Physician Assistant Science, Master of Physician Assistance Science (Pending Accreditation)

Department of Clinical and Diagnostic Science
433 Meadow Brook Rd (map)
Rochester, MI 48309-4452
248-364-8679
pascience@oakland.edu

Program Director:
Constance Burke, Associate Professor
caburke2@oakland.edu

Program description

Master of Physician Assistant Science (MPAS) is a professional graduate program in the Department of Clinical and Diagnostic Science, which prepares individuals for licensure and entry into the physician assistant profession. PAs diagnose illness, develop and manage treatment plans, prescribe medications, and often serve as a patient’s principal healthcare provider. The PA profession is committed to improving healthcare access and quality.

Admission winter 2026

The MPAS application opens on May 1, 2025, and will remain open until September 1, 2025. The application can be found on the MPAS website at https://oakland.edu/shs/clinical-and-diagnostic-sciences/master-of-physician-assistant-science/

Applications will be reviewed following closure of the application with interviews anticipated in October, 2025. Pending accreditation, the MPAS program with matriculate its inaugural class in January, 2026.

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Oakland University has applied for Accreditation-Provisional from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). Oakland University anticipates matriculating its first class in October 2024, pending achieving Accreditation-Provisional status at the June 2024 ARC-PA meeting. 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.

Degree requirements

To fulfill the degree requirements, a student must complete 100 credits in an approved program of study. The program is 28 months in length with 16 months of didactic instruction and 12 months of clinical education.

Course requirements (100 credits)

a. Core requirements (60 credits)

Didactic Courses - 4 semesters, 60 credit hours

Semester 1 (15 credits)
PAS 5010 - Anatomical Science (5 credits)
PAS 5020 - Foundations in Medical Science (4 credits)
PAS 5040 - Psychosocial Factors in Medicine (2 credits)
PAS 5050 - Public Health Service (2 credits)
PAS 5060 - Physician Assistant Professional Practice (2 credits)
Semester 2 (15 credits)
PAS 5110 - Clinical Medical Science and Reasoning I (5 credits)
PAS 5120 - Pharmacology I (2 credits)
PAS 5130 - Patient Assessment Across the Lifespan I (4 credits)
PAS 5140 - Diagnostic Sciences I (2 credits)
PAS 5150 - Ethics and Evidence Based Medicine (2 credits)
Semester 3 (15 credits)
PAS 5210 - Clinical Medical Science and Reasoning II (5 credits)
PAS 5220 - Pharmacology II (2 credits)
PAS 5230 - Patient Assessment Across the Lifespan II (4 credits)
PAS 5240 - Diagnostic Sciences II (2 credits)
PAS 5250 - Trends in Medicine and Wellness (2 credits)
Semester 4 (15 credits)
PAS 5310 - Clinical Medical Science and Reasoning III (5 credits)
PAS 5320 - Pharmacology III (2 credits)
PAS 5330 - Patient Assessment Across the Lifespan III (4 credits)
PAS 5340 - Diagnostic Sciences III (2 credits)
PAS 5360 - Infectious Disease Principles (2 credits)

b. Clinical requirements (40 credits)

Clinical Courses - 3 semesters, 1 year, 40 credit hours

PAS 6100 - Clinical Practicum I (12 credits)
PAS 6900 - PA Science Capstone I (1 credit)
PAS 6200 - Clinical Practicum II (16 credits)
PAS 6910 - PA Science Capstone II (1 credit)
PAS 6300 - Clinical Practicum III (8 credits)
PAS 6920 - PA Science Capstone III (2 credits)

Satisfactory academic progress

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is the term used to denote a student’s successful completion of coursework toward a certificate or degree. Federal regulations require the Office of Financial Aid to monitor Satisfactory Academic Progress for all financial aid recipients each semester.

Students who fall behind in their coursework, or fail to achieve minimum standards for grade point average and completion of classes, may lose their eligibility for all types of federal, state and university aid. Contact the Office of Financial Aid for additional details.

Good academic standing

All graduate students are expected to remain in good academic standing throughout the entire course of their graduate program. To be in good academic standing, a graduate student must make satisfactory progress toward fulfilling degree requirements, including the completion of critical degree milestones as set forth by the academic program. The student must also maintain a minimum semester and overall GPA of 3.0 (B) or better.

Good academic standing is a requirement for:

Holding a Graduate Assistantship
Receiving a fellowship or scholarship
Advancing to candidacy for a graduate degree
Going on a leave of absence
Obtaining a graduate certificate or degree from Oakland University.

Additionally, graduate students must meet all department academic standards which may be more stringent than the minimum set forth by the University.

Graduate students who are not in good academic standing for any reason are subject to probation and/or dismissal from further graduate study.

Related program information

Plan of study

All accepted applicants, in consultation with their assigned faculty program adviser, must develop a plan of study that details specific courses the students will use to satisfy their degree requirements. The plan of study must be approved by the faculty program adviser and submitted by the student to Oakland University Graduate School.

Master’s and graduate certificate students must submit a department-approved plan of study by the end of their first semester of graduate coursework. Doctoral students must submit an approved plan of study prior to completion of the first year of coursework. (See the Graduate Student Responsibility section of this catalog.)

Note: Credit granted for successful completion of a course toward an undergraduate degree program may not be repeated for a graduate degree. If a substitution is approved, the minimum number of program-approved graduate credits will be required. A Petition of Exception - OU Course Waiver/ Substitution requesting the substitution must be approved.