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The Accreditation Review Commission on the Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the Wagner College PA Program sponsored by Wagner College. 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remains in effect until the program closes or withdraws from the accreditation process or until accreditation is withdrawn for failure to comply with the Standards.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 2029. The review date is contingent upon continued compliance with the Accreditation Standards and ARC-PA policy. The program’s accreditation history can be viewed on the ARC-PA website.
Five-Year BS/MS Degree
Program Admissions
After the first two academic years, during which students must complete all prerequisite course requirements for the PA Program, as well as designated general education requirements, the students generally enter the PA Program, where they must successfully complete three years of the PA Program curriculum: one year of didactic instruction; one year of clinical experience; and one year of advanced clinical experiences and research.
Students completing the Pre-PA Curriculum apply for continuation into the PA Program at the end of the sophomore fall semester. Students entering as PA majors must maintain an overall minimum GPA of 3.2 or higher and a science GPA of 3.0 or higher to continue as PA majors.
Those who have achieved a cumulative index of 3.2 or higher as well as a cumulative science index of 3.0 or higher (with a grade of C+ or higher per course) are interviewed for continuation into the three-year PA Program. Students confirmed for admission to the PA Program must maintain these indices to commence the PA Program.
Learn more about the Freshmen Application Process or the Bachelor’s Degree Application Process.
Pre-PA Curriculum
During the first two years at Wagner College, students take prerequisite courses in the sciences in preparation for the PA program, as well as general education course requirements needed to proceed to the PA Program.
Mission Statement
To prepare professional, academically sound, clinically competent, compassionate clinicians committed to providing quality patient centered care to all individuals.
Goals of the PA Program
The goals of the Wagner College PA Program are to prepare the PA to become a health care provider of quality patient centered care:
Goal I : Create a ‘student-centered’ active learning community of diverse learners with a shared commitment to quality care.
Goal II : Integrate the tenets of medical knowledge, clinical skills, professional practice, and clinical reasoning into a comprehensive curriculum that prepares future competent professionals.
Goal III : Guide students through a sequential ‘building block’ curriculum that facilitates the achievement of competencies requisite for future clinical practice.
Goal IV : Provide clinical experiences in a spectrum of clinical settings and specialties, with
diverse patients across the lifespan, requiring varying aspects of clinical care.
Goal V : Promote service and health advocacy through immersive local and global clinical opportunities.
Goal VI : Mentor the development of professionally relevant medical research leading to the
dissemination of findings at public forums and at a thesis defense.
Goal VII : Cultivate a commitment to service and lifelong learning.
The program collects and analyzes outcome data reflective of the success of the program in achieving its goals. These outcomes include comparisons to benchmarks, most current annual NCCPA PANCE Exam Summary Report provided by the NCCPA and the most current annual student attrition information completed on the table provided by the ARC-PA.
Program Goal I:
- Create a ‘student-centered’ active learning community of diverse learners with a shared commitment to quality care.
Benchmarks:
- Admission data
- ≤ 10% student attrition
- ≥ 90% agreement on Alumni Surveys
Program Goal II:
2. Integrate the tenets of medical knowledge, clinical skills, professional practice, and clinical reasoning into a comprehensive curriculum that prepares future competent professionals.
Benchmarks:
- NCCPA first-time pass rate that meets or exceeds national pass rate
- 100% competency in required clinical & technical skills
- ≥ 90% proficiency in required clinical & technical skills
Program Goal III:
3. Guide students through a sequential ‘building block’ curriculum that facilitates the achievement of competencies requisite for future clinical practice.
Benchmarks:
- ≥ 90% agreement on Alumni Surveys
- ≥ 90% agreement on Preceptor Evaluations of Student Preparedness.
Program Goal IV:
4. Provide clinical experiences in a spectrum of clinical settings and specialties, with diverse patients across the lifespan, requiring varying aspects of clinical care.
Benchmarks:
- ≥ 2000 clinical hours logged per student
- ≥ 1000 patient encounters logged per student
- Clinical experiences logged in the outpatient, inpatient, operating room, and emergency department settings
- Clinical experience logged with diverse patients across the lifespan
- Clinical experiences logged with patients requiring acute, chronic, emergent, and preventative care
- 12 supervised clinical practice experiences per student
Program Goal V:
5. Promote service and health advocacy through immersive local and global clinical learning opportunities.
Benchmarks:
- ≥ 90% student participation in local & global service learning events, medical trips, and clinical experiences.
