Course Curriculum
D’Youville’s Physician Assistant Program offers admission at two entry points.
First-time in college students, as well as transfer students without an undergraduate degree, can apply for entry into the 4-year curriculum culminating in a BS/MS degree in Physician Assistant Studies. The last two years of the BS/MS curriculum consists of graduate level coursework in the accredited phase of the program. Find detailed course information for the Bachelor of Science/Master of Science in Physician Assistant Program, tools to plan your education, and complete academic policies and procedures in the D’Youville Academic Catalog
Those students with a prior bachelor’s degree can apply for entry directly into the accredited phase of the program and complete a 2-year curriculum culminating in an MS degree in Physician Assistant Studies. Please see the following Physician Assistant MS section of the D’Youville Academic Catalog for more detailed information.
Please note: All students, regardless of entry point, will complete all curricular components of the accredited phase of the curriculum at D’Youville. No advanced placement within the accredited phase will be awarded. Additionally, all graduating cohorts, regardless of student entry point will not exceed the approved maximum cohort size of 55 students.
Curriculum Sequence
Curriculum Sequence
Prospective students applying to the program with an anticipated didactic start date of summer 2025 or later will follow the following curriculum:
Didactic Year Requirements
Didactic Year Requirements
Summer Semester (Starting Summer 2025)
| BIO 639 | Human Gross Anatomy | 6 |
| BIO 639L | Human Gross Anatomy Lab | 0 |
| BIO 607 | Pathophysiology | 3 |
| PA 520 | Pre-Pharmacology for PA | 1 |
| PA 510 | Behavioral Medicine | 2 |
| PA 506 | Clinical Laboratory Medicine I | 1 |
Semester Total: 13 Credits
Fall Semester
| PA 516 | Clinical Medicine I | 4 |
| PA 507 | Clinical Laboratory Medicine II | 2 |
| PA 518 | Physical Diagnosis I | 3 |
| PA 518L | Physical Diagnosis Lab I | 2 |
| PA 521 | Pharmacology I | 3 |
| PA 523 | Clinical Skills I | 2 |
| PA 526 | Clinical Assessment & Planning I | 1 |
Semester Total: 17 Credits
Spring Semester
| PA 517 | Clinical Medicine II | 4 |
| PA 508 | Clinical Laboratory Medicine III | 2 |
| PA 519 | Physical Diagnosis II | 3 |
| PA 519L | Physical Diagnosis Lab II | 2 |
| PA 522 | Pharmacology II | 3 |
| PA 524 | Clinical Skills II | 2 |
| PA 525 | Genetics for PA's | 1 |
| PA 527 | Clinical Assessment & Planning II | 1 |
Semester Total: 18 Credits
Clinical Year Requirements
Clinical Year Requirements
Summer Session
| Clinical Rotation 1 | 3 | |
| Clinical Rotation 2 | 3 | |
| Clinical Rotation 3 | 3 | |
| PA 513 | Senior Seminar Clinical Enrichment | 1 |
| PA 603 | Research Methods | 3 |
| PA 528 | Clinical Assessment & Planning III | 2 |
Semester Total: 15 Credits
Fall Semester
| Clinical Rotation 4 | 3 | |
| Clinical Rotation 5 | 3 | |
| Clinical Rotation 6 | 3 | |
| PA 513 | Senior Seminar Clinical Enrichment | 1 |
| PA 500 | Professional Issues | 1 |
| PA 504 | Graduate Seminar I | 1 |
| PA 604 | Applied Project Seminar I | 3 |
| PA 529 | Clinical Assessment & Planning IV | 2 |
Semester Total: 17 Credits
Spring Semester
| Clinical Rotation 7 | 3 | |
| Clinical Rotation 8 | 3 | |
| Clinical Rotation 9 | 3 | |
| PA 513 | Senior Seminar Clinical Enrichment | 1 |
| PA 605 | Applied Project Seminar II | 3 |
| PA 606 | Medical Epidemiology | 3 |
| PA 610 | Summative Review | 2 |
Semester Total: 18 Credits
The following is a list of clinical rotations students will complete during the clinical phase of the program:
- Internal Medicine
- Family Medicine
- General Surgery
- Pediatrics
- Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Psychiatry
- Emergency Medicine
- Clinical Elective I
- Clinical Elective II
Credit Total of Professional Phase: 98 credits
*Rotation sequence subject to change based on availability
**Prospective and enrolled students are not required to provide or solicit clinical sites or preceptors
*** The program does not offer any international curricular components
Current students who matriculated prior to a didactic start of May 2025 will follow the previous Physician Assistant Program Curriculum outlined below:
DIDACTIC YEAR REQUIREMENTS
Fall Semester
| Course Number | Course Description | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PA 303 | Clinical Medicine I | 5 |
