Entry Level Accredited Programs
The 311 ARC-PA accredited PA programs are listed below in the listing of institutions that sponsor the programs. The listing is alphabetically by state. It includes information on the accreditation status of the programs, the timing of the next scheduled accreditation action and a summary of the commission’s actions. (Please note that some programs do not have commission actions identified from their initial accreditation, depending upon the date of those actions. Before December 31, 1976, programs were accredited by the American Medical Association Council on Medical Education. From January 1, 1977-June 30, 1994, programs were accredited by the American Medical Association Committee on Allied Health Education and Accreditation [CAHEA]; from July 1, 1994-December 31, 2000, the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs [CAAHEP].) ARC-PA has been the accrediting organization since January 1, 2001.
Clicking on the Sponsoring Institution name below should open the program’s or institution’s web page. Specific address information for programs can be found on their individual web sites. The Physician Assistant Education Association’s web site (PAEA) allows one to search for program by state.
Programs that do not currently offer a graduate degree must transition to conferring a graduate degree, which should be awarded by the sponsoring institution, upon all PA students who matriculate into the program after 2020. Programs that are not in compliance with the degree requirement by January 1, 2021 will have their accreditation withdrawn. Students who matriculate into such programs will be entering an unaccredited program.
SPECIAL NOTE: Please go to the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), for more information regarding accreditation, degree mills, and accreditation mills.
A listing of accredited clinical postgraduate programs is located in the clinical postgraduate area.