JWU Physician Assistant (MSPAS) Articulation Agreement

Nomination process and information for URI applicants

JWU PA Preparation and Application Toward Healthcare (PATH) Process

Congratulations on reaching the exciting stage of preparing to apply to Physician Assistant programs! This journey requires commitment, time, and ownership of your goals, and we’re here to support you.

URI has partnered with Johnson & Wales University’s Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies (MSPAS) to create an articulation agreement.

visit jwu’s website for more

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This agreement grants a guaranteed admissions interview to any student enrolled as an undergraduate at the University of Rhode Island that meets all criteria: 

Qualifying Criteria:

• CASPA calculated BCP (Biology, Chemistry and Physics courses) GPA of 3.5 or higher
  Note: competitive applicants that have been accepted in the past typically hold a 3.7 + BCP GPA
• Completed prerequisite academic coursework
• Completed direct patient care experience (minimum of 250 hours but 3,000 – 4,000 hours is recommended)
• PA shadowing

Prerequisite Academic Requirements:

By the end of December (of the year prior to applying), complete at least 32 of the following required credits prior to application. All remaining required courses must be completed by May of the year of application.

For example, students planning on applying in 2027 should complete these by December of 2026.

AP Credits:

Advanced Placement (AP) or other pre-college credits do not fulfill these requirements. Students with AP credit for any of the courses listed below should plan on taking them at URI, or, taking the same topics at a higher level to show proficiency in the topics. However, prerequisites aren’t allowed to “double count”.

For example: students that have satisfied BIO 101 and 103 with AP credits, taking BIO 220 and 221 is a separate prerequisite and shouldn’t be used to show proficiency of Biology at a higher level. Consider taking advanced BIO or CMB courses with labs.

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Biology

• BIO 101 and BIO 103: Principles of Biology I and Lab 
• BIO 102 and BIO 104: Principles of Biology II and Lab 

Microbiology:

• CMB 201 and CMB 202: Introductory Medical Microbiology and Lab 
• or:
• CMB 211: Integrative Microbiology

Anatomy and Physiology 

• BIO 220 and BIO 221: Fundamentals of Human Anatomy and Physiology I and Lab 
• BIO 222 and BIO 223: Fundamentals of Human Anatomy and Physiology II and Lab 

Chemistry: 

Choose one of the following possible combinations (need a total of 8 credits; 2 semesters)

Combination 1: General Chemistry series

• CHM 101 and CHM 102: General Chemistry Lecture I and Lab
• CHM 112 and CHM 114: General Chemistry Lecture II and Lab 

Combination 2: Introductory Chemistry series:

• CHM 103 and CHM 105: Introductory Chemistry Lecture and Lab
• CHM 124 and CHM 126 Introduction to Organic Chemistry Lecture and Lab

Combination 3: Organic Chemistry series:

• CHM 227: Organic Chemistry Lecture I 
• CHM 226 and CHM 228: Organic Chemistry Lecture II and Lab 

Biochemistry:

• CMB 311: Introductory Biochemistry

Genetics:

• BIO/CMB 352: General Genetics 

Statistics:

• STA 307: Intro Biostatistics 
• or:
• STA 308: Intro Statistics 

Psychology:

• PSY 113: General Psychology 
• and/or:
• PSY 254: Introduction to Psychopathology 

Note: If AP credit has been awarded for Intro to Psychology, an upper level Psychology course will be acceptable.

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Direct Patient Care/Clinical Experience: 

While the minimum requirement for JWU’s PA program is 250 hours of direct patient care, their most recently admitted class had an average of 3,002 hours. 90% of all applicants have at least 1-2 growth years between undergrad and PA school to gain the required amount of direct patient care experience.

Most students will be more competitive applying 1-2+ year(s) after graduating from URI.

This is actually the more common timeline amongst most applicants and in most cases, beneficial.

Applicants need to have demonstrated clinical/direct patient care experience that includes consistent, hands-on interaction with patients, clients, or healthcare providers:

• This experience is a key component of a competitive application
• Substantive involvement in patient care or clinical settings, not just observation/shadowing
• For examples of direct patient care roles, review our PA prerequisite and experiential learning guide
• Guidelines for recommended amount of hours: 3,000 – 4,000 hours

Internships where students earned academic credit are not accepted.

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Shadowing:

While JWU does not list a minimum required number of shadowing hours, they strongly encourage applicants to shadow PA’s in a variety of settings (e.g., primary care, emergency medicine, surgical subspecialties). There is no minimum requirement, but we suggest trying to include 2-3 different specialties or settings to understand the wide variety of opportunities and fields you can practice in.

