Historic Agreement to Offer Early Admission to Physician Assistant Program for ASU
Students Signed with Saint Elizabeth University!
By Kenneth Mullinax/ASU
Alabama State University and Saint Elizabeth University (SEU), announced on Nov. 28
the establishment of a combined educational program culminating in a baccalaureate
degree from ASU and a Physician Assistant degree (M.S.) from SEU as both schools signed
a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) agreement.
This is the first agreement of its kind that SEU has signed with a historically black
college or university (HBCU).
Under the agreement, up to three eligible ASU students will be interviewed during
their junior year for early admission into the SEU program.
The President of Alabama State University, Dr. Quinton T. Ross Jr., led a delegation
from Montgomery to the SEU campus in Morristown, N.J. to experience its state-of-the-art
PA classrooms, fully equipped 12-bed clinical assessment lab and patient simulation
rooms, as well as a demonstration of a wide range of high-fidelity manikins and a
virtual dissection table.
"At ASU, we pride ourselves on offering bridges to success for our students so they
may seek and obtain career-preparatory educational opportunities through partnerships
such as the one that was established today with Saint Elizabeth University," President
Ross said. "This agreement will not only benefit our students academically, it also
will allow them to grow as pre-professionals as they engage in SEU’s exemplary program.”
HOW IT WORKS
The ASU-SEU educational program consists of ASU's students obtaining four-years of
undergraduate study in the Bachelor of Science in Biology program at ASU (with ASU
granting the student's baccalaureate degree) and SEU awarding the M.S. in its Physician
Assistant degree to the Alabama State students upon the successful completion of the
28-month program at Saint Elizabeth's, explained Dr. Gary B. Crosby, President of
Saint Elizabeth University.
“We are very excited to have Alabama State University as our first HBCU collaborator
in developing and graduating new physician assistants. Our two institutions are united
in providing a high-quality education to students of diverse ages, backgrounds and cultures,
making this educational program a perfect fit for both our students and communities,”
President Crosby said “We look forward to welcoming our first ASU students to the
program.”
CREATING A PIPELINE FOR SUCCESS
To be interviewed for the program in their junior year, ASU students must have a cumulative
prerequisite GPA of 3.4 and an overall cumulative GPA of 3.2, and be on track to complete
all required prerequisite courses with a 3.0 (B) or better. Candidates must complete
their bachelor’s degree requirements at Alabama State University by June 1 prior to
the first year of entering Saint Elizabeth's PA program and must matriculate into
SEU’s program not longer than 1.5 years from their conditional acceptance.
Candidates also must meet the following requirements by March 1 of their senior year
at ASU:
Complete a minimum of 300 direct patient-care hours
Complete a minimum of 16 physician assistant shadow hours
Complete a minimum of 50 community service hours
Submit scores for the Physician Assistant College Admissions Test (PA-CAT)
Complete a Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistant (CASPA) application
ASU STUDENT INTERVIEWS BEGIN IN EARLY 2023
Under the new agreement, the first ASU students will be interviewed in February 2023
for conditional admission to the SEU Physician Assistant program in Fall 2024.
"This is yet another way that the University is working to enhance the education and
career opportunities for our students," President Ross stated.
News media contact: ASU's Kenneth Mullinax, 334-229-4104.
