while enrolled is strongly discouraged due to the academic rigor of the curriculum.

Clinical Rotations

All rotations are scheduled by the Director of Clinical Education and the clinical education team. Students typically complete 2–3 rotations requiring travel or housing outside the local area.

Costs & Financial Information

Program Cost

Graduate program tuition and fees can be found here.

Students in the five-year B.S./M.S. program pay undergraduate tuition and fees (with scholarships applied) for the first 3.5 years and graduate tuition and fees for the final three terms.

Refund Policy

Information on tuition and fee refunds can be found in the Student Accounts section of Seton Hill’s website.

Seat Deposit

• Graduate-entry students: $1,000 non-refundable deposit, applied to tuition.
• B.S./M.S. students: $800 non-refundable deposit, credited when they enter the graduate phase.
  Both deposits serve to guarantee a seat in the program.

Program Outcomes & Accreditation

Accreditation Status

At its March 2024 meeting, the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA) placed the Seton Hill University Physician Assistant Program sponsored by Seton Hill University on Accreditation-Probation status until its next review in March 2026. More details on Seton Hill's accreditation status.

PANCE Pass Rate

Over the past five years, 97% of Seton Hill graduates have passed the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE) on their first attempt. View the PANCE Pass Rate Summary (PDF).