Physician Assistant MS
The role of physician assistants in the health system continues to grow in both value and need. Since 2011, the University of Bridgeport Physician Assistant Institute has offered the Physician Assistant master’s (MS) degree program in order to address this demand by providing a preventative approach to medicine.
Pursuing your degree at the Physician Assistant Institute allows you to take advantage of the following benefits:
- Curriculum that emphasizes global health and preventive medicine
- Small class sizes that allow you to work closely with our diverse faculty
- On-site cadaver lab
- Integrative medicine approach to care
- 28-month schedule and January start date
PANCE Performance
The University of Bridgeport PA Program is proud of the record of success our graduates have achieved as first-time takers of the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE). The program’s five-year average for first-time pass rates is 98%, well above national comparisons of 95%. View our NCCPA official 5-year report.
Attrition and Graduation Rates
View Physician Assistant Student Attrition and Graduation Rates (pdf)
Accreditation
The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the University of Bridgeport Physician Assistant Program sponsored by University of Bridgeport. 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remains in effect until the program closes or withdraws from the accreditation process or until accreditation is withdrawn for failure to comply with the Standards.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 approximate date for the next validation review of the program by the ARC-PA will be September 2023. The review date is contingent upon continued compliance with the Accreditation Standards and ARC-PA policy.
The program’s accreditation history can be viewed on the ARC-PA website.
Program Prerequisites
Admission requirements must be completed at the time of application. Applicants may apply with one prerequisite course which meets requirements in progress if it will be completed prior to matriculation.
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution
- Overall cumulative GPA or 3.0 or higher
- Overall science GPA of 3.0 or higher
- Required coursework: taken within the last ten years, with a "C" or better, from an accredited school. English, Statistics, and Psychology must be within the last 15 years. Quarter credits will be converted to semester credits by CASPA, using their conversion ratio (1.0 quarter hour = 0.667 semester hours)
- Anatomy and Physiology with labs: 8 credits. Must include labs. Must be human or mammalian. Acceptable courses include 4 credits of physiology with lab plus 4 credits of anatomy with lab, OR 8 credits of “Anatomy and Physiology” with labs
- Biology with lab: 4 credits. Must include lab. (see additional microbiology requirement below)
- Chemistry with labs: 8 credits. Must include labs. General/inorganic chemistry. One semester may be replaced by an upper level chemistry with lab. (see additional organic or biochemistry requirement below)
- Microbiology: 3 credits. Lab not required. (this is in addition to the other biology requirement)
- Organic chemistry or biochemistry: 3 credits. Lab not required. (this is in addition to the other chemistry requirement)
- English: 3 credits. must be offered by English or Writing departments
- Psychology: 3 credits
- Statistics: 3 credits
- Admission FAQ
- 750 hours of direct patient care experience
*The University of Bridgeport PA program does not favor any specific group or individuals, however the most desirable applicants will show evidence of: GPAs above the minimum requirements; a rigorous and successful undergraduate and prerequisite academic career; a personal mission that aligns with the program mission; a strong understanding of the PA profession; excellent self-awareness and interpersonal skills; direct patient care experience that exceeds the minimum requirement and is of high quality (hands-on contact with patients and/or high level decision making in a medical environment).
Required Materials
Please submit all materials below to the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA). No applications or supplemental materials will be accepted by the University of Bridgeport directly. Application deadline is August 1 (see important details below in "deadline" section):
- Application
- Official transcripts from all schools attended
- Three letters of recommendation
- Preferred sources include a clinical supervisor, a healthcare provider with whom you have had a professional relationship, an academic professor, or an employer.
- CASPA personal statement
- Supplemental essays for University of Bridgeport
- Document duties for patient care experiences and health care experiences accurately and in detail. Adequate clinical hours must be submitted at the time of application. Hours earned after submission of the application will not be reviewed.
- All admitted students will be subject to a background check and drug screen, conducted by a secure third party, prior to matriculation. All information is maintained confidentially.
- Interview by invitation only
- For the 2022-23 cycle, the UB PA program recommends that applicants take the PA-CAT exam. This is not a requirement for admission, nor will the result be utilized in making any admission decisions
Program Highlights
The UB PA Institute is proud of its students, faculty, alumni, curriculum, and resources. Some of our highlights are listed here:
- On-site cadaver lab
- Simulation lab
- Standardized patient program
- Small class size and diverse faculty backgrounds
- Curriculum that emphasizes patient-centered, culturally-sensitive care
Deadlines
- August 1 for January start.