Where to look for shadowing opportunities:

• Hospital volunteer offices (especially community hospitals in Rhode Island)
• Private clinics with practicing PAs (ie: University Orthopedics)
• Alumni connections through URI or JWU
• The Rhode Island Academy of PAs (RIAPA) – ask about shadowing-friendly members

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Letter of Recommendation: 

You will need to obtain a minimum of three (3) letters of recommendation. You will ask your letter writers to submit these directly to your CASPA application in April, but you should begin requesting letters in February.

Guidelines on Letters:

• Ideally, one (1) of your evaluations must be from URI faculty who are familiar with your work from courses, research, or other academic activities (e.g., teaching or tutoring).
• The remaining 2-3 letters may come from individuals at URI or elsewhere who have supervised, mentored, or taught you and who can write in-depth about your personal attributes as they relate to health care practice.
• Ideally, this should include a Physician Assistant (PA) that you’ve worked under or shadowed for a period of time
• Letters from relatives, family friends, and peers should not be used

We recommend that you reach out early:

Connect with your letter writers right after you attend the JWU Virtual Information Session in February. Provide your letter writers with a deadline of April 1.

When requesting a letter of recommendation for your CASPA application, it’s important to be thoughtful, professional, and organized in your request.

How to ask for a letter of recommendation

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When should I apply?

Applying to PA schools is both competitive and demanding; financially, emotionally, and mentally. Our goal in Pre-Health Career Pathways is to help you apply when you are truly ready, which should be when your application reflects your strongest, most competitive self. 

Qualifying URI students and alumni are permitted to be nominated once through the articulation agreement.

While reapplying is sometimes necessary and can be successful, it’s best to avoid having to apply more than once. The application process can be time-consuming, expensive, and at times, stressful. If you do reapply, schools will expect you to show clear, significant improvement. That makes the second round even more challenging.

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JWU PATH Nomination Process: 

In order to be nominated, all applicants will follow a specific version of our Preparation and Application Towards Healthcare (PATH) process.

PATH is designed to help you assess your readiness to apply and that you have met the minimum requirements set by JWU. 

After participating in the PATH process, applicants that qualify will receive a nomination from URI’s Pre-Health Career Pathways. The nomination will be submitted to the admissions team at Johnson & Wales University. Applicants will select Johnson & Wales University as school choice in the CASPA application.

PATH consists of the following: 

1. Participating in a personal statement writing workshop in the Fall semester, and a virtual JWU Information Session in early Spring semester
2. Completing your PATH portfolio in Handshake
3. Receiving a nomination from Pre-Health Career Pathways 

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JWU PATH Timeline:

The event will be listed on Handshake and shared in the Pre-Health weekly newsletter.

At the end of the informational session, you will be asked to complete a JWU PATH Application survey in Handshake.

March – April: Initial Assessment Meeting with Pre-Health Career Pathways

This meeting is an opportunity for you to assess whether your academic and experiential preparation gives you a reasonable chance of success in the admission process for your chosen profession. 

Prior to this meeting, applicants should have done the following:

• Update Handshake profile with current and accurate experiences listed
• Complete the JWU PATH application in Handshake

May: JWU PATH Portfolio Due

Your PATH Portfolio needs to be completed in Handshake by May 15 (if the deadline falls on a weekend, please have completed by the following Monday). 

Your portfolio will provide Pre-Health Career Pathways with an understanding of who you are as a candidate and if you meet the requirements for the JWU articulation agreement. You will receive an email from Pre-Health Career Pathways about your eligibility and nomination status after May 15.

Your portfolio will be completed through Handshake. All students (and alumni) have access to Handshake using their URI Single Sign On username and password.

For alumni, follow this quick article on how to update your profile with your personal email address. 

Your portfolio will consist of the following: 

• Your completed Handshake profile, listing out all courses completed, projects, and detailing your experiences (clinical/direct patient care, volunteer, research, shadowing, on campus involvement/leadership and any other experiences)
• A completed PATH Competency Self-Assessment Handshake survey 
• Personal statement (PDF) 
• Resume or CV 
• Unofficial transcripts 

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Admission is contingent upon:  

• Final confirmation of eligibility is determined by the JWU PA admission committee based on information from nominees’ verified CASPA application and other supporting documentation
• A successful interview by a JWU Admissions interviewer. Interviews typically occur during the fall semester
• Fulfillment of all JWU requirements for admission into the Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies program
• If granted an offer of admission, it is understood that students must fulfill additional requirements for accepted applicants prior to matriculation (e.g. physical exam, criminal background check, Basic Life Support certification.) 

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