If you want a great PA program, this is the place.

Take the first step toward a career as a physician assistant (PA). University of the Cumberlands' Williamsburg program offers domestic and international students the opportunity to grow in their knowledge, expertise, and experience in the medical field. With expert professors and hands-on learning, the training you receive at UC will prepare you for a career as a PA and ensure your success whether you work in a hospital or a clinic. You don't have to be a doctor to help your community have better health. Explore all that a Master's in Physician Assistant Studies at UC in Williamsburg has to offer!

Stats

$121,530

Average Salary

31%

Industry Growth

100%

PANCE Pass Rate

#1

Affordable Master's in KY
Curriculum & Degree Requirements

Curriculum & Degree Requirements

Our accredited Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies (MSPAS) program is designed to teach you the skills you need to provide medical care to patients. The program can be completed in as little as 27 months.

Requirements include 113 credit hours total, 68 of which are earned through didactic coursework in traditional classroom and laboratory settings. All didactic coursework takes place on campus.

The remaining 45 credit hours are comprised of 10 clinical rotation courses, and additional research and professional development courses designed to prepare the graduate for entry into clinical practice. 

Clinical rotation experiences are designed to provide physician assistant program students with supervised experiences that will enable the student to:

  • Assess, diagnose, and manage common acute and chronic problems.
  • Provide preventative health and health maintenance.
  • Integrate with other members of the health care team.
  • Utilize evidence based practices/principles as part of the Physician-PA student team.
  • Record and communicate medical data in an organized, intelligent process.
  • Identify role limitations and indications for referral and consultation.
  • Develop skills and habits necessary for life-long learning.
  • Provide compassionate, culturally competent healthcare to all patients.

Clinical Rotation Courses

PA Information Sessions

Register for one of our upcoming information sessions, meet our faculty members and learn more about our PA program.

Full Body Scan Being Examined
Admission Information

Admission Information

Application and Interview Process

Admission to the Williamsburg Campus MSPAS Program at University of the Cumberlands is competitive. The Physician Assistant Program reviews each applicant who has completed and submitted each component of the admission material and meets the academic requirements. All applicants that meet admissions requirements are awarded points using an applicant score sheet. Consideration is given based on BCP GPA (Biology, Chemistry, Physics), documented clinical experience, letters of recommendation, and applicant residence. Applicants who reside in Appalachia, or a medically underserved area, and those who have completed hours at UC receive additional points on the score sheet.

The application cycle opens in April and closes August 1st each year. 

APPLY

After the applicant score sheets are completed for those that meet all requirements, the score sheets and application materials are utilized to determine invitations to online interviews. Any student who has completed the Pre-professional Physician Assistant curriculum or has obtained a Bachelor's degree from University of the Cumberlands and met all admission requirements will be given an interview regardless of their application ranking. Applicants invited to an interview, including those who have completed the Pre-professional Physician Assistant curriculum and UC graduates, are not guaranteed admission to the graduate program. All admission and interview materials will be used to select a cohort of 30 qualified candidates.

Because admission information is updated regularly, applicants should verify current requirements linked on the program website. Please review admission requirements prior to submitting an application.

UC MSPAS program application cycle opens in April each year. The deadline for the cycle is August 1st. All admissions material must be verified by this deadline.

Interviews are conducted by Physician Assistant Program faculty and instructors, along with relevant UC administrators. Both individual and group interviews are utilized. Notification of interview is sent to the email submitted on the CASPA WebADMIT system by the applicant. The Physician Assistant Program will send an interview notification at least one week prior to the dates set.

* International students seeking to study in the Physician Assistant program under an F1 student visa can only apply to study at our Williamsburg, KY campus.

Technical Standards

Individuals applying to the University of the Cumberlands Physician Assistant Program at the Williamsburg campus or Northern Kentucky campus must meet certain basic/essential requirements (referred to as the Technical Standards) that are necessary for obtaining employment and performing as a Physician Assistant. The Technical Standards each student must master include cognitive, physical and behavioral characteristics. Reasonable accommodation for persons with documented disabilities will be considered on an individual basis; but, a candidate must be able to perform in an independent manner. All students must possess the intellectual, ethical, physical, and emotional capabilities required to undertake the full curriculum and to achieve the levels of competence required by the program's core faculty. The following skills are required of each Physician Assistant student, with or without accommodation:

  • Sufficient capacity for observation in academic, clinical, and other medical settings; functional vision, hearing, and tactile sensation sufficient to observe a patient’s condition and perform procedures regularly required during a physical examination
  • Effective written and verbal communication skills sufficient to both academic and healthcare settings
  • Sufficient motor function to carry out movements necessary for patient diagnosis and care; for free movement inpatient care and between facilities and buildings in academic and healthcare environments; physical stamina to complete didactic and clinical coursework
  • Sufficient intellectual ability to measure, calculate, reason, analyze, and synthesize, in the context of medical problem-solving and patient care
  • Sufficient emotional health and stability are required for exercising good judgment and promptly completing all academic and patient care responsibilities

Please see full technical standards in the MSPAS Catalog & Policy Handbook (Williamsburg Campus).

Admission Requirements

NOW OFFERING ROLLING ADMISSIONS

The CASPA Application Cycle for our Williamsburg program opens the last Thursday of April each year, and closes on August 1. 