Applications must be VERIFIED by CASPA by 11:59pm ET on August 1. Applications can only be verified once all payments, transcripts, and letters of evaluation have been received by CASPA.
**To ensure an application is verified on time, the application should be completed at least four weeks before the deadline**
Apply through CASPA starting in April for the following January. On-campus interviews commence in August.
Additional questions?
- Phone1?800?392?3582
- Emailadmit@bridgeport.edu
Nondiscrimination/ Title IX Policy
First-generation college students
erm 1
MSPA 551 History and Physical Exam I with Lab
MSPA 565 Integrative Medicine & Practice
MSPA 575 Global Health and Preventive Medicine
Total: 18 credits
Term 2
MSPA 534 Correlative Medicine I
MSPA 552 History and Physical Exam II with Lab
Total: 20 credits
Term 3
MSPA 533 Clinical Medicine III
MSPA 542 Correlative Medicine II
MSPA 556 Patient Education, Nutrition & Counseling
MSPA 591 Technical Skills with Lab
MSPA 574 Medical Ethics & Professional Practice
Total: 19 credits
Term 4
MSPA 602 Information Literacy and Medical Writing
MSPA 622 Internal Medicine Clerkship
Total: 17 credits
Term 5
MSPA 625 Emergency Medicine Clerkship
Total: 13.5 credits
Term 6
MSPA 626 Obstetrics and Gynecology Clerkship
MSPA 627 Family Medicine Clerkship
MSPA 628 Behavioral Health Clerkship
Total: 13.5 credits
Term 7
MSPA 630 Special Populations Selective Clerkship
MSPA 695 Graduate Practice Logistics
Total: 12 credits
Total: 113 credits
Advanced Standing for PA students
University of Bridgeport Physician Assistant students have the opportunity to earn advanced standing in the MS in Nutrition program for several PA courses. The required core courses in the nutrition program will be taken after completion of PA program.
PA/MS Nutrition Program Details
Physician Assistant Goals and Outcomes
Program Goals
Recruit qualified applicants from a variety of backgrounds and experiences.
Graduate physician assistants that successfully function as members of various healthcare teams.
Maintain accreditation with ARC-PA.
Maintain an average overall graduation rate of 95% or greater.
Program Competencies
Graduates of the University of Bridgeport Physician Assistant Institute will be able to demonstrate competence in the following areas:
- PO1: Accurately elicit and interpret an appropriate comprehensive or problem-focused history from patients of any age and gender identity in a variety of settings. (MK, ICS, PC, PROF)
- PO2: Accurately perform an appropriate comprehensive or problem-focused physical examination and interpret examination findings of patients of any age and gender identity in a variety of settings. (MK, ICS, PC, PROF)
- PO3: Utilize pertinent patient data and diagnostic interpretation to formulate a differential diagnosis and patient-centered management plan. (MK, ICS, PROF)
- PO4: Demonstrate effective written and oral communication skills to all members of the health care team, patients and families. (ICS, PC, PROF)
- PO5: Apply critical thinking skills, basic and clinical science knowledge, and analysis of research to facilitate medical decision making and solve complex clinical problems. (MK, PBL)
- PO6: Utilize clinical and financial resources prudently to support patient care decisions in a variety of local and global health care systems. (SBL)
- PO7: Provide care to diverse patient populations and demonstrate sensitivity to culture, age, gender identity, race/ethnicity and disability. (PC, PROF, ICP)
- PO8: Counsel and educate for disease prevention and health promotion minimizing barriers to care by consideration of health literacy, belief systems, and socioeconomic status. (ICS, PC)
- PO9: Understand the role of the PA profession and adhere to professional and ethical standards in providing patient care. (PROF, PC)
- PO10: Acknowledge and understand patient preferences in utilization of integrative and cultural practitioners. (PC, PROF, SBP)
- PO11: Identify ways to improve health equity and manage the health of populations. (SBL, PC, PBL)
- PO12: Accurately perform the necessary technical skills for clinical practice and identify associated indications, contraindications, outcomes and complications. (MK, PC)
- PO13: Identify the roles of various providers in the healthcare team and work collaboratively within inter-professional teams. (ICS, SBL)
- Definitions of the abbreviations are as follows: Medical Knowledge (MK), Interpersonal & Communication Skills (ICS), Patient Care (PC), Professionalism (PROF), Practice-based Learning & Improvement (PBL) and Systems-based Practice (SBP). Abbreviations are based on the Competencies for the Physician Assistant Profession.
