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Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies

Drury University > Graduate Studies > Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies

Contact Us:

Kathleen Flach, M.Ed., MMS, PA-C
Program Director
Physician Assistant Studies

Trustee Science Center 206
Office: (417) 873-7249
kflach@drury.edu

About Us

30 Students per class in 2023

27 Months In-Person, Full-Time

Practice in all 50 States

Welcome to the Drury University Physician Assistant Program!

The inaugural cohort of 30 students in the Drury University Physician Assistant Program (DUPAP) is expected to start in August 2023.  DUPAP offers a 27-month master’s degree of physician assistant studies (MS-PAS) that begins with classroom and laboratory instruction (the didactic year), followed by clinical rotations in behavioral medicine, emergency medicine, family medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics & gynecology, pediatrics, surgery, and two elective rotations.

Drury University offers student-centered education in a collaborative environment with the goal of developing competent, compassionate, physician assistants who are leaders in their profession.

Graduates will be able to practice in all 50 U.S. states after licensure.

What is a Physician Assistant?

PAs are medical professionals who diagnose illness, develop and manage treatment plans, prescribe medications, and often serve as a patient’s principal healthcare provider. With thousands of hours of medical training, PAs are versatile and collaborative.

PAs practice in every state and in every medical setting and specialty, improving and increasing healthcare access, and quality.

Occupational Outlook

This is an exciting time to consider the physician assistant (PA) profession.  In 2022, U.S. News and World Report ranked being a physician assistant #2 in the Best Healthcare Jobs list, and #3 in both the 100 Best Jobs list and the Best STEM Jobs list. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2021, the median salary for a PA was $121,530 per year, and employment is expected to grow at a rate of 31% from 2020-2030, much higher than the national average growth for careers overall.

Accreditation


The Drury University Physician Assistant Program is applying for Accreditation – Provisional from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). Drury University anticipates matriculating its first class in August of 2023, pending achieving Accreditation – Provisional status at the March 2023 ARC-PA meeting. Accreditation – Provisional is an accreditation status granted when the plans and resource allocation, if fully implemented as planned, of a proposed program that has not yet enrolled students appear to demonstrate the program’s ability to meet the ARC-PA Standards or when a program holding accreditation-provisional status appears to demonstrate continued progress in complying with the Standards as it prepares for the graduation of the first class (cohort) of students.

The Drury University Physician Assistant Program plans to open its portal in CASPA to receive applications for the program in October 2022.  We will begin interviewing for the program in early 2023.

In the event the program is not awarded provisional accreditation, the program will immediately notify applicants and any seat deposits collected will be returned to the applicants.