PA Program
Course Timeline
In This Section
You’ll need 101 credits total to complete our program: 55 credits in the pre-clinical year and 46 credits in the clinical year, as described below.
All courses in the curriculum are graded on a letter grade basis with the exception of the Evidence-Based Medicine Course in the didactic year and the Summative Experience in the clinical year. These are both Pass/Fail courses. Course descriptions can be found in the Penn State Graduate Bulletin.
PAS 701: Applied Human Structure and Function I (3 credits)
PAS 700: Professional Practice I (1 credit)
PAS 783: Inclusive Healthcare Practices (1 credit)
PAS 736: Introductory Concepts in Medicine (2 credits)
PAS 763: Principles of Immunology, Hematology, and Oncology (3 credits)
PAS 784: Principles of Dermatology (2 credits)
PAS 785: Principles of Infectious Disease (3 credits)
PAS 786: Principles of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology (2 credits)
Total credits: 17
PAS 702: Applied Human Structure and Function II (3 credits)
PAS 721: Professional Practice II (2 credits)
PAS 787: Principles of Endocrinology (2 credits)
PAS 789: Principles of Pulmonology (3 credits)
PAS 788: Principles of Nephrology and Genitourinary Disease (2 credits)
PAS 790: Principles of Cardiology (4 credits)
PAS 791: Principles of Gastroenterology (3 credits)
Total credits: 19
PAS 719: Evidence Based Medicine (1 credit)
PAS 725: Professional Practice III (1 credit)
PAS 723: Principles of Behavioral Medicine (2 credits)
PAS 792: Principles of Neurology (3 credits)
PAS 793: Principles of Rheumatology and Orthopaedics (4 credits)
PAS 722: Principles of Human Sexuality and Reproductive Health (3 credits)
PAS 729: Principles of Emergency Medicine (3 credits)
PAS 794: Principles of Surgery (2 credits)
Total credits: 19
During the clinical year, students will complete three mandatory primary-care rotations. Each rotation is 5 weeks.
Mandatory Clinical Year Courses (1 credit)
PAS 756: Summative Experience (1 credit)
Mandatory Clinical Rotations (40 credits)
PAS 741: Behavioral Health I (5 credits)
PAS 732: Emergency Medicine I (5 credits)
PAS 734: Family Medicine I (5 credits)
PAS 739: Internal Medicine I (5 credits)
PAS 735: Ambulatory Care (5 credits)
PAS 737: General Surgery I (5 credits)
PAS 743: Pediatrics I (5 credits)
PAS 745: Reproductive Health I (5 credits)
Elective Clinical Rotations (select 1 for 5 credits)
PAS 776: Medical Specialty Elective (5 credits)
PAS 777 Surgical Specialty Elective (5 credits)
Students enrolled in the PA program will have the opportunity to complete an elective rotation in either a medical or surgical specialty.
Students in good academic standing may select from a variety of specialties; including but not limited to additional time in a mandatory rotation listed above or experience another specialty such as burn, cardiology, critical care, dermatology, endocrinology, ENT, gastroenterology, hematology/oncology, infectious disease, interventional radiology, nephrology, neurology, ophthalmology, orthopedics, palliative care, prison medicine, radiation oncology, trauma, cardiothoracic surgery, neurosurgery, plastic & reconstructive surgery, physical medicine & rehabilitation, or vascular surgery.
Students with identified deficiencies during clinical year may have their elective rotation assigned to them by the clinical year team to ensure minimum program requirements for graduation have been met.
Summative Experience
Upon completion of the clinical training, students will participate in a one-credit Summative Experience. In addition to taking the PACKRAT examination (which does not impact student placement in the PA Program), students will be evaluated on their professionalism and participate in assessments for knowledge, technical skills, interpretation, and performance of diagnostic evaluations. The Summative Experience must be successfully completed as one of the final requirements for program completion.
Total credits: 46