About the Program
UMN Rochester is proud to partner with Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences (MCSHS) Physician Assistant (PA) program to offer early admission for students enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences (BSHS) program. This program is designed to provide a direct path to a challenging and rewarding career as a PA, and helps students save time and money. UMN Rochester's accelerated PA program partnership is exclusively available to BSHS students, who typically apply in their third year.
A competitive application process for UMN Rochesters’s reserved seats will become available for application in December 2029, with a Summer 2030 start to PA school, with completion of PA school in Spring 2032.
Students will complete their coursework at UMN Rochester in a specially-designed track that prepares them for the rigorous demands of the PA master's program. Students have the option of accelerating their degree by applying their PA credits in their fourth year back to the BSHS degree through UMN Rochester’s customized Capstone option.
Learn more about the MCSHS PA Program and take the first steps toward becoming a PA.
In partnership with MCSHS, this program is open to U.S. workers in the four categories below. Therefore, visa sponsorship is not available.
- U.S. citizens
- U.S. nationals
- Lawful permanent residents
- Asylees and refugees
Competitive Applicants
Competitive applicants will demonstrate:
- Academic excellence (3.5 cumulative and science GPA)
- Patient care experience (minimum 500 hours)
- Minimum two half days of shadowing
- Strong knowledge of and passion for the PA profession.
- Preference given to students who can demonstrate the following:
- Maturity
- Compassion and service
- Resilience
- Leadership
- Commitment to practice locally
- Military service
Additional Details
Application details will be forthcoming. Typical requirements include:
- Residency requirement for number of credits that will need to be taken at the Rochester campus.
- Transfer credits may accelerate the timeline of an applicant's readiness to apply, but will be subject to any established residency requirement and entry into PA school cannot be available prior to Fall 2030.
Accreditation Notice
The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences Physician Assistant Studies Program sponsored by the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science. 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 2034. The review date is contingent upon continued compliance with the Accreditation Standards and ARC-PA policy.
Learn more about the program’s accreditation history.