PA-About the Program

About the Pre-Physician Assistant Studies Program

Through a unique partnership with Albany Medical College, ACP provides a pathway to a Master's-level program in Physician Assistant Studies for students pursuing a Clinical Laboratory Sciences concentration in our Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Technology program.

Our academic affiliation with Albany Medical College allows a select group of entering freshmen concurrent admission to ACP and AMC's Physician Assistant Studies program. Once accepted into the program, students must carry a full course load during their undergraduate studies while maintaining a minimum GPA of a 3.2 each semester at ACP to assure subsequent matriculation into AMC's program. The Graduate Record Examination will be waived for qualified students in this program.

The primary advantages of this pathway for admission to AMC's Center for Physician Assistant Studies include:

An integrated undergraduate and graduate experience as students work with faculty

advisors from both ACP and AMC during their undergraduate years

Dual certification as a Clinical Laboratory Specialist through the American Society of

Clinical Pathology and as a Physician Assistant

A reduction of total time to the completion of both degrees (six years versus seven

years)

The ability to obtain the Early Health Care Experience required for admission to

AMC as part of the B.S. curriculum at ACP

Students in the ACP-AMC partnership program will spend 3½ years at ACP and 2½ years at AMC. Upon completion of the program, graduates will hold a B.S. in Biomedical Technology with a concentration in Clinical Laboratory Sciences from ACP, preparing them to take the national certification examination required for a career in this diagnostic laboratory field if they choose. Graduates also will hold a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies and be prepared for the national certification exam and licensure.