About the program
The Point Loma Nazarene University PA program is described in PAEA's published program data; full curriculum details, faculty, and admissions cycle specifics are maintained on the program's own website.
From the program's mission statement: "The mission of the Point Loma Nazarene University Department of Physician Assistant Education is to produce competent, professional clinicians who practice evidence-based medicine, demonstrate cultural sensitivity, and manifest their faith through service to the community."
Symptom-based curriculum in a rich multicultural learning environment with a service mission to our borderlands population.
Matriculant data
Actual stats for students who enrolled in the most recently reported cohort, sourced from PAEA's published program data.
Admission policies
Out-of-state applicants are accepted. International applicants: yes, with exceptions. please visit the program's website. DACA status applicants are considered. Distance learning is not offered. Part-time enrollment is not available.
Prerequisite coursework
Recency: No Requirement
Program overview
Point Loma Nazarene University offers a 28-month Master of Science in Medicine through its Department of Physician Assistant Education, with an inaugural cohort beginning September 2027. The program currently holds Provisional ARC-PA accreditation status, which applicants should factor into their decision-making. Out-of-state and international applicants are accepted, though international applicants should consult the program's website for applicable exceptions.
The program's mission centers on producing clinically competent, evidence-based practitioners who demonstrate cultural sensitivity and express their faith through community service. This is not an incidental value statement - the curriculum is explicitly built around a symptom-based approach within a multicultural learning environment, with a stated service mission to the borderlands population near San Diego. Applicants who are drawn to cross-cultural medicine and community-oriented practice, particularly in underserved or border-adjacent communities, will find the program's emphasis directly relevant to their goals. Instruction is structured around case-based, team-based, and organ or systems-based learning methodologies, which tend to reward applicants who are self-directed and comfortable working collaboratively.
The entering class averages a 3.8 overall and science GPA, though the program sets its minimums at 3.0 across overall, science, and prerequisite coursework. There is no time limit on prerequisites. Required coursework includes six credits of general chemistry with lab, three credits each of human anatomy, human physiology, microbiology, and statistics. The patient care bar sits at 1,000 hours of direct patient care, and those hours must be paid - volunteer or observational experience does not satisfy this requirement. Healthcare experience beyond direct patient care is also required. The gap between minimum qualifications and the actual matriculant profile suggests that competitive applicants will need GPAs well above the floor.
The program accepts 34 students per cohort and uses a rolling admissions process with an application deadline of October 1, 2026. Because applications are reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis, submitting early in the cycle carries a meaningful practical advantage. Three letters of reference are required. Interviews include both traditional and group formats and are not required to be conducted onsite.
Total tuition runs $143,582 with no differentiation between in-state and out-of-state rates, and a seat deposit of $1,500 is required upon acceptance. There is no part-time option and no distance learning component, so applicants must be prepared to commit fully and relocate to the San Diego area if needed.
An applicant weighing this program should honestly assess both their alignment with its faith-based, border-community service mission and their comfort enrolling in a provisionally accredited program during its inaugural cohort.