Salus Signs Two New Articulation Deals with Keystone College

Salus University has completed two new articulation agreements with Keystone College, one for a Doctor of Optometry (OD) degree program and the second for a Physician Assistant (PA) Studies Master of Medical Science degree program.

An articulation agreement is a formal partnership between two or more colleges and universities that provides an academic pathway for a student to receive one or more degrees, which is facilitated depending on the agreement

“It is our hope that this articulation agreement will help to inform students of the many options in  health sciences and provide a pathway for them to achieve their graduate or professional degree,” said Monica Maisto, MS, director of Admissions at Salus.

In the OD program, students who successfully complete a minimum of 90 semester credit pre-optometry curriculum at Keystone College with a 3.0 GPA or above may apply for admission to the University’s Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) Doctor of Optometry program.

The educational pathway is called the “3 + 4 degree program” and is comprised of two phases: the pre-optometry curriculum at Keystone College and the Doctor of Optometry program at Salus PCO. No seats are reserved, but it does guarantee an interview if minimum requirements are met.

To successfully complete the first phase, students must: (1) Complete the pre-optometry curriculum at Keystone College with a minimum of 90 semester hours of undergraduate education in prerequisite courses with a grade of C or better; AP courses are accepted only if college credit is awarded and appears  on the official undergraduate transcript; (2) Transfer students are eligible, but the majority of the required courses must be taken at Keystone; (3) International students are eligible for the program pending official documentation to study in the United States. An official foreign credential evaluation and English language proficiency exam may be required; (4) Maintain a GPA of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale; (5) Submit a completed application to the Optometry Centralized Application Service (OptomCAS) including scores results of the Optometry Admissions Test (OAT) and required letters of evaluation (scores of 300 or higher in each section of the OAT is recommended); (6) Shadow a practicing optometrist(s) in order to be familiar with the role of the optometric as a member of the healthcare team; and (7) Successful completion of an interview by the Salus Office of Admissions.

To be considered for admission into the Doctor of Optometry Program, a student must successfully complete Phase I and must then apply to the OD program by following the application procedures here.

In the PA program, students who successfully complete a minimum of 120 semester credit pre-physician assistant curriculum at Keystone College with a 3.5 GPA or above may apply for admission to the Salus Master of Medical Science in Physician Assistant Studies (MMS) degree program.

The educational pathway is called the “4 + 2 degree program” and is comprised of two phases: the student earning a Bachelor of Science degree at Keystone College, which includes a pre-physician assistant curriculum at Keystone and the Physician Assistant Studies Master of Medical Science degree program at Salus.  No seats are reserved, but it does guarantee an interview if minimum requirements are met.

To successfully complete Phase I, students must: (1) Complete the pre-physician assistant curriculum at Keystone, which must consist of a minimum of 120 semester hours of undergraduate education, including prerequisites with a grade of C or better. AP courses are accepted only if college credit is awarded by Keystone and appears on official undergraduate transcripts; (2) Transfer students are eligible, but the majority of the required courses must be taken at Keystone; (3) International students are eligible for the program pending official documentation to study in the United States. An official foreign credential evaluation and English language proficiency exam may be required; (4) Maintain a GPA of 3.5 or above on a 4.0 scale; (5) Submit a completed application to the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA), including scores results of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) and required letters of evaluation; (6) Complete the GRE with minimum quantitative, verbal and analytical writing scores greater than or equal to the 50th percentile. Score results should not be more than three years old; and (7) Acquire a minimum of 300 hours of direct patient care experience. This may be a volunteer and/or employment position; (8) Become familiar with the role of the PA as a member of the healthcare team by obtaining a minimum of 20 hours of PA shadowing is required; (9) Successful completion of an interview by the Salus Physician Assistant Department and Office of Admissions.

To be considered for admission into the Physician Assistant Program at Salus, a student must successfully complete Phase I and must then apply to the PA program by following the application procedures as described here no later than Aug. 1 of the intended entering year. 

“We are excited to begin this partnership with Keystone College and the Optometry and Physician Assistant programs here at Salus University. Both Salus and Keystone are dedicated to providing students with the highest quality education in order to enable them to accomplish their academic and professional goals,” said Maisto.