Physician Assistant | Miami Dade College

Program Summary

The Miami Dade Physician Assistant Program is accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA). The program is 27 months and through dual enrollment offers a Bachelor of Applied Science in Physician Assistant Studies along with a Master of Health Science through its affiliation with Nova Southeastern University. The Miami Dade Physician Assistant Program annually seats 55 students.

Miami Dade College Physician Assistant Program uses CASPA for admissions. The cycle runs from April 25, 2025, to November 1, 2025. Applications are reviewed until the cohort is filled, but only CASPA-verified submissions are considered, and no documents are accepted after verification.

If you live out of state and are unable to visit in person, please email us for more information mdcpaprogram@mdc.edu.

Selection Requirements

Step 1

Meet the selection requirements

Baccalaureate degree (any discipline) from a regionally accredited or internationally recognized college or university.
Pre-Requisite Courses: complete all Pre-requisite courses
1. Complete all prerequisite courses with a grade of “C” or higher.
2. Natural science lecture courses must be completed within 10 years of the application deadline.
Natural Science GPA of 3.0 and above.
A minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA.
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 consideration. Please submit Healthcare experience and shadowing to CASPA.
Official PA-CAT scores must be electronically submitted to CASPA at the time of application submission.
Study and Register to take the PA-CAT:
1. Visit https://www.pa-cat.com/ to create your PA-CAT account and purchase your exam eligibility.
2. Ensure that the MDC PA Program is selected as the institution to receive your score report within your PA-CAT account.
3. You can access your PA-CAT account anytime at the PA-CAT website.
4. It is recommended that you take the PA-CAT early in the application cycle to be considered for early admission. The latest recommended date to take the PA-CAT is October 1, 2025. The PA-CAT score submission deadline is November 1 of each admission cycle.

Step 2: Schedule Your Exam

1. Within 24 hours of purchasing your PA-CAT exam eligibility, you will receive an Authorization to Test email from Pearson VUE.
2. Follow the instructions in the email to create a Pearson VUE account and schedule your exam.
Three letters of recommendations

One letter must be from a Physician Assistant
Two letters from faculty or other healthcare professional

PA-CAT

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.
Watch a quick video to learn how to register & schedule the exam, and release PA-CAT scores.
Study resources for the PA-CAT: This is available to the applicant after scheduling for the examination.
For questions related to the information provided, contact: mdcpaprogram@mdc.edu.
PA-CAT scores should be sent from the test sponsor. However, the application cycle closes on November 1st. It is highly recommended you take the PA-CAT no later than September 15^th 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.)

To learn more about the PA-CAT and register, visit the Physician Assistant College Admissions Test (PA-CAT) website.

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.
1. Introduction to Healthcare (HSC 0003) Waiver Process
  1. 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:
1. Successfully complete AMH 2020 or POS2041 and pass the FCLE exam.
2. Successfully take the POS2041 CLEP exam with a score of 50 or higher (meets course and exam requirement).
3. For more information on meeting Florida Civic Literacy please visit the link below:
  https://www.mdc.edu/testing/testing-criteria/civic-literacy-competency-/

How to Apply

Step 1

The MDC-PA program utilizes the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA).

Applicants are required to complete the CASPA application for the Miami Dade College Physician Assistant program.

CASPA application opens on April 25, 2025, and closes on November 1, 2025.
Applications need to be verified by CASPA by November 1, 2025, to be considered.

Applicants should ensure all documentation is submitted to CASPA prior to November 1, 2025, as verification can take up to 30 days and only verified applications will be evaluated.

Transcripts for prerequisite courses completed after submission need to be uploaded and grades self-reported in the CASPA application. Unofficial transcripts must be emailed to mdcpaprogram@mdc.edu by November 1, 2025.

(For questions concerning the CASPA application visit CASPA FAQs or contact CASPA at (617) 612-2080.)

Step 2

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. Fee $25

Note: There is no need to submit additional documents as the program evaluates only documents received in CASPA.

Important Note: Complete Steps 1 and 2 listed above in this specific order:

Enter all CASPA information
Complete and submit supplemental application
Take a picture/snapshot of your Transaction Approval for the supplemental application and upload in CASPA
Submit payment to CASPA

Step 3

The Admissions Committee will review applications and invite selected students to be interviewed. After the interview, and essay, the Admissions Committee will evaluate the applications, aggregate scores and select the students for the class.

