View Requirements

The first step in the admissions process is to ensure you are on track to complete the course prerequisites and application requirements in time to apply for your preferred year of entry. 

Prerequisite	Qualifier	Semester Units	Quarter Units	Human Anatomy and Human Physiology must be completed by December 31st of the year prior to when you plan to enter WesternU. All prerequisites must be completed at a regionally accredited U.S. institution (exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis) or its equivalent All prerequisites must be completed with a grade of “C” or better (a grade of “C-” or lower is not acceptable) No more than one science and one non-science prerequisite can be in progress after December 31st of the year prior to when you plan to enter WesternU. Introductory-level courses in the sciences are not accepted (e.g., courses taken in the sciences for non-science majors) All prerequisites must be completed by the end of the spring term of the year you plan to enter WesternU Advanced placement, transfer of credit, CLEP examination, credit/no credit, pass/no pass or credit for experiential learning is not recognized by the program as meeting prerequisites. All coursework taken from non-US institutions (including Canada) must be submitted to an approved service for evaluation  You are required to list all college coursework (including foreign coursework) on your CASPA application For those entering Fall 2012 and later, labs must be on-campus and/or in class.  Online labs will not be accepted to satisfy the prerequisite. A baccalaureate degree obtained from an educational institution that confers degrees solely based on acquiring prior community or other college credits (or a majority thereof) may not be accepted
College English & English Composition	Must be a full-year course sequence English as a Second Language (ESL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL) courses will not satisfy this prerequisite Must be taken from the English Department. If your school does not have an English Department, we may accept courses from the Humanities or Literature Departments Literature courses may be accepted on a case-by-case basis Must be taken at a regionally accredited U.S. institution	6	8
College Algebra	Pre-Calculus, Calculus, Geometry or Trigonometry courses may be accepted in place of a College Algebra course	3	4
Human Anatomy w/ Lab	If anatomy and physiology are combined, we will accept a minimum of 5 semester units Must be taken out of the Anatomy & Physiology, Anatomy, Physiology, Biology or Zoology Department Must have been completed no more than seven years prior to application deadline at WesternU (i.e. 2006 & later for Fall 2014 application cycle) Must be satisfactorily completed by December 31st of the year prior to entering WesternU (i.e. December 31, 2013 for the class entering August 2014) For those entering Fall 2012 and later, labs must be on-campus and/or in class. Online labs will not be accepted to satisfy the prerequisite.	3	4
Human Physiology w/ Lab	If anatomy and physiology are combined, we will accept a minimum of 5 semester units Must be taken out of the Anatomy & Physiology, Anatomy, Physiology, Biology or Zoology Department Must have been completed no more than seven years prior to application deadline at WesternU (i.e. 2006 & later for Fall 2014 application cycle)  Must be satisfactorily completed by December 31st of the year prior to entering WesternU (i.e. December 31, 2013 for the class entering August 2014) For those entering Fall 2012 and later, labs must be on-campus and/or in class. Online labs will not be accepted to satisfy the prerequisite.	3	4
Microbiology w/ Lab	May not be an introductory course Must have been completed no more than seven years prior to application deadline at WesternU (i.e. 2006 & later for Fall 2014 application cycle) For those entering Fall 2012 and later, labs must be on-campus and/or in class. Online labs will not be accepted to satisfy the prerequisite.	3	4
General or Inorganic Chemistry w/ Labs	Must be a full year sequence of lecture and lab General Chemistry with organic and biochemistry combinations will not satisfy this prerequisite Must have been completed no more than seven years prior to application deadline at WesternU (i.e. 2006 & later for Fall 2014 application cycle) For those entering Fall 2012 and later, labs must be on-campus and/or in class. Online labs will not be accepted to satisfy the prerequisite.	6	12
Genetics	Lab is not required Must have been completed no more than seven years prior to application deadline at WesternU (i.e. 2006 & later for Fall 2014 application cycle)	3	4
Psychology	Must be a general or introductory course	3	4
Sociology	Must be a general or introductory course	3	4
Humanities	This may include courses such as art, music, ethics, philosophy, foreign languages and religion	9	12
Introductory Statistics	Preferably taken from the Math or Statistics Department. If taken from another department please contact the Admission Office	3	4
Spanish		0	0

If you’d like to find out whether the courses you’ve taken or plan to take will satisfy WesternU’s MSPA prerequisites you can:

 

• search the prerequisite database by institution.
• if your courses aren't listed in the database and you have numerous course questions, or simply wish to lay out your coursework you may instead print and submit an academic worksheet.
  • Note: academic worksheets are available April - August and will be reviewed during this time only

Admission Requirements

Should you be accepted into the MSPA program, you will be required to provide proof of the required health screenings and immunizations. Additionally, your admission into the program will be contingent upon a satisfactory criminal background check, which is to be completed and submitted prior to orientation. The background check is required to verify that your history is consistent with the University's Standards of Professional Conduct, and to ensure that you will be qualified to participate in the required clinical education experiences. A satisfactory criminal background check indicates no criminal history or satisfactory review of a criminal conviction without limitation; both misdemeanor and felony charges will be reviewed. If your background check is not considered “satisfactory”, you may have limited clinical site selection, may not be eligible for licensure or may have difficulty finding employment upon graduation. Supplemental or additional background checks may be required during the course of the educational program to meet the requirements of clinical education sites. For more detail on these requirements, please review the MSPA FAQ's page.

Make Yourself a Competitive Candidate 
Admission to the program is extremely competitive so you should strive to not only meet, but exceed the minimum requirements. To get a feel for the competitiveness of the applicant pool we recommend that you review last year's entering class statistics and read what the admissions committee recommends you do to maximize your candidacy.

Preparing and Submitting your Application
The apply now page will provide you with step-by-step instructions and an application checklist. There are a number of supporting materials that make up your completed application and it is essential that you print and carefully follow the application checklist to ensure that you properly submit these pieces by the deadline. Applicants must ensure that their supplemental application is submitted on or before the December 1st deadline in order to be considered.

We are happy to answer your questions as you navigate through the application process,
so please do not hesitate to contact us if we can help.