- ≥ 90% agreement on Alumni Surveys
Program Goal VI:
6. Mentor the development of professionally relevant medical research leading to the dissemination of findings at public forums and at a thesis defense.
Benchmarks:
- ≥ 95% participation in research studies
- ≥ 95% presentation at Annual Research Forum
Program Goal VII:
7. Cultivate a commitment to service and lifelong learning.
Benchmarks:
- > 95% agreement on Alumni Surveys
- > 95% agreement during Exit Interview
Wagner College PA Program
What Is The Application Process?
The three year BS/MS Program in PA Studies is designed to accommodate 40 students per cohort. Students are interviewed in depth by representatives of the PA Program as part of the admissions process to the college and are approved to enter the College as PA majors and begin the pre-PA curriculum. Second Degree candidates seeking direct admission to the PA Program, are invited to interview prior to the beginning of the PA Program in June.
For all applicants, previous health care experience is not required but strengthens the application. Students entering as PA majors must maintain specific academic standards for enrollment in the PA Program. These include a minimum GPA of 3.0 per semester, a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.2, and a minimum cumulative science GPA of 3.0 (with a grade of C+ or higher per course) to enter the PA Program.
After completion of the two-year prerequisite coursework at Wagner College, students interview for continuation into the PA Program. Those who have completed the required prerequisite education and maintained a cumulative index of 3.2 or higher as well as a cumulative science index of 3.0 or higher (with a grade of C+ or higher per course) will be interviewed for continuation into the three-year Wagner College PA Program.
In addition, students must participate in a minimum of 100 hours of community service activities (or a minimum of 25 hours per semester of community service). No separate application form is needed at this phase. Students confirmed for admission to the PA Program must complete all prerequisite requirements and maintain the above indices to commence the PA Program. Incoming second degree students must meet the same educational requirements and academic standards prior to admission.
Learn more about the Freshman Application Process or the Second Degree Application Process.
Program Overview
The Wagner College PA Program is accredited by the New York State Department of Education and the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA).
The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the Wagner College PA Program sponsored by Wagner College. 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 2029. The review date is contingent upon continued compliance with the Accreditation Standards and ARC-PA policy.
The Wagner College PA Program is committed to preparing future professionals possessing sound academic knowledge and proficiency in clinical skills, requisite for providing and promoting quality patient-centered care to all individuals. The program is dedicated to the advancement of PA education, promotes service to the community, and emphasizes the acquisition of the medical knowledge, clinical skills required of the PA functioning in a dynamic healthcare environment.
The three-year BS/MS Program in PA Studies is a comprehensive program of didactic (academic), clinical and research (graduate) work that reflects upon the academic, clinical, and professional skills required of the PA. Students completing the prescribed three-year program in PA studies receive their BS and MS degrees and are eligible to take the national certifying examination leading to the title of Certified Physician Assistant (PA-C).
The Didactic Phase (Year I) includes classroom and laboratory instruction in the Medical Sciences (such as Clinical Anatomy, Medical Physiology, Pathophysiology, Human Genetics, and Pharmacotheraputics); Clinical Preparatory Sciences (such as Clinical Skills and Technical Skills); Clinical Medicine and Professional Practice. Clinical exposure begins in the didactic phase of the program by providing early clinical exposure and experiences with interview skills and performance of physical examinations in a variety of clinical settings. That clinical exposure extends into the Clinical Phase (Year II) with the introduction of supervised clinical experiences and further developed in the Advanced Clinical Phase (Year III) with elective clerkships.
The structured Clinical Phase takes place at affiliated clinical institutions – inpatient hospital units, outpatient clinics, operating rooms, emergency departments, private offices and other in-state and out-of-state sites. The Clinical Phase provides students with full-time, direct patient care in various settings, (outpatient, inpatient, operating room and emergency settings). The clinical experiences are intensive, supervised, hands-on learning experiences in various medical and surgical disciplines. These supervised clinical rotations in various disciplines (such as emergency medicine, internal medicine; pediatrics; surgery; primary care, psychiatry/behavioral medicine, and women’s health) emphasize the provision of diagnostic, therapeutic, and health maintenance services.