Curriculum for the physician assistant program at our Williamsburg Campus is open to applicants who have earned, or will earn, by the end of the fall semester prior to spring semester entry, a baccalaureate degree and have met, or will have met, by the end of the fall semester prior to spring semester entry, the following prerequisites. 

In addition, the committee has determined that just as a UC 3-2+ student who meets minimum requirements will be guaranteed an interview in that application cycle, any UC student enrolled in a military program with the intention to become a military PA and meets requirements will also be guaranteed an interview in the year in which they apply. 

***The following admissions requirements must be completed by the application deadline of August 1 unless otherwise noted.

Official Transcript Information: In accordance with University of the Cumberlands admissions policies and procedures, those students selected for admission to the MSPAS program at either the Williamsburg campus or the Northern Kentucky campus are required to submit official transcripts from all colleges/universities previously attended. These transcripts must be received directly from the college/university. Student-submitted copies are not acceptable. Transcripts should be mailed directly to:

Graduate Admissions Office
649 S. 10th Street Suite C
Williamsburg, KY 40769
Phone: 606.539.4390
Toll-free: 800.343.1609 ext. 4390
Email: gradadm [at] ucumberlands.edu (gradadm[at]ucumberlands[dot]edu)

Transcripts must be received prior to the scheduled class matriculation date or class standing will be revoked. Failure to submit the mandatory transcripts or fulfill any other requirements specified in a conditional offer of admission to the program, prior to the scheduled class matriculation will result in withdrawal of the conditional offer.

Transfer and Course Credit Policy: No transfer credit will normally be accepted for courses in the MSPAS program at either the Williamsburg campus or the Northern Kentucky campus.

The University of the Cumberlands Physician Assistant Program does not grant advanced placement to students or applicants.

PA students standing together in PA building's hallway.

Tuition

At University of the Cumberlands, we strive to make education accessible and affordable.

Program Metrics

PA Student Resources

The Williamsburg campus PA program is housed in the 1st & 2nd floors of the Correll Science Complex.

Classrooms

Classrooms

The physician assistant program has two lecture classrooms, all specifically dedicated to the department's use inside the Correll Science Center. Classrooms have a seating capacity of 30 students.

Laboratories

Laboratories

The physician assistant program has two laboratories built specifically for the department.

  • The Procedures/Skills Laboratory is used for patient procedure simulations.
  • The Physical Assessment Laboratory houses our Anatomage "cyber-dissection" table used during the laboratory portion of our anatomy course and other components of the curriculum.

Student Lounge

Student Lounge

A lounge for the physician assistant program students is located in the upstairs corridor of the Correll Science Building. Furnished in the lounge are lockers, cabinets, a refrigerator, a microwave, and a sink.

Common Questions

Library Resources

Available to PA students through the electronic resources supported by the Grover M. Hermann Library are many electronic and online databases to which the library subscribes. The databases have become a major segment of the learning resources available on campus and provide scholarly support for all academic programs, including those in the medical field. Most of these databases include full-text journals and other information resources.

Of the available electronic resources, those that are considered particularly useful to the Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies program consist of the following:

The collaborative agreements of KYVL members facilitate access of students of University of Cumberlands to other libraries and expedite no-fee interlibrary loans from member institutions.

The library catalog, with all electronic resources, may be accessed on-campus or off-campus through the library's website. Also available on the library’s homepage are links to online forms for interlibrary loan requests and to tutorials on accessing and using library resources.

I really loved my time in the PA program in Williamsburg. The small class size allowed for the faculty to really invest in us, and they went above and beyond to help us succeed. In such a rigorous program, it helped to have an environment that felt like a home away from home! 

Chelsea Brooks, PA-C
MSPAS '19

PA Program Goals

Physician Assistant Faculty Experts

Learn more about the professors you will interact with in our physician assistant program. 

Dr. Dana Campbell

Dr. Dana Campbell

Department Chair - Physician Assistant Programs
Master Physician Assistant Studies - Williamsburg Campus

Dr. Dana Campbell

Contact Information

dana.campbell [at] ucumberlands.edu
Correll Science Center | Williamsburg Campus
Kim Rose

Kim Rose

Associate Program Director/Assistant Professor, MHSC, PA-C
Master Physician Assistant Studies - Williamsburg Campus

Kim Rose

Contact Information

kimberly.rose [at] ucumberlands.edu
Correll Science Center | Williamsburg Campus
Dr. Geogy Thomas

Dr. Geogy Thomas

Medical Director / Assistant Professor
Master Physician Assistant Studies - Williamsburg Campus

Dr. Geogy Thomas

Contact Information

geogy.thomas [at] ucumberlands.edu
Correll Science Center | Williamsburg Campus

Accreditation

In addition to our overall institutional accreditation through SACSCOC, the PA program in Williamsburg, KY, has received accreditation from specialized accrediting bodies. The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the University of the Cumberlands Physician Assistant Program sponsored by the University of the Cumberlands. 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 March 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

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100 percent pass rate for Williamsburg PA program

Become a UC Physician Assistant Preceptor!

The University of the Cumberlands Physician Assistant Program is always interested in recruiting skilled and experienced MDs, DOs, PAs, and NPs to educate our students during the clinical phase of the program's curriculum. Our students complete supervised clinical experiences (also known commonly as “clinical rotations”) in family medicine, internal medicine, emergency medicine, women's health, pediatrics, behavioral and mental health, general surgery, and a clinical elective of the student's choice. 

Do you remember the provider that inspired you? Become a UC PA Preceptor and impact healthcare one student at a time.