Since many individuals now have access to insurance through the Affordable Care Act, there is a need for more licensed health care providers to treat them. Physician assistants are one of the fastest-growing professions in this country, and our program is one of the nation’s most established programs.
Physician assistants are highly skilled health care providers. This program is designed for students with completed bachelor’s or master’s degrees. Full-time, continuous enrollment is required throughout the 98-credit, 26-month program.
"Towson University fosters intellectual inquiry and critical thinking preparing graduates who will serve as effective, ethical leaders and engaged citizens. Through a foundation in the liberal arts, an emphasis on rigorous academic standards, and the creation of small learning environments, we are committed to providing a collaborative, interdisciplinary and inter-professional atmosphere, excellence in teaching, leadership development, civic engagement, and applied and sponsored research opportunities at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Our graduates leave Towson University with the vision, creativity and adaptability to craft solutions that enrich the culture, society, economy, and environment of Maryland, the region, and beyond."
The Physician Assistant Studies Program revised its Mission, Vision and Goals for 2021-2022 as of November 4th, 2021. Outcomes from the prior 2019-2020 goals included integrating interprofessional educational experiences into the PA curriculum. PA students participated in the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Towson University Open School Chapter learning events where they applied principles related to quality improvement, leadership and team building to improve patient safety and health outcomes. For additional information on our achievements, please see the updated Mission, Vision, and Goals (PDF).
Our PA Program educates and empowers resilient graduates to practice collaborative, evidence-based medicine in the ever-changing and diverse health care environment.
Our PA Program is renowned for excellence in PA education, leadership, and innovative approaches to interprofessional practice.
Our PA Program values are:
All applicants must be verified in CASPA by August 1. Please allow sufficient time for verification as it can take up to 4-weeks from the date of submission. To view the admission requirements as a whole, please review our Admission & Requirements Deadlines page. The application for summer 2024 opens April 27, 2023.
In compliance with the ARC-PA Accreditation Standards (5th Edition), the program will provide the most current annual attrition information.
Current student attrition information
The program is accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant Inc. (ARC-PA).
At its September 2023 meeting, the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA) placed the Towson University Physician Assistant Program sponsored by Towson University on Accreditation-Probation status until its next review in September 2025.
Probation accreditation is a temporary accreditation status initially of not less than two years. However, that period may be extended by the ARC-PA for up to an additional two years if the ARC-PA finds that the program is making substantial progress toward meeting all applicable standards but requires additional time to come into full compliance. Probation accreditation status is granted, at the sole discretion of the ARC-PA, when a program holding an accreditation status of Accreditation - Provisional or Accreditation - Continued does not, in the judgment of the ARC-PA, meet the Standards or when the capability of the program to provide an acceptable educational experience for its students is threatened. Once placed on probation, a program that fails to comply with accreditation requirements in a timely manner, as specified by the ARC-PA, may be scheduled for a focused site visit and is subject to having its accreditation withdrawn.
Specific questions regarding the Program and its plans should be directed to the Program
Director and/or the appropriate institutional official(s).
The program’s accreditation history can be viewed on the ARC-PA website at http://www.arc-pa.org/accreditation-history-towson-university-ccbc/
Individuals who successfully complete the program are eligible for certification by the National Commission on the Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA). Graduates of the program have consistently scored well on the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE), and have achieved a 100% first time pass rate for the class of 2020, surpassing the national exam pass rate average.
For more information please view the NCCPA PANCE Exam Performance Summary Report.
Join a strong network of successful alumni around the country. More than 1,000 program graduates are employed in a wide variety of medical settings in regional, national and international locations.
The oldest and most established program in Maryland, the CCBC-Essex physician assistant program began in 1972 as a cooperative effort with the Johns Hopkins University and Franklin Square Hospital. The program has undergone a dynamic evolution in its 40-year history.
Make a direct impact on patients and their families. Working as part of the medical team, physician assistants practice medicine by performing patient histories and physical examination, ordering or performing laboratory tests, and analyzing medical data to formulate diagnoses and develop care management plans.