Courses & Curriculum

Coursework for the Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies will be completed in twenty-seven months over seven semesters. Students will have a predetermined schedule with a range from 10-23 credit hours each semester, for a total of 116 credit hours.

Course Descriptions

Full course descriptions can be found in the MUSC Bulletin. All course descriptions for the program begin with the prefix "PA*."

 

Curriculum

Year 1, Summer

PA 606Human Anatomy6
PA 607Intro to the PA Profession1
PA 630Bioethics1
PA 632Principles of Pharmacology2
PA 643Human Physiology & Basic Pathology3
Semester Total 13

Year 1, Fall

PA 614Fundamentals of Clin Med I6
PA 617Clinical Problem Solving I2
PA 624Pharmacotherapeutics I3
PA 634History & Physical Exam Skills2
PA 654Diagnostic Medicine I2
PA 662Pathophysiology I3
PA 665Cultural Competency2
PA 695Research Methods for Health Professionals3
Semester Total 23

Year 1, Spring

PA 615Fundamentals of Clin Med II6
PA 618Clinical Problem Solving II2
PA 625Pharmacotherapeutics II3
PA 636Clinical Skills & Procedures2
PA 655Diagnostic Medicine II2
PA 656Public Health  1
PA 663Pathophysiology II3
PA 690Graduate Project I1
IP 711IP Foundations & Teamstepps1
IP XXXIP Concentration Course of Choice1
Semester Total 22

Year 2, Summer

PA 616Fundamentals of Clin Med III3
PA 619Clinical Problem Solving III1
PA 626Pharmacotherapeutics III2
PA 642Pertinent Topics in Peds1
PA 651Geriatrics1
PA 652Principles of Emergency Medic2
PA 653Principles of Surgical Care2
PA 691Graduate Project II1
Semester Total 13

Year 2, Fall

PA 670Clinical Rotation I*5
PA 672Clinical Rotation II*5
PA 674Clinical Rotation III*5
Semester Total 15

Year 2, Spring

PA 676Clinical Rotation IV*5
PA 678Clinical Rotation V*5
PA 679Clinical Rotation VI*5
PA 680Clinical Rotation VII*
Semester Total 20

Year 3, Summer

PA 682Clinical Rotation VIII*5
PA 685Clinical Rotation Elective*5
Semester Total 10
Curriculum Total 116

* Students are scheduled in the following disciplines for clinical rotations 1-8; Emergency medicine, Family medicine, Internal medicine, Mental health, Pediatrics, Surgery, Women's Health, and Adjunct Clinical Experience (ACE). In addition the students are required to complete an elective in a specialty of their choice.

A Summative Evaluation is required by the Accreditation Review Commission for Physician Assistant Education (ARC-PA) within the last 4 months of the program. Each student must successfully pass all components of the Summative Evaluation to be eligible for completion of the program and graduation. The components of the Summative Evaluation include the following:

  1. PAEA End of Curriculum Exam
  2. Summative Professionalism Evaluation
  3. Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)