Master of Physician Assistant Studies

The Department of Physician Assistant Education within the School of Health Sciences trains physician assistants in the art and science of medicine throughout the 27-month, full-time graduate program. The Program, located on Pacific's Sacramento campus, matriculates 45 students each January.

What is a physician assistant?

Physician assistants (PAs) are healthcare professionals licensed to practice medicine with physician collaboration. In an interprofessional setting, Pacific PA students will become proficient in the full array of skills involved in completing medical histories, performing physical examinations, performing clinical skills and procedures, providing treatment, and counseling patients.

Pacific’s PA program provides numerous opportunities for interprofessional education through involvement with Pacific’s highly regarded health-related schools, the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, the Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy, and the School of Health Sciences through student clinical training experiences at community hospitals and clinics.

In addition to successfully completing their program, Pacific PA students are required to pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE) as required by regulatory agencies in order to enter into practice.

The ARC-PA has granted Accreditation-Provisional status to the University of the Pacific Master of Physician Assistant Studies Program sponsored by the University of the Pacific.

Accreditation-Provisional is an accreditation status granted when the plans and resource allocation, if fully implemented as planned, of a proposed program that has not yet enrolled students appear to demonstrate the program's ability to meet the ARC-PA Standards or when a program holding Accreditation-Provisional status appears to demonstrate continued progress in complying with the Standards as it prepares for the graduation of the first class (cohort) of students.

Accreditation-Provisional does not ensure any subsequent accreditation status. It is limited to no more than five years from matriculation of the first class.

The program's accreditation history can be viewed on the ARC-PA website (http://www.arc-pa.org/accreditation-history-university-of-the-pacific/).

Mission

The mission of the Physician Assistant Program at University of the Pacific is to provide students with a superior, learner-centered educational experience that will produce compassionate health care professionals committed to life-long learning and leadership in their careers and communities.

Vision

Our graduates will be leaders in transforming the delivery of health care.

Values

Excellence: producing superior quality work in academics and practice
Professionalism: demonstrating integrity and character in all aspects of life
Discovery: developing a passion for life-long learning and critical-thinking
Humanism: recognizing that every person deserves to be treated with respect and dignity
Service: displaying compassion by investing in others

The MPAS degree program is a full-time graduate level program with an integrated curriculum that contains both didactic and clinical educational experiences. The program is 27 months (7 academic semesters), starting with a year of didactic instruction followed by clinical application educational experiences and summative evaluation.

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Our admissions and recruitment strategy reflects the mission of the Program and is aligned with school policy on fair admission practices.

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Prior to the submission of an application to the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA), all of the admission requirements must be completed. Applications received that are incomplete or missing any of the prerequisites will be denied without opportunity for correction. See How to Apply for application deadlines.

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Review additional admissions requirements including Technical Standards, Health Requirements, Background Clearance, and more.

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Are you ready to apply?

Before you apply, make sure you meet all of the prerequisites and other admission requirements. Use our pre-application self-checklist now to see if you’re ready.

Pre-Application Self-Checklist (pdf)

Application Timelines

Matriculation:	January 2021
Application Window:	April 30, 2020 – Aug. 1, 2020
Interviews:	May – September 2020
Class Selection:	No later than Sept. 15, 2020
Expected Graduation:	April 2023

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Review matriculant data from our last three cohorts.

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Review current tuition and fees information for the MPAS program.

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Students enrolled in the MPAS Degree Program are governed by University and Program policies and procedures. Every attempt is made to provide a complete handbook that provides an accurate overview of the Program policies and curriculum. The University and Program reserve the right to modify the handbook during enrollment.

Meet the Master of Physician Assistant Studies Program's Faculty.

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Alumni Senate

The PA Alumni Senate is the governance body established to support and promote the advancement of the PA Program and development of the PA alumni community at Pacific.

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The inaugural class matriculated January 2017 and completed training in spring 2019. Data and metrics on the inaugural class are available here.

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Answers to your questions about the Master of Physician Studies Program.

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Certificates, Awards, and Honors for students, alumni, and preceptors.

Interested in visiting the MPAS program on the Sacramento Campus?

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Physician Assistant Photo Tour

Our Location

Located on the east side of the Sacramento Campus, the Physician Assistant Program occupies the 2nd Floor of the Muddox Building, a historic landmark in the heart of the historic Oak Park neighborhood in Sacramento.

Student Lounge

The Student Lounge offers a welcoming environment for students to relax, study, or work in small groups.

Student Lounge

The student lounge is equipped with soft seating, a business center, and kitchenette; students can feel at home as they spend their non-classroom hours on campus here.

Clinical Skills Lab

The Clinical Skills Lab is a flexible, multi-use space designed to approximate a wide variety of in-patient settings. Here students learn to apply medicine through procedures and group instruction. As a unique addition, students are taught point of care ultrasound examinations as they progress through the curriculum using state of the art equipment.

Clinical Skills Lab

Our high-fidelity mannequins allow students to train on high-acuity cases and transitions of care between healthcare settings.

Ambulatory Care Lab

The Ambulatory Care Lab, an eight-bed outpatient suite, features six oversized exam rooms and a procedure room; perfect for group or individual instruction. Outpatient examination rooms are also used as small group study rooms.

Ambulatory Care Lab

The Ambulatory Care Lab simulates out-patient clinical settings incorporating the use of a simulated EMR. In this setting, students are prepared for their first clinical exposures using Objective Simulated Clinical Examinations (OSCEs).

Clinical Skills Lab

Sterile technique is taught and practiced in the surgical area of the clinical skills lab.

Classroom

The large, flexible-use, divisible classroom is where students spend most of their time during the didactic phase of the curriculum.

Technology in the Classroom

Here, instructors use state-of-the-art curriculum delivery methods to engage students during lecture time. Equipped with lecture capture systems and distance education capabilities, this is what the modern classroom looks like.

Physican Assistant Studies Video Lab

Admissions Philosophy

Why do we do admissions? What is our admissions philosophy? Watch this brief video to find out more.

Admissions 101

What do you have to do to get in? The ultimate question for applicants! See Admissions Director Jed Grant answer this most-asked question.

CASPA

Do you know CASPA? The Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) is your one stop shop for applying to PA school. Watch this video for more information about application submission.

Admissions Policy Overview

Check out this quick overview of our admissions policies.