Advanced level courses are introduced in the second year of the program and extend into the third year to fulfill the requirements for the Master of Science degree. These courses provide the PA with the knowledge and skills required for professional and career development. In keeping with the philosophy of PA education, the Advanced Clinical Phase (Year III) consists of didactic coursework complemented with clinical experiences including elective clerkships.
Clerkship experiences are available in elective clinical areas of unique interest to each student. Examples include community medicine, family medicine, medical subspecialties (cardiology, dermatology, electrophysiology, gastroenterology, hematology-oncology, infectious disease, neurology and pain management); surgical subspecialties (burn unit, cardiothoracic surgery, ENT surgery, neurosurgery, orthopedics, plastic surgery, surgical intensive care, trauma and urology); and women’s health.
The requirements for the Master of Science include the development of a research thesis project. The proposal for the thesis must be approved by the department and either the hospital IRB (Institutional Review Board) or college HERB (Human Experimental Review Board) prior to its implementation. The research work is disseminated at public forums and defended at the Annual Research Event.
Upon completion of the PA Program, students are awarded a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Advanced PA Studies from Wagner College, a PA Certificate of Completion by the Wagner College PA Program. National certification for clinical practice is granted by passing the PANCE (Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam). Registration and licensure are under the supervision of each state.
For policies and procedures, see the 2022-2023 PA Handbook
For Teach Out Policy, click here.
Mission Statement
To prepare professional, academically sound, clinically competent, compassionate clinicians committed to providing quality patient centered care to all individuals.
Goals of the PA Program
The goals of the Wagner College PA Program are to prepare the PA to become a health care provider of quality patient centered care:
Goal I : Create a ‘student-centered’ active learning environment of diverse learners with a shared commitment to quality care.
Goal II : Integrate the tenets of medical knowledge, clinical skills, and professional practice, and clinical reasoning into a comprehensive curriculum that prepares future competent professionals.
Goal III : Guide students through a sequential ‘building block’ curriculum that facilitates the achievement of competencies requisite for future clinical practice.
Goal IV : Provide clinical experiences in a spectrum of clinical settings and specialties, with
diverse patients across the lifespan, requiring varying aspects of clinical care.
Goal V : Promote service and health advocacy through immersive local and global clinical opportunities.
Goal VI : Mentor the development of professionally relevant medical research leading to the
dissemination of findings at public forums and at a thesis defense.
Goal VII : Cultivate a commitment to service and lifelong learning.
For information on the outcomes of these goals, see the Goals and Outcomes document.
MS for Clinical PAs
Program Admission
The general requirements for graduate student admission are…
- a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college
- official transcripts of previous university or college study
- three letters of recommendation, preferably from former or present employers or professors
Additional admission requirements for the MS in Advanced PA Studies are…
- successful completion of a PA program accredited by the Accreditation Review Committee for Physician Assistants (ARC-PA)
- minimum overall grade point average of 3.0
- minimum grade point average of 3.0 in PA studies
- national certification or eligibility for certification by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA)
- state licensure or eligibility for state licensure
- supplemental application consisting of three focused essays
- panel interview
Mission and Student Learning Goals
The Graduate Program in Advanced PA Studies is a comprehensive program that prepares practicing PAs for career advancement as educators, health care managers, and clinical leaders dedicated to improving the quality of health care.
The mission of the program is to prepare PAs committed to contributing to an improved community and quality health care through leadership roles in research, education, healthcare management and advanced clinical care.
By graduation, students with MS degrees in Advanced PA Studies will be prepared for…
- clinical leadership in primary and specialty-focused health care.
- research development in health care.
- serving as educators of future PA students and graduate members of the profession.
- management roles within health care.
- incorporating effective research, teaching, and management skills into professional practice.
Upon completion of the Program, the PA will receive a Master of Science (MS) in Advanced PA Studies with a concentration in one of the following:
- Health Care Management
- Health Education
- Clinical Specialty
Program of Study
The requirements for a Master of Science (MS) degree in Advanced PA Studies consist of 36 credits. Students must complete three courses of core requirements, a minimum of 15 credits in a selected track, and capstone work. Capstone courses may be taken only after completion of all core curriculum courses.