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Don't have a Bachelors but finished all the pre reqs


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Hey everyone, I don't know if this has been answered before BUT I am a Junior at Temple University and would like to apply for the 2014-15 cycle. PCOM called me and told me that they can't accept me because I don't have a bachelors degree before matriculating into their program. I feel like I am screwed and am running out of options. Anybody know any schools that accepts applicants without bachelors?

Thanks in advance!

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Guest MedLib42

Most PA programs are graduate programs that grant Masters degrees, and of course, the requirement to matriculate into a graduate program is that you've earned a Bachelors degree prior to the start date of the program. 

 

However, there are some undergrad PA programs that grant Bachelors degrees (there even used to be some Associate or cert programs, but I believe they've closed), and do require prerequisites but not a Bachelors degree. If I remember correctly, a lot of these programs are in New York State. I know one of them is Sophie Davis (City College of NY) in NYC. There are also some that offer combined Bachelors/Masters degrees all over the country, and those don't require prior Bachelors degrees either. However, I don't know which ones they are off the top of my head now - when I was applying, I went through and looked at every website for every school that was listed on the PAEA program directory, and made a chart of which ones were graduate and which ones were undergraduate programs. Unfortunately, I no longer have it :(

 

If you do some digging, you should be able to find programs that will accept you without a Bachelors. If I remember any more, I'll update my post.

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Guest MedLib42

Ah, here. You can search PAEA's program directory - on the left, under "Bachelors degree" select "Not required" and you'll get all the schools that don't require Bachelors degrees. There are 31 programs that come up that don't require a Bachelors.

 

You can also search by start month - there also appear to be approximately 30 or so programs that start in January.

 

Hope this helps!

 

http://directory.paeaonline.org/

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University of Tennessee in Memphis, Tennessee starts in January as well. As stated by MedLib42, I do believe some programs may accept without bachelors due to their own combined Bachelors/Masters program but seeing as how it's already September, it may benefit you more to apply next cycle, get your bachelor's, increase your volunteer/healthcare experience and become more competitive. Applying to schools can prove to be a big financial investment and you want to make sure you put your best foot forward so that you don't have to re-apply.

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Guest MedLib42

University of Tennessee in Memphis, Tennessee starts in January as well. As stated by MedLib42, I do believe some programs may accept without bachelors due to their own combined Bachelors/Masters program but seeing as how it's already September, it'd benefit you more to apply next cycle, get your bachelor's, increase your volunteer/healthcare experience and become more competitive. Applying to schools can prove to be a big financial investment and you want to make sure you put your best foot forward so that you don't have to re-apply.

 

Agreed, September can be a bit late in the game to start applying. If a school has rolling admissions you really need to apply in April when CASPA opens. You might have a chance if you apply to a school that doesn't use rolling admissions and has a deadline of mid-October or later; keep in mind filling out CASPA, getting transcripts sent, getting verified, having LORs entered, writing your personal statement, and doing supplementals (if required) can take a good month, in some cases much longer, so you want to make sure you have plenty of time prior to your school's deadline to start the application process.

 

So one of the first things you might want to do, if you find schools you're interested in that start in January or don't require Bachelors degrees, is check to see whether they use a rolling admissions policy, and when their application deadlines are. You might find a few with late deadlines, but you also might find that it will work out better to wait and apply next cycle.

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Ah, here. You can search PAEA's program directory - on the left, under "Bachelors degree" select "Not required" and you'll get all the schools that don't require Bachelors degrees. There are 31 programs that come up that don't require a Bachelors.

 

You can also search by start month - there also appear to be approximately 30 or so programs that start in January.

 

Hope this helps!

 

http://directory.paeaonline.org/

Thanks for the help guys!

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I would highly recommend taking a step back and asking yourself if you are ready to apply. There are a few things I want to address to help you make your decision. 

 

1. Most programs (not all) require applicants to have a bachelors degree. Some at the time you apply, others by the time you matriculate. 

 

2. There are programs that do not require bachelors and these programs typically do not offer a masters degree upon graduation. This is not an issue in regards to obtaining a license to practice as long as the program is accredited. 

 

3. You can research all program deadlines and start dates via the PA program directory at http://directory.paeaonline.org. There are January 2016 start programs but like what has been said above, a lot of deadlines have already passed or are coming up very soon. 

 

4. You want to make sure you meet all minimum requirements before applying, including bachelors degree, coursework, healthcare experience, GRE, etc. They vary by program and in most cases if you are only meeting minimums, it is difficult to receive an offer for interview. There are sometimes thousands of applicants to each program and there are a lot of outstanding applications. 

 

From your post it appears that you are 'in a rush' to apply and that is the worst time to apply because it often means applicants are not properly prepared. I would hate for it to be a waste of your time and money to have to possibly apply again because you are not meeting requirements and not conducting the proper research that is necessary to apply. 

 

Best of luck in your decision. 

 

Thanks,
Danielle

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