| PA 305 | Behavioral Medicine | 2 |
| PA 309 | Clinical Laboratory Medicine I | 2 |
| PA 312 | Physical Diagnosis I | 2 |
| PA 312L | Physical Diagnosis Lab I | 0 |
| PA 335 | Pharmacology I | 3 |
Semester Total: 14 Credits
Spring Semester
| PA 304 | Clinical Medicine II | 5 |
| PA 310 | Clinical Laboratory Medicine II | 2 |
| PA 313 | Physical Diagnosis II | 2 |
| PA 314L | Physical Diagnosis Lab II | 0 |
| PA 336 | Pharmacology II | 3 |
| PA 311 | Clinical Skills | 3 |
Semester Total: 15 Credits
CLINICAL YEAR REQUIREMENTS
Summer Semester
| Clinical Rotation 1 | Students will be placed on one of the following: Internal Medicine; Family Medicine; Surgery; Women’s Health; Orthopedics; Psychiatry | 3 |
| Clinical Rotation 2 | Students will be placed on one of the following: Internal Medicine; Family Medicine; Surgery; Women’s Health; Orthopedics; Psychiatry | 3 |
| PA 412 | Senior Seminar Clinical Enrichment | 0 |
Semester Total: 6 Credits
Fall Semester
| Clinical Rotation 3 | Students will be placed on one of the following: Internal Medicine; Family Medicine; Surgery; Women’s Health; Orthopedics; Psychiatry; Emergency Medicine | 3 |
| Clinical Rotation 4 | Students will be placed on one of the following: Internal Medicine; Family Medicine; Surgery; Women’s Health; Orthopedics; Psychiatry; Emergency Medicine | 3 |
| Clinical Rotation 5 | Students will be placed on one of the following: Internal Medicine; Family Medicine; Surgery; Women’s Health; Orthopedics; Psychiatry; Emergency Medicine | 3 |
| PA 413 | Senior Seminar Clinical Education | 0 |
| PA 500 | Professional Issues | 1 |
| PA 509 or PA 512 | Neuroanatomy or Alternative Medicine | 3 |
| PA 603 | Research Methods | 3 |
| PA 504 | Graduate Seminar 1 | 1 |
Semester Total: 17 Credits
Spring Semester
| Clinical Rotation 6 | Students will be placed on one of the following: Pediatrics/Geriatrics; Women’s Health; Psychiatry; Emergency Medicine; Primary Care; Elective I | 3 |
| Clinical Rotation 7 | Students will be placed on one of the following: Pediatrics/Geriatrics; Women’s Health; Psychiatry; Emergency Medicine; Primary Care; Elective I | 3 |
| Clinical Rotation 8 | Students will be placed on one of the following: Pediatrics/Geriatrics; Women’s Health; Psychiatry; Emergency Medicine; Primary Care; Elective I | 3 |
| PA 413 | Senior Seminar Clinical Enrichment | 0 |
| PA 604 | Applied Project Seminar I | 3 |
| PA 511 or PA 606 | Medical Microbiology or Medical Epidemiology | 3 |
Semester Total: 15 Credits
Summer Semester
| Clinical Rotation 9 | Students will be placed on one of the following: Pediatrics/Geriatrics; Psychiatry; Emergency Medicine; Primary Care; Elective I | 3 |
| Clinical Rotation 10 | Students will be placed on one of the following: Pediatrics/Geriatrics; Primary Care; Elective I; Elective II | 3 |
| PA 413 | Senior Seminar Clinical Enrichment | 0 |
Semester Total: 6 Credits
Fall Semester
| Clinical Rotation 11 | Students will be placed on one of the following: Pediatrics/Geriatrics; Primary Care; Elective I; Elective II | 3 |
| Clinical Rotation 12 | Students will be placed on one of the following: Pediatrics/Geriatrics; Primary Care; Elective I; Elective II | 3 |
| Clinical Rotation 13 | Students will be placed on one of the following: Pediatrics/Geriatrics; Primary Care; Elective I; Elective II | 3 |
| PA 413 | Senior Seminar Clinical Enrichment | 0 |
| PA 505 | Graduate Seminar II | 1 |
| PA 605 | Applied Project Seminar II | 3 |
Semester Total: 13 Credits
The following is a list of student clinical rotations and their accompanied length:
Rotation Name (Course #) Rotation Duration
- Internal Medicine (PA 401B) 4 weeks
- Family Medicine (PA 401C) 4 weeks
- General Surgery (PA 402) 4 weeks
- Pediatrics (PA 403) 6 weeks
- Women’s Health (PA 404) 4 weeks
- Behavioral/Mental Health (PA 405) 4 weeks
- Emergency Medicine (PA 406) 4 weeks
- Geriatrics (PA 407) 2 weeks
- Orthopedics (PA 408) 4 weeks
- Primary Care (PA 503) 8 weeks
- Elective Rotation I (PA 501) 4 weeks
- Elective Rotation II (PA 502) 4 weeks
Please note:
D'Youville University assigns a catalog year to students based on the first semester of enrollment in the degree program. The catalog year determines which version of the degree requirements the student must fulfill. Therefore, students matriculating prior to the Academic Year of 2025-2026 should reference the correct academic catalog year via the academic catalog archives found here