Pitt's Physician Assistant Studies (PAS) program is committed to the development of highly qualified physician assistants who will serve as tomorrow’s leaders in the delivery of health care, patient education and professional service. Our curriculum prepares graduates to work collaboratively with other health care providers to deliver medical, surgical and preventive services, patient education and to coordinate patient care. Because of the PA student’s education in general medicine, our graduates have the unique flexibility to practice in a variety of medical, surgical and clinical settings.
Our PA program has a unique relationship with UPMC, one of the most renowned academic medical centers in the U.S. UPMC, an integrated health care delivery system focused on recruiting and retaining superb physicians and researchers, has developed internationally renowned centers in transplantation, cancer, neurosurgery, psychiatry, rehabilitation, geriatrics and women’s health, among others. UPMC also has invested significantly in information technology to link and integrate electronic medical records across hospitals and health care settings providing our students with a competitive advantage in the job market.
About
The two-year Master of Science degree program in Physician Assistant Studies prepares students to work as licensed health care professionals practicing primary and specialty patient care. Learn more about this career and Pitt's PA Studies Program.
Curriculum
The PAS curriculum consists of one year of didactic courses followed by a year of clinical experience, totaling 82 seminar & lab credits.
Clinical Education
Students complete nine clinical rotations during the second year of the PAS curriculum, including inpatient, outpatient and long-term care, and benefit from clinical precepting by residency trained physicians and PAs/NPs at the highly rated University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC).
Graduate Outcomes
Our graduate outcomes show that our students successfully pursue careers in a wide array of different medical specialties.
Program Accreditation
In March 2012, the University of Pittsburgh Physician Assistant Studies Program was awarded continuing accreditation through March 2018 by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA).