Graduate Program

Degree Offered

Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies (M.S.)

The program's mission is to educate physician assistant students to become exemplary providers of primary care medicine with a special focus on the medically underserved and/or rural populations of New Mexico.

This program is housed in the Department of Family and Community Medicine within the School of Medicine. Instruction is provided by various departments and faculties of the Health Sciences Center. Small group tutorials are actively used in the professional curriculum. The 27-month program consists of didactic and clinical instruction. Students can expect to have several clinical clerkships in rural and underserved areas of New Mexico. Upon successful completion of the curriculum, a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies degree is awarded.

Program Accreditation Status

The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the University of New Mexico Physician Assistant Program sponsored by the University of New Mexico. Accreditation-Continued is an accreditation status granted when a currently accredited program is in compliance with the ARC-PA Standards.

Accreditation remains in effect until the program closes or withdraws from the accreditation process or until accreditation is withdrawn for failure to comply with the Standards. The approximate date for the next validation review of the program by the ARC-PA will be September 2024. The review date is contingent upon continued compliance with the Accreditation Standards and ARC-PA policy.

Specific questions regarding the program and its plans should be directed to the program director and/or the appropriate institutional official(s).

Pre-Professional Curriculum

Applicants must have a B.A./B.S. degree or higher by the August 1 application deadline. They must complete prerequisites prior to the application deadline and receive a grade of C or higher, with the exception of one outstanding prerequisite course which applicants may have in progress at the time of application. This one outstanding prerequisite course must be completed by December of the application year with a grade of B or above. All prerequisites must be taken in the United States for a letter grade. Science prerequisites must be taken within the last 10 years. A minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale is calculated based on the most recent 60 college credit hours. Also, a required science/math grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale is calculated using all science and math course grades. Course numbers listed below refer to the University of New Mexico courses.

		Credit Hours
	Science
BIOL 2110C	Principles of Biology: Cellular and Molecular Lecture and Laboratory	4
BIOL 2210	Human Anatomy and Physiology I	3
BIOL 2210L	Human Anatomy and Physiology I Laboratory	1
BIOL 2225	Human Anatomy and Physiology II	3
BIOL 2225L	Human Anatomy and Physiology II Laboratory	1
(CHEM 1215 and CHEM 1225) or (CHEM 1217 and CHEM 1227)	General Chemistry I for STEM Majors General Chemistry II for STEM Majors Principles of Chemistry I and Principles of Chemistry II	6
CHEM 1215L	General Chemistry I for STEM Majors Laboratory	1
CHEM 1225L	General Chemistry II for STEM Majors Laboratory	1
PSY or PSYC	Psychology	3
	Communication Skills
ENGL	Any 2 writing, literature, public speaking or linguistics courses	6

Highly Recommended for All:

(Additional points can be earned by completing these courses with a grade of B- or higher)

Regional language (Spanish, Native Language, Vietnamese and/or Sign)
Biochemistry
Organic Chemistry
Integrated Organic and Biochemistry
Nutrition
Microbiology
Genetics
Molecular Genetics
Molecular and Cell Biology
Virology
Immunology
Biological Chemistry

Clinical/Community Experience

The program requires a minimum of 1,000 contact hours of direct patient care experience at the time of appliication in either a patient care setting or a significant community care environment, either as a paid position or as a volunteer. Hands-on patient care experience is preferred.

Application for admission is made through the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) Web site. The University of New Mexico Physician Assistant Program adheres to the CASPA Green Deadline which states that applications must be verified by 11:59 pm ET on August 1 of the application year. Applications can only be verified once all payments, transcripts, and letters of reference have been received. Completed applications must be submitted at least 4 weeks before the deadline to ensure the application is verified by the August 1 deadline. Applicants are encouraged to check the status of their CASPA application on a weekly basis.

For questions or technical assistance call CASPA at (617) 612-2080, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. eastern time, or email to caspainfo@caspaonline.org. The University of New Mexico Physician Assistant Program sends a supplemental application to qualified applicants after the CASPA application is submitted if all requirements are met. A separate application to The University of New Mexico is required upon acceptance into the program, if not currently enrolled. Admission to the Physician Assistant Program is based on evaluation of those applicant qualities and experiences which advance the program’s mission. For this reason, residents of New Mexico are given primary consideration for admission. The criteria for evaluation also include academic and personal record, letters of recommendation and, if selected, a personal interview.

Professional Curriculum

		Credit Hours
	Summer
PAST 535	Clinical Seminar I	3
	Subtotal	3
	Fall
PAST 502	PA Foundations of Research Methodology	1
PAST 510	PA Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine I	1
PAST 512	PA Human Anatomy	4
PAST 515	PA Adult and Geriatric Medicine I	1
PAST 520	PA Pharmacology I	1
PAST 530	PA Clinical Skills I	1
PAST 540	PA Dermatology	2
PAST 570	Foundations of Medical Science	3
	Subtotal	14
	Spring
PAST 513	PA Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine II	1
PAST 516	PA Hematology	2
PAST 517	PA Microbiology and Immunology	2
PAST 518	PA Adult and Geriatric Medicine II	1
PAST 521	PA Emergency Medicine I	1
PAST 523	PA Pharmacology II	1
PAST 531	PA Clinical Skills II	2
PAST 541	PA Orthopedics	2
PAST 547	PA CV-Pulmonary-Renal	4
	Subtotal	16
	Summer
PAST 514	PA Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine III	1
PAST 519	PA Adult and Geriatric Medicine III	1
PAST 524	PA Pharmacology III	1
PAST 522	PA Emergency Medicine II	1
PAST 532	PA Clinical Skills III	1
PAST 550	PA GI, Nutrition, Metabolism (GINM)	3
	Subtotal	8
	Fall
PAST 522	PA Sexuality, Reproduction and Endocrinology	3
PAST 526	PA Emergency Medicine III	1
PAST 527	PA Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine IV	2
PAST 529	PA Adult and Geriatric Medicine IV	2
PAST 533	PA Pharmacology IV	2
PAST 534	PA Clinical Skills IV	1
PAST 545	PA Neurosciences	4
PAST 548	PA Infectious Disease	3
	Subtotal	18
	Spring
PAST 560	PA Clerkship Family Medicine	3
PAST 561	PA Clerkship Women's Health and Prenatal Care	3
PAST 562	PA Clerkship Pediatrics	3
PAST 563	PA Clerkship Behavioral Medicine - Psychiatry	3
PAST 564	PA Clerkship Emergency Medicine	3
	Subtotal	15
	Summer
PAST 565	PA Clerkship General Internal Medicine	3
PAST 566	PA Clerkship Elective	3
	Subtotal	6
	Fall
PAST 568	PA Clerkship Surgery	3
PAST 575	PA Clerkship Primary Care	3
	Subtotal	6
	Total	86