University of Maryland Graduate School

Employers are increasingly seeking doctoral-trained PAs to fill clinical and academic positions as well as certification of advanced qualifications (CAQ) based on specialty.

As a DMSc graduate, you will be prepared to provide intercultural leadership and clinical education, contribute meaningfully to strategic development, implementation, management, evaluation, and foster continuous improvement of clinical teams, practice, and systems. You may find employment in any of the following the in-demand positions: 

• Advance practice provider directors
• Clinical practice team leaders
• Managers and clinic owners
• Researchers
• PA educators
• Healthcare leaders

The DMSc for PAs consists of 19 courses for a total of 60 credits. 

The following coursework will be offered online. These courses are generally 8-weeks in length and delievered in sequential order. With asynchronous and select synchronous options, students may study anytime, or anywhere.

• 15 credits (6 courses) from the MS Health Science - PA curriculum
• 5 credits (2 courses) from elective based on student interest/need
• 24 credits (8 courses) of didactic coursework

The following coursework will take place in-person, under the supervision of PA faculty with clinical practice and leadership experience within the state and at UMB. 

• 16 credits (3 courses) of clinical and impact labs and capstone 

The in-person component of the curriculum (impact labs/clinical symposiums) will require students to attend about four days of face-to-face lectures, training, discussions, and presentations at UMB’s campus in Baltimore, MD during the summer session.

Exact dates will depend on faculty, student, and facility availability. Students entering the programs in the fall will be expected to report to campus the following summer. 

Program Completion Timeline

• The degree is designed for completion within three academic years of part-time study. Students will have up to six years to complete curriculum.
• Participants can start the program in the fall term only.

Upon the completion of the DMSc, graduates will be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge about established and evolving biomedical and clinical sciences and the application of this knowledge to patient care. 
2. Demonstrate interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills that result in the effective exchange of information, advancing learning, and healthcare in collaboration with patients, families, and health professional team members.
3. Demonstrate leadership ability to engage with a variety of other health care professionals in a manner to optimize safe, effective, patient- and population-centered care.
4. Engage in reflection and critical analysis of one’s own practice experience, the medical literature, and other information resources for the purposes of self-evaluation, lifelong learning, practice improvement, and organizational health.
5. Demonstrate a commitment to practicing medicine ethically and in legally appropriate ways and emphasizing professional maturity and accountability for delivering safe, quality, affordable health care to patients and populations.
6. Provide person-centered care that includes patient- and setting-specific assessment, evaluation, and management and healthcare that is evidence-based, supports patient safety, and advances health equity.
7. Recognize and understand the influences of the ecosystem of person, family, population, environment, and policy on the health of patients and integrate the knowledge of these determinants of health into patient care decisions.
8. Utilize principles of intercultural leadership, health system science, implementation and dissemination science when dealing with complex problems to promote the strategic use of resources to improve care and operational effectiveness.

Application requirements are listed below: 

• An official application
• 75.00 application fee
• No GRE Required
• Official transcripts from all former institutions
• Statement detailing a practice based issue or problem you are interested in improving.
• 3 letters of recommendation
• Current CV/Resume 
• NCCPA Certification, current and active
• Current Licensure in the US, preference for regional licensure- MD, DC,DE, PA
• 2 years minimum clinical experience or graduation from an accredited post graduate residency

Admission requirements are listed below: 

• A copy of your valid, unrestricted (current) Physician’s Assistant (PA) license in the United States. Students enrolled in the DMSc program must have an unencumbered license to be admitted and they must maintain licensure for the duration of their enrollment.
• Applicants must report board actions and other professional actions on acceptance of admission.  Students who are subject to actions during the time of their enrollment are required to inform the DMSc Graduate Program Director. Certain actions may limit the student’s clinical placement. 
• The date varies each semester, but students should be compliant at least two weeks prior to the start of the semester and remain compliant throughout enrollment.If you are not compliant before the start of the semester, you may be ineligible to register for and/or attend clinical. UMB Student Health may also place a registration hold on your account.

Clinical site recruitment and retention are critical for student success in Physician Assistant (PA) education, and the Graduate School at University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) values the service of PAs who dedicate time and talent to educate the next generation. To reward ongoing preceptorship and encourage PAs currently not precepting, the new DMSc Program at UMB will offer a 20% tuition waiver to Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) students who commit to precepting PA students from our Maryland PA Programs. 

Learn more about our DMSc Preceptor Waiver Policy here.

The UMB Graduate School is committed to preparing generations of compentent healthcare leaders. On our campus, you'll find faculty with a wealth experience and PAs dedicated to educating students who will go on to positively impact the health of our diverse society. Leveraging both virtual and face-to-face teaching, advance your career with one of our professional development opportunities. 

Health Professions Education (MS, PhD) 

Gain the academic skills needed to conduct educational research, lead educational programs, institutions, curricula, and organizations in the health and medical professions with a PhD or MS in Health Professions Education. These programs aim to provide students with the necessary tools to further develop interprofessional health profession course and curricular design, research, and assessment skills. 

Physician Assistant Leadership and Learning Academy

Consider a Faculty Fellowship program, which provides PA clinicians with experiences and training to prepare them to become part of the PA faculty workforce. The Physician Assistant Leadership and Learning Academy (PALLA) supports the development of PA education across the state of Maryland.

The Physician Assistant Leadership and Learning Academy (PALLA) is centrally located at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. PALLA aims to develop a Maryland Physician Assistant workforce and faculty capacity to educate the next generation of PA students while advancing Physician Assistant education, research, and policy. The vision of PALLA is to create an inclusive learning community dedicated to excellence in education.