College of Graduate Studies

Program Requirements

Plan of Study

The Physician Assistant Program Plan of Study is as follows. Descriptions for each course can be found in the catalog. (Please note, all course occur in sequence until the start of the clinical rotation courses. These courses are listed in numerical order are typically taken out of numerical sequence. For example, a student may be on a General Surgery Clinical Rotation during Semester 4. The order of the clinical rotations will be determined by site availability each month. Student preferences are taken into account, as much as is possible, when scheduling rotations.)

Semester 1: Fall
PHYA 601: Professional Seminar I (2 credits)
PHYA 603: Clinical Anatomy I (2 credits)
PHYA 606: Clinical Medicine I ( 4 credits)
PHYA 614: Clinical Pathophysiology I (2 credits)
PHYA 625: Clinical Skills I (4 credits)
PHYA 633: Behavioral Medicine I (2 credits)
PHYA: 641: Clinical Pharmacotherapeutics I (2 credits)
Total Credits: 18

Semester 2: Spring
PHYA 602: Professional Seminar II (1 credit)
PHYA 604: Clinical Anatomy II (2 credits)
PHYA 607: Clinical Medicine II (4 credits)
PHYA 615: Clinical Pathophysiology II (2 credits)
PHYA 626: Clinical Skills II (4 credits)
PHYA 634: Behavioral Medicine II ( 2 credits)
PHYA 638: Research & Evidence-Based Practice (2 credits)
PHYA 642: Clinical Pharmacotherapeutics II (2 credits)
Total Credits: 19

Semester 3: Summer
PHYA 605: Clinical Anatomy III (2 credits)
PHYA 608: Clinical Medicine III (4 credits)
PHYA 616: Clinical Pathophysiology III (2 credits)
PHYA 627: Clinical Skills III (2 credits)
PHYA 643: Clinical Pharmacotherapeutics III (1 credit)
PHYA 651: Introduction to Master’s Project I (1 credit)
Total Credits: 12

Semester 4: Fall
PHYA 609: Clinical Medicine IV (2 credits)
PHYA 628: Clinical Skills IV (4 credits)
PHYA 650: Applied Ethics in Healthcare (3 credits)
PHYA 652: Introduction to Master’s Project II (1 credit)
PHYA 701: Internal Medicine Clinical Rotation (3 credits)
PHYA 702: Primary Care Clinical Rotation (3 credits)
Total Credits: 16

Semester 5: Spring
PHYA 653: Introduction to Master’s Project III (1 credit)
PHYA 703: Medicine I Clinical Rotation (3 credits)
PHYA 704: Medicine II Clinical Rotation (3 credits)
PHYA 705: Pediatric Medicine Clinical Rotation (3 credits)
PHYA 706: Women’s Health Clinical Rotation (3 credits)
PHYA 707: General Orthopedics Clinical Rotation (3 credits)
Total Credits:16

Semester 6: Summer
PHYA 654: Introduction to Master’s Project IV (1 credit)
PHYA 708: General Surgery Clinical Rotation (3 credits)
PHYA 709: Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Clinical Rotation (3 credits)
PHYA 710: Emergency Medicine Clinical Rotation (3 credits)
Total Credits: 10

Semester 7: Fall
PHYA 711: Elective Clinical Rotation I (3 credits)
PHYA 712: Elective Clinical Rotation II (3 credits)
PHYA 721: Master’s Capstone (4 credits)
Total Credits: 10

Student Progress

To remain in good programmatic standing in the PA Program, the student must:

Maintain a semester (most recently completed semester) and cumulative GPA of 3.0. A cumulative GPA less than 3.0 will result in University Academic Probation.
Earn a minimum grade of C in all courses and clinical rotations. Any grade below a C is considered failing.
Exhibit satisfactory evidence of professional behaviors, technical standards, and interpersonal skills as outlined in the PA Student Handbook.
Have a passing grade on all proficiency exams (OSCEs, check sheets) as determined by the faculty instructor.

Failure to achieve the above criteria shall be grounds for action by the Student Evaluation and Promotion Committee (SEPC). Actions can include probation, tutoring, remediation, or dismissal from the Program.

Programmatic Probation

A student will be placed on programmatic academic probation for either of the following:

Having a cumulative GPA below 3.0 or a semester GPA below 3.0.
Earning a failing course grade at any time regardless of overall GPA.

A student will be placed on programmatic professional probation for the following:

Unsatisfactory evidence of professional behaviors, lack of attention to technical standards, failure to adhere to the attendance policy, and poor interprofessional skills as outlined by the PA Student Handbook.
Professional probation does not expire at the end of a semester. A student placed on professional probation will remain on probation until graduation, as long as the student is compliant with his or her probationary contract. Failure to adhere to the contract/requirements of probation may result in further disciplinary action up to dismissal from the program.

Cumulative GPA Below 3.0 – University Academic Probation
Any student with a cumulative GPA of less than 3.0 will be placed on Academic Probation for the length of time it takes the student to raise it above 3.0. The student must maintain a semester GPA of 3.0 while on probation or they will be dismissed from the program. Any student on probation must meet with their faculty advisor and be enrolled in the Pathways for Academic Success (PASS) program with Student Affairs.

Failure to Achieve Course Competencies
Students must achieve all competencies in sequence with the plan of study. A student must earn a grade of C or better in each course to achieve the competencies mapped to the course. If the course instructor identifies that a student cannot pass the course with a grade of C or better, the student will be assigned an incomplete grade at the end of the course. The student will be placed on programmatic academic probation for the remainder of the program and will be required to remediate the course over a 2 to 3-week period. A student cannot progress to the next semester without proof of achievement of competencies according to the plan of study. Course remediation objectives and evaluation will be determined by the PA Program Curriculum Committee. By the conclusion of the remediation period, the student must demonstrate course competencies as determined by the Curriculum Committee. Successful remediation of the course requires at least a score of 70 percent. The official grade assigned to the course upon successful remediation will be a C. Unsuccessful remediation of the course will result in a course failure and dismissal from the program. Remediation is only allowed for a single course. If a student warrants remediation of a second course (in the same semester or subsequent semester) the student will be dismissed from the program.

Background Check and Self-Reporting

Students are required to complete a background check at the start of the PA program. Some clinical sites will require an updated background check within a certain timeframe of the start of the clinical rotation. All background checks will be at the cost of the student.

Students are required to self-report any legal misconduct, pending charges, or violations of institutional policy at the time they are made aware of such allegations. A failure to self-report actions that occur after the initial background check may be viewed as a violation of the professionalism policy of the program, and the student will be referred to SEPC.

Dismissal

A student will be dismissed from the program for any of the following:

Failure of any course.
Earning a GPA below 3.0 in any semester while on university or programmatic probation.
Exhibiting unprofessional behavior.

Student Evaluation and Promotion Committee (SEPC)

The SEPC committee is charged with ensuring compliance with the above academic and professional policies. The committee considers specific deficiencies on a case by case basis with consideration of the student’s overall academic, clinical, and professional performance. SEPC provides a written report detailing the specific nature of deficiencies and the rationale for recommendation to the Program Director, who will make the final decision. The student may appeal the decision as outlined in the Graduate Academic Policies.

Contact Us