Founded in 1848, the University of Wisconsin-Madison is a public, nonsectarian institution with more than 42,000 undergraduate and graduate students. In 2010, "U.S. News and World Report" ranked the college 34th overall among all universities in the United States. The college offers a three-year Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS) degree, 90 percent of which is completed in a distance learning format. To qualify for the program, students must have a bachelor's degree in any field as well as previous coursework experience in anatomy, biochemistry, general chemistry, biology, psychology, zoology and statistics. Students spend one whole summer on the campus of the university and then visit the campus once per term for two to three days each semester for intensive, classroom-based courses. The first two years of the distance education component consist of online coursework and telecourses. During the final year of the program, students complete clinical training in a medical facility near their homes.
University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health
Health Sciences Learning Center
750 Highland Ave.
Room 1278
Madison, WI 53705
608-263-5620
fammed.wisc.edu
Located in Phoenix, the Arizona School of Health Sciences is a public institution specializing in medical and healthcare-related educational programs. "U.S. News and World Report" rated the college's physician assistant programs as the 26th best in the United States in 2007 (its most recent rankings as of July 2010). The college offers two distance education master's degree programs for licensed physician assistants: one for those who have a bachelor's degree and one for those who do not. Students in the distance education program can specialize in either clinical care or education and leadership. Forty credits of course work are necessary for the degree with all of the curriculum delivered in an online format. In addition, physician assistants must complete 400 internship hours to receive the degree. Typically, the university strives to place students near their homes for the internship portion of the program, effectively allowing them to complete all of the requirements for the master's while off-campus.
Arizona School of Health Sciences
5850 East Still Circle
Mesa, AZ 85206
480-219-6000
atsu.edu
In 2007, "U.S. News and World Report" ranked the University of Nebraska Medical Center as having the 14th best physician assistant program in the United States. The public institution is in the city of Omaha. The college offers a one-year master's degree program for licensed physician assistants with a bachelor's degree in the field who are currently employed as assistants. All of the coursework is completed online with students selecting classes from the continuing education curriculum offered by the school. Assistants also complete 800 hours of clinical training, but do so at their places of employment rather than in another setting. This allows students to complete the entire master's program without ever having to travel to the University of Nebraska Medical Center's campus.
University of Nebraska Medical Center
42nd and Emile
Omaha, NE 68198
402-559-4000
unmc.edu