Accreditation

Accreditation Status

The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the Medical University of South Carolina Physician Assistant Program sponsored by Medical University of South Carolina. 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remains in effect until the program closes or withdraws from the accreditation process or until accreditation is withdrawn for failure to comply with the Standards.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 2033. The review date is contingent upon continued compliance with the Accreditation Standards and ARC-PA policy. More information regarding Accreditation Standards can be found here: http://www.arc-pa.org/accreditation-history-medical-university-of-sc/

Attrition

	Graduated Classes
	Class of 2021	Class of 2022	Class of 2023
Maximum entering class size (as approved by ARC-PA)	97	97	97
Entering class size	92	96	99
Graduates	86	93	96
Attrition rate*	6.5%	3.1%	3.0%
Graduation rate**	93.5%	96.9%	96.9%

*Attrition rate calculation: Number of students who attritted from cohort divided by the entering-class size.

**Graduation rate: Number of cohort graduates divided by the entering-class size.

Licensure Information

Being accredited by the ARC-PA confirms the program meets or exceeds established national standards for a professional program leading to the Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies degree. Whereas accreditation applies to training programs, licensure applies to individuals. Our program prepares you for and makes you eligible to take the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) exam, which all individuals must pass in order to practice as a Physician Assistant. Passing the certification exam is necessary but it may not be sufficient to practice as a physician assistant in any given state. You can find additional requirements for practicing physician assistants in each state at www.physicianassistantedu.org.