Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MSPAS)

You’ll obtain detailed anatomy instruction through the Touch of Life Technologies VH Dissector platform on Anatomy Toltech tables. This technology provides innovative and adaptive high-resolution virtual views for learning both in the lab and at home on desktops/laptops. This platform also allows for the incorporation of anatomical concepts with real-world clinical applications, which is useful in understanding radiology, surgical procedures and other important areas of clinical medicine.

All PA students complete nine clinical rotations: two family medicine rotations, emergency medicine, pediatrics, internal medicine, surgery, women’s health, behavioral health and an elective.

Our experienced faculty collectively have 25+ years of physician assistant education teaching experience and 60+ years of clinical experience, with support from additional University scientists and clinicians who are renowned in their fields.

You’ll be given individualized advisement and learning resources at the programmatic and University levels to ensure successful degree completion and preparation to sit for the NCCPA national certifying exam, so you can take your place as an outstanding health care provider in all fields of medicine.

At its March 2025 meeting, the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA) placed the St. Joseph’s University Physician Assistant Program sponsored by St. Joseph’s University on Accreditation-Probation status until its next review in March 2027.

Probation accreditation is a temporary accreditation status initially of not less than two years. However, that period may be extended by the ARC-PA for up to an additional two years if the ARC-PA finds that the program is making substantial progress toward meeting all applicable standards but requires additional time to come into full compliance. Probation accreditation status is granted, at the sole discretion of the ARC-PA, when a program holding an accreditation status of Accreditation - Provisional or Accreditation - Continued does not, in the judgment of the ARC-PA, meet the Standards or when the capability of the program to provide an acceptable educational experience for its students is threatened.

Once placed on probation, a program that fails to comply with accreditation requirements in a timely manner, as specified by the ARC-PA, may be scheduled for a focused site visit and is subject to having its accreditation withdrawn. 

Specific questions regarding the Program and its plans should be directed to the Program Director and/or the appropriate institutional official(s).

The program’s accreditation history can be viewed on the ARC-PA website at: https://www.arc-pa.org/accreditation-history-saint-josephs-university.

To become a physician assistant (PA), you’ll need to:

• Earn a bachelor’s degree. Most PA programs prefer applicants who have a bachelor’s in science or a health-related field.
• Apply and get accepted to a PA school with an accredited PA program, such as Saint Joseph’s 24-month MS in Physician Assistant Studies degree.
• Complete and graduate from an accredited PA program, which involves clinical experiences. 
• Pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE) to get certified, then obtain a license in the state you want to practice in.

If you already have a bachelor’s degree, it takes around three years (26 months) to complete an accredited PA program. At Saint Joseph’s University, you can earn your PA degree in just 24 months. After graduating, you can sit for the PANCE exam and pass it to become certified and take the next steps to obtain a state license.

Saint Joseph’s University undergraduate students in the Pre-Professional PA Program are granted an interview for admission to the MSPAS Program if all progression requirements of the Pre-PA program and all admission requirements of the Graduate PA program are met. Students in the accelerated track who meet all requirements may apply to the graduate PA program between the end of their sophomore year and the fall of their junior year, with an application deadline of October 1, 2024. If accepted, they will earn the remaining credits to complete their bachelor’s degree with the completion of the didactic phase of the MSPAS Program. Undergraduate students in the traditional four-year Pre-Professional PA program who meet all progression criteria and all admission requirements of the Graduate PA program are also granted an interview. If granted an interview, this does not guarantee acceptance to the MSPAS Program.

All applicants to the MSPAS Program must apply through the CASPA application portal and follow the same admissions process.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the annual salary of a Physician Assistant in Philadelphia is $122,680.