Only students who have been formally accepted into the PA program after going through the competitive application and interview process may enroll.

Yes. The labs that are required are important hands on learning experiences in preparing you for professional training. Lab classes can often be taken alone if you have already had the associated course.

Harding's code is 0417. Use this code when choosing which institutions to submit your scores to with GRE. Your scores will be submitted directly to CASPA through this method. We only accept the general GRE to meet this requirement. ALL applicants must take this test, no matter your degree level. Your scores will be directly submitted to CASPA and that is all we required.

The Harding Physician Assistant Program highly values academic preparation and previous health care experience in its evaluation of applicants to the Program. However, it is the policy of the Program that advanced placement or credit for academic or other experiential learning will not be awarded. All matriculated students are required to participate in and complete the entire curriculum of the Program in order to meet the requirements of graduation.

Harding's Physician Assistant program will consider requests for transfer from students who are currently in good standing in an U.S. accredited physician assistant training program. Each request will be individually reviewed, and all program decisions regarding acceptance of such requests will be final. Contact the program for further details.

We accepted 36 students for the entering class in the fall of 2013.

The Harding Physician Assistant Program curriculum is fast-paced and rigorous, with a heavy study load. Successful completion will require the full attention of each student. Students are strongly discouraged from working while enrolled in the Program. Some clinical rotations will involve travel, varying shift work and being on-call. No accommodations will be made in the didactic schedule or in clinical rotations for students who choose to work.

Yes. When completing your CASPA application, there is a place to include courses in progress and coursework planned in the appropriate fields to alert us to your plans. If you are accepted into the Program before you complete the required coursework, your acceptance will be on provisional status until records of your coursework and/or graduation are received. No student will be allowed to matriculate into the Program if all prerequisite requirements are not met. Because of the various factors considered in selecting applicants, you are encouraged to complete the majority of prerequisites before applying. Only 1 prerequisite course may be left for completion the spring semester or winter quarter prior to matriculation into the Program. We cannot accept work done in the spring quarter.

It is recommended that applicants seek references from individuals who are well acquainted with them academically and/or professionally. A professional reference would be from persons who have supervised you in work or volunteer clinical experiences. Applicants should obtain references from both areas. The person writing the reference should be acquainted with the applicant for a significant period of time. A reference from a personal friend is usually not considered a good choice.

No. The Physician Assistant Program is unable to defer admissions.

We use a flat rate tuition per semester that remains the same for throughout the academic year. Each August the tuition costs may be adjusted by the University. This new tuition rate will then remain in effect for the next 3 semesters (fall, spring and summer). The program will pay for lab fees, malpractice insurance, professional dues and ACLS costs. Students will still be responsible for the technology and graduation fee. There will be additional costs of books, equipment, laptop, class dues, living expenses, and travel that are the students' responsibility. Refer to the admissions page for an example using last year's costs.

Each student will need to complete a FAFSA (www.fafsa.ed.gov) to determine eligibility for Stafford loans. This can be done prior to acceptance into the program. Prior to acceptance, you may begin your financial planning by going to: www.harding.edu/finaid. Once accepted into the Program, you will be given access to Harding's Pipeline where you will have direct access to your financial aid awards.

Federal aid programs are available to qualified applicants. Federal financial aid (including Stafford and Grad Plus) will cover the entire cost associated with attendance in the Physician Assistant Program. Applicants are encouraged to seek assistance from other sources (scholarships, grants, etc.). Information and application forms should be requested from clubs, organizations, foundations and agencies as soon as possible after applying for admission to the Program. Many libraries have resource information on other kinds of financial aid. Also, there are Internet sites that provide free scholarship searches (e.g. www.fastweb.com, www.wiredscholar.com and www.finaid.org)

An additional on-line resource is www.govbenefits.gov. Use the drop down box on the right side of page, choose education/training and you will be taken to many different opportunities to review. A unique feature of this site is the ability to see eligibility determination.

You may also conduct Web searches for medical/health/and allied health professional education scholarships. The Physician Assistant national organization offers some scholarships – www.aapa.org.

The Federal government has a loan and a loan repayment program. Information is available at nhsc.hrsa.gov

Accepted students who are non-US citizens will be required to submit documentation of financial ability to pay all expenses for the first year of study to the PA program and demonstrate adequate coverage for health insurance in the United States. A copy of the student’s status with the DHS (i.e. 1-20, I-94, and Visa) will need to accompany this.

The American Academy of Physician Assistants has a wealth of information online at their Web site, www.aapa.org. For a good place to start, they have posted a list of general FAQ's there that are very informative – the link is www.aapa.org/the_pa_profession.aspx.

Academic Standings/Graduation Requirements:

In order to complete the Physician Assistant Program, a student must register for and pass each course set forth in the Program's curriculum outline including satisfactory completion of the Master's Project. In addition, a student must be in good academic standing after completing the prescribed program. Normal program progression is sequential enrollment in all program classes each semester beginning in Fall I and successfully meeting all course and program objectives each semester. The following guidelines will be used by the Program Director in arriving at a recommendation.

To remain in good academic standing in the Program, each student must demonstrate the following:

1. Compliance with all Program policies on professionalism and professional conduct.
2. Show evidence of effective interpersonal relations with peers, faculty, preceptors and patients.
3. Earn a minimum of a "C" grade in all of the PAS didactic phase courses.
4. Obtain no more than 20 semester hours below a grade of "B" in the didactic phase.
5. Maintain a current semester and cumulative GPA of 2.60 or better in the didactic phase.
6. Receive a "satisfactory" or better evaluation from all clinical practicum preceptors in the clinical phase.
7. Complete each clinical practicum in the clinical phase with a final grade of 80% or higher.
8. Pass each clinical phase non-practicum course (PAS 663,664,671,675) with a minimum grade of "C".
9. Meet no other criteria requiring him or her to be placed on academic warning or academic probation.

Less that 3% since the inception of the program. We fully expect each class to graduate with the same number of students which began the program, but occasionally students are not able to continue for a variety of reasons.

Of our December 2012 graduates, about 70% either had jobs or were negotiating contracts at the time of graduation. Of the remainder, about half were still looking for jobs after the first six weeks of 2013. Most of those have just moved to a new location or have other significant life changes occurring. Graduates reported that they secured their jobs from prior employments, clinical rotations, headhunters, and job sites. The program regularly receives information on PA job postings. These are maintained in a regularly updated list which is made available electronically to our students and graduates.