Best Physician Assistant Programs

Physician assistants are medical providers who work under the supervision of doctors. These professionals diagnose, advise, and treat patients in a variety of healthcare settings.

Physician assistant candidates must earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree. They then must pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE) to be certified. Earning a bachelor’s from a physician assistant program does not allow a learner to qualify for this exam, but it can prepare students for graduate programs.

Some schools offer combined bachelor of science (BS) and master of science (MS) programs. These physician assistant BS/MS programs allow graduates to sit for the PANCE. Candidates spend 3-6 years in these programs, which typically cost more than $100,000 in tuition.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that physician assistants earn a median annual wage of $121,530, as of May 2021. Furthermore, the BLS projects that jobs for these professionals will increase by 31% between 2020 and 2030. This is nearly four times the average projected job growth rate for all jobs (8%).

A dual-degree physician assistant program allows a learner to earn both the bachelor’s and master’s degree they need to pursue their future career. A bachelor’s degree alone does not allow a graduate to practice medicine. Physician assistants must earn graduate degrees before they can practice medicine.

Physician assistant BS/MS programs offer advantages. The combined path sometimes takes less time to complete than earning a bachelor’s and a master’s degree separately.

Also, students in dual-degree programs go through an admissions process just once. Graduates from bachelor’s-only programs must apply to competitive master’s programs and face the possibility of not getting into a physician assistant school at all.

Rankings compiled by the BestColleges Ranking Team

Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.

Each year, the BestColleges Ranking Team evaluates hundreds of programs to produce our annual Best Physician Assistant ranking. In 2022, the team sourced the most recent data available from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System and College Navigator, both of which are hosted by the National Center for Education Statistics. We identified 31 schools that qualify for our ranking list based on the following criteria.

To ensure the accuracy and quality of our final ranked list, the ranking team reviewed each qualifying school to ensure it met the criteria for our ranking, and then applied our proprietary ranking methodology to identify the best schools offering this program in the nation. Each school is ranked based on a formula measuring academic factors (60%) and affordability (40%).

The BestColleges Ranking Team is made up of contributors from our data science and product management teams. These contributors operate independently from the editorial team. All BestColleges school rankings are produced by the ranking team and are free of editorial influence. Read our Editorial Policy and Standards to learn more.

A physician assistant bachelor’s degree is worth the cost if the graduate goes on to get a master’s degree and pass the PANCE.

The BLS projects that jobs for physician assistants will increase by 31% between 2020 and 2030. It also reports that physician assistants earn a median annual salary of $121,530, as of May 2021. This is more than double the median annual wage of $45,760 for all workers.

However, graduates with physician assistant bachelor’s degrees and no further education in this discipline may have a hard time finding the job they had initially hoped to pursue.

Dual-degree programs can be options for learners who know they want to become a physician assistant, allowing them to earn their bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

Many graduates with physician assistant bachelor’s degrees go on to graduate-level programs, which train them to work as physician assistants. Some of these candidates apply to separate master’s programs. Others continue in their dual-degree programs.

Those who do not want to earn a master’s degree can pursue work in support roles in the medical field, such as pharmaceutical representative, patient advocate, or medical technologist. Graduates can also choose continuing education in different areas, such as science teaching, nursing, or dentistry.

Continuing education is an important part of becoming a physician assistant. Graduates with a physician assistant bachelor’s degree can go on to earn their master’s degree in the discipline.

Or they may decide to attend other types of graduate programs, such as medical school.

Licensed physician assistants also continue their education to keep their licenses up to date. These credits may also help them specialize in a specific type of medicine, learn a new skill, or understand new research. Continuing education can include postgraduate programs, professional certifications, and medical conference seminars.

Graduates who go on to earn their master’s degree and become a licensed physician assistant earn a median salary of $121,530 annually.

Professionals with physician assistant bachelor’s degrees who do not go on to earn a graduate degree are likely to learn less, but they have many career options. Below are some career options for these graduates and their average annual salaries, according to Payscale:

For those who want to earn higher salaries, the best option may be to earn a master’s degree and work as a physician assistant. Data from Payscale shows that physician assistants may be able to boost their salaries if they have skills in:

For graduates who do not want to earn a master’s degree, higher-paying career options include pathology assistant and pharmacology sales representative.

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