Special Admission Requirements - Program Application Deadline: Sept. 1

Official Title of Certificate: Physician Assistant Studies, Professional Certificate

Award: Professional Certificate

Code: CRT.PA-PROF

Total Credit Hours: 86

Learn more about the Physician Assistant Studies program

Purpose: Prepares the primary care physician assistant (PA) student to provide quality medical care under the supervision of a licensed physician. Graduates are employed in doctors’ offices, hospitals, clinics, HMOs, nursing homes, the armed forces and other federal government agencies. Graduates are eligible to sit for the national certifying exam for primary care physician assistants conducted by the National Commission on the Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA).

The physician assistant program is offered as a collboration between the University of Maryland Baltimore (UMB) Graduate School and Anne Arundel Community College (AACC).

The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the University of Maryland Baltimore/Anne Arundel Community College Collaborative Physician Assistant Program sponsored by the University of Maryland Baltimore. 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remains in effect until the program closes or withdraws from the accreditation process or until accreditation is withdrawn for failure to comply with the Standards.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 September 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 at: https://www.arc-pa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Accreditation-History-UMB-AACC-30.pdf   

AACC cannot confirm whether the course or program meets requirements for professional licensure in states other than Maryland.   If you plan to apply for licensure in a state other than Maryland, contact that state’s licensing board to determine whether the AACC courses or UMB/AACC collaborative PA program meets requirements for licensure in that state.  If you need assistance finding contact information for your state, or if you need additional information regarding professional licensure, please contact the PA program office at 410-777-1888.

Additional Program Requirements

Students enter the Physician Assistant program in the summer term of each year.

The 25-month, full-time program requires continuous attendance. Therefore, students should plan finances carefully to avoid the necessity for employment. Financial aid for the program is completed through the UMB Office of Student Financial Assistance. The school code is 002104. They can be contacted directly at: aidtalk@umaryland.edu.

Students must meet academic and technical standards prior to admission to the program. Admission to the program is required prior to registering for any PHA course. An overall GPA of 3.0 or better in the physician assistant curriculum is required to progress into the clinical year of the program.

All physician assistant students are required to have a personal digital assistant (PDA), email address and Internet access.

Range of Occupations

• Physician Assistant (PA)

Special Conditions

Health Manpower Shortage: This program of study may be designated a Health Manpower Shortage Tuition Reduction Program. This means that some residents of Maryland enrolled in this program of study by the first day of the term may be eligible for in-county tuition rates for courses required for program completion. It is the student’s responsibility to confirm that this program still maintains a Health Manpower Shortage Program status before enrolling. Please refer to the college’s Accounts Receivable Office to confirm this designation.

Master’s Program

Students enrolled in the Physician Assistant program will earn a master’s degree while earning their physician assistant certificate through a partnership between the University of Maryland Baltimore Graduate School and Anne Arundel Community College. Students must be in good academic standing to be enrolled for the master’s program. Under the agreement, students pair 30 hours of UMB coursework with 6 hours of pathophysiology and pharmacology taken through AACC for a Master of Health Science degree. The master’s program is entirely online and takes place throughout matriculation at AACC. Additional information on this program is available in the PA admissions packet or online.

Anne Arundel Community College and/or the School of Health Sciences reserves the right to revise requirements for admission into the Health Sciences programs, the selection criteria and procedures, and the required courses for programs of study as deemed necessary without prior notification.