Curriculum
The PA Studies program curriculum combines didactic courses with clinical rotations to equip students with the necessary skills to become health care leaders as PAs at the end of the two-year program.
Each student must complete the program within five calendar years of their first day of class in their first term.
Program Competencies
- Competency 1: Diagnose, manage and prevent disease by integrating medical knowledge in the clinical care of the patient.
- Competency 2: Exhibit clinical reasoning and problem-solving to make evidence-based and patient-centered care decisions.
- Competency 3: Display adaptive interpersonal and communication skills necessary to the care of the patient and interaction with health care professionals.
- Competency 4: Select, perform and apply clinical skills in the care of the patient to include history taking, physical examination, interpretation of diagnostic tests and documentation.
- Competency 5: Select and perform and apply appropriate technical diagnostic and therapeutic skills in the care of the patient.
- Competency 6: Demonstrate behaviors of professionalism including integrity, accountability, collaboration and ethics as it pertains to PA practice.
Plan of Study
- The first three terms (12 total months) are made up of didactic instruction presented through a mix of:
- Traditional lectures (in-person and pre-recorded lectures)
- Out-of-the-classroom learning opportunities
- Case-based individual and group activities
- Hands-on skills labs
Instruction is provided by PAs and other health care providers who have expertise in their respective specialties and fields.
- The last three terms (12 total months) consist of Supervised Clinical Practice Experiences (SCPE) in:
- Internal Medicine
- Family Medicine
- Emergency Medicine
- Pediatrics
- Surgery
- Behavioral Health
- Obstetrical and Gynecological Medicine
- Electives
The PAS course “Transition to Professional Practice” must be completed within the final four months of the program, during the clinical year.
Students benefit from specialty instruction in:
- Point of care ultrasound (POCUS)
- Telemedicine
- Anatomy with cadaver lab
- Transgender and gender diverse curriculum in the clinical year and an opportunity for gender affirming medicine elective rotations
Didactic Component (Year 1)Â
All didactic courses are sequential and must be successfully completed in order to progress to the next term of the curriculum. Since each course in the program is offered only once during each academic year, any departure from completing a course in its planned sequence (e.g. failure to receive a passing grade of ‘C’ or better, leave of absence from the program) will result in a delay by retaking the course the following year, as well as delays in completing the program. Each student must complete the program within five calendar years of their first day of class in their first term.Â
Spring Term (15 Credits)
- Introduction to the Physician Assistant Profession
- Human Anatomy/Lab
- Health Policy
- Interpreting and Evaluating the Medical Literature
- Introduction to Clinical Medicine with Lab
- Medical Physiology and Pathophysiology
Summer Term (15 Credits)
- Genetic and Molecular Mechanisms of Health and Disease
- Patient Education & Counseling
- History Taking and Physical Examination 1/Lab
- Clinical Medicine 1/Lab
- Diagnostic & Therapeutic Procedures in Medicine 1/Lab
- Pharmacology 1
Fall Term (15 Credits)
- History Taking and Physical Examination 2/Lab
- Clinical Medicine 2/Lab
- Diagnostic & Therapeutic Procedures in Medicine 2/Lab
- Pharmacology 2
- Health Issues Across the Life Span
- Fundamentals of Surgery
Clinical Year (Year 2)
The order in which a student completes all of the below clinical courses may vary, so course numbers are not listed by discipline.
Learn more about the Supervised Clinical Practice Experiences and background check requirements.
Spring Term (12 Credits)
- Supervised Clinical Practice Experience 1
- Supervised Clinical Practice Experience 2
- Supervised Clinical Practice Experience 3
Summer Term (12 Credits)
- Supervised Clinical Practice Experience 4
- Supervised Clinical Practice Experience 5
- Supervised Clinical Practice Experience 6
Fall Term (13 Credits)
- Supervised Clinical Practice Experience 7
- Supervised Clinical Practice Experience 8
- Transition to Professional Practice
Transition to Professional PracticeÂ
This course will be taught by our clinical education faculty members, and it will incorporate the world-renowned experts and resources of the Winter Institute for Simulation, Education and Research (WISER) of UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh, among other state-of-the-art simulation and immersive learning technologies, as students progress through its learning activities. Â
The course combines instruction and immersive learning opportunities on practical issues as they relate to the practicing PA, especially the new graduates, with evaluation instruments that measure if and verify that the learner has met the learning outcomes of the program and has the knowledge, interpersonal skills, clinical and technical skills, professional behaviors, clinical reasoning and problem-solving abilities required for PA practice. This course includes a summative assessment of each student that must occur within four months of their graduation.Â
TOTAL PROGRAM CREDITS: 82
Accreditation
The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the Physician Assistant Studies program sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh. Accreditation-Continued is an accreditation status granted when a currently accredited program is in compliance with the ARC-PA Standards. Accreditation remains in effect until the program closes or withdraws from the accreditation process or until accreditation is withdrawn for failure to comply with the Standards. The date for the next validation review of the program by the ARC-PA will be September 9-10, 2027. The review date is contingent upon continued compliance with the Accreditation Standards and ARC-PA policy.
The program’s accreditation history can be viewed here: https://www.arc-pa.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Accreditation-History-Univ-of-Pittsburgh-113.pdf