Step 4

Selected students receive conditional letters of acceptance and are recommended to Miami Dade College for admission to the program.
Upon receipt of the official acceptance letter, matriculated students are required to pay the non-refundable seat deposit fee of $800. More information pending on how to make the deposit fee.
Please visit Tuition and Fees for a breakdown of the cost associated with the MDC-PA program.

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 see below for the Matriculant Profile from Class of 2023-2026
Matriculant Profile	CO 2023	CO 2024	CO 2025	CO 2026
Average Age	29	28	29	33
American Indian or Alaska Native	0	0	0	0
African American/ Black	4	4	8	4
Asian	2	5	1	0
Hispanic/Latino/Latinx	41	39	36	44
Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander	2	5	1	1
White (Not Hispanic)	7	5	3	6
Male	15	13	12	12
Female	40	42	41	42
Miami Dade County Residents	80%	78%	80%	83%
Average Science GPA	3.60	3.50	3.56	3.46
Average PA-CAT composite score	525	527	520	528

*** Please note that PACAT scores at 525 and above are most desirable****

Nova Southeastern University

Students Accepted to the MDC are then required to apply to NSU no later than March 1st.

Master of Health Science (M.H.Sc.) | NSU College of Health Care Sciences (nova.edu)

Admission Requirements:

All students applying to the NSU M.H.Sc. Program must complete all the following steps by March 1:

Complete an NSU M.H.Sc. Program application form with the prevalent application fee: https://apply.nova.edu/
- IMPORTANT NOTE: During the application process, when asked about a concentration, please choose "No Concentration" in the drop-down menu.
Provide evidence of acceptance into the Miami-Dade College Physician Assistant Program
- IMPORTANT NOTE: MDC will provide proof of acceptance.
Provide evidence of a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale.
Provide official college, certificate, and/or diploma-based transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions attended, sent directly from the institutions to NSU.
Send transcripts and all required documents to:

Nova Southeastern University
Enrollment Processing Services (EPS)
3301 College Avenue
P.O. Box 299000
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33329-9905

All coursework from international institution(s):

The applicant is responsible for contacting one of the evaluation services listed below. The evaluation must be course by course, including a cumulative GPA. The official evaluation must be sent directly from the evaluation service to the NSU EPS address shown above for all documents:

Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc.
P.O. Box 415070
Milwaukee, WI 53203
(855) 400-6042
www.ece.org
World Education Services, Inc.
P.O. Box 745
Old Chelsea Station
New York, NY 10113-0745
(855) 665-1722
www.wes.org

For questions about the Master of Health Science program at NSU, please contact the following individuals:

Debra A. Dixon RDH, MS, DHSc
Associate Professor and Master of Health Science Director
(954) 612-3865
dd1026@nova.edu
Danielle White
Admissions Counselor
Graduate Admissions
Enrollment Management and Students Affairs (EMSA)
(954) 262-1121
dw1396@nova.edu

Dates and Deadlines

Admission Timeline for 2025–2026 Application Cycle

Date	Event
April 25, 2025	MDC CASPA applications open Applications are reviewed continuously until the class is filled
Ongoing	Only CASPA “Verified” applications will be considered and only applicants with completed Supplemental Applications considered*
October 1, 2025	Last day to take PA-CAT exam
June 2025 – January 2026	Interviews offered
November 1, 2025	MDC CASPA applications close Last day to submit CASPA, all documents, and Supplemental Application
March 2026	Nova Orientation
Early May	MDC Orientation
August 2026	Class of 2027 classes begin

Note: Proposed timeline and dates are tentative and are subject to change

Academics

Physician Assistant Associate in Science — Health Science + Bachelor of Applied Science - Health Science Physician Assistant Studies Concentration

Program Summary

Selection Requirements

Step 1

Step 2: Schedule Your Exam

How to Apply

Admission Requirements:

For questions about the Master of Health Science program at NSU, please contact the following individuals:

Admission Timeline for 2025–2026 Application Cycle

Get Started Now!

Learn More About the Selection Process for this Program

Speak to an Advisor

Student Guide for Selection into PA Program