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Clinical physician assistant education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a clinical physician assistant. Clinical physician assistants usually study physician assistant, medicine, or biology. 47% of clinical physician assistants hold a bachelor's degree, and 24% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,084 real clinical physician assistant resumes to see exactly what clinical physician assistant education sections show.
The most common colleges for clinical physician assistants are the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
There are also many online clinical physician assistant courses to help get the education required to be a clinical physician assistant.
There are certain clinical physician assistant certifications that you should consider. These clinical physician assistant certifications include Physician Assistant - Certified (PA-C) and Medical Assistant.
What education do you need to become a clinical physician assistant?
What degree do you need to be a clinical physician assistant?
- Bachelor's, 47%
- Master's, 24%
- Doctorate, 9%
- Associate, 9%
- Other Degrees, 11%
What should I major in to become a clinical physician assistant?
- Physician Assistant, 26%
- Medicine, 12%
- Biology, 12%
- Other Majors, 42%
Most common colleges for clinical physician assistants
| Clinical physician assistant common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Nebraska Medical Center | 13.01% |
| Northeastern University | 8.94% |
| University of Washington | 5.69% |
| George Washington University, The | 5.69% |
| University of California - Davis | 5.69% |
Best majors for clinical physician assistants
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Physician Assistant | 26.1% |
| 2 | Medicine | 12.5% |
| 3 | Biology | 12.1% |
| 4 | Health Sciences And Services | 7.5% |
| 5 | Nursing | 5.6% |
Best colleges for clinical physician assistants
The best colleges for clinical physician assistants are Duke University, Yale University, and Vanderbilt University.
A clinical physician assistant with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for clinical physician assistants. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become clinical physician assistants.
1. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
2. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
3. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
In-state tuition
$53,430
Enrollment
5,963
4. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
5. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$54,104
Enrollment
7,089
6. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
In-state tuition
$49,816
Enrollment
6,840
7. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Enrollment
34,564
8. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
9. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
10. Emory University
Atlanta, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,306
Enrollment
6,975
20 best online courses for clinical physician assistants
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2. Trauma Emergencies and Care
Welcome to Trauma Emergencies and Care. In this course, you will learn about some of the mechanics and physics of trauma on the human body, and how this can cause injury. You will continue to expand your new vocabulary with medical terminology, and learn how to describe the different injuries you may see. You will also learn about the trauma system itself- and when it is important to transport patients to a trauma center. Then we will dive into specific injuries based on what part of the body...
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5. Prehospital care of acute stroke and patient selection for endovascular treatment using the RACE scale
Acute stroke is a time-dependent medical emergency. In acute ischemic stroke, the first objective is to restore brain flow using sistemic thrombolytic treatment and, in patients with large vessel occlusion, by endovascular treatment. In hemorrhagic stroke there are also specific treatments that can improve the clinical outcome. The sooner the initiation of all these therapies the higher the clinical benefit. Thus, the organization of Stroke Code systems coordinated between emergency medical...
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10. Value-Based Care: Managing Processes to Improve Outcomes
COURSE 3 of 7. This course is designed to introduce you to critical office-based processes that a value-based practice must manage in the drive towards improved patient outcomes. In Module 2, we’ll focus on office-based and clinical patient-based supporting functions. At every level in healthcare, guidelines, processes, and functions exist to improve outcomes, and following a consistent process will return the best effect. Refine your understanding of value and learn strategies to provide real...
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13. Emergency Care: Pregnancy, Infants, and Children
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14. Traditional herbal medicine in supportive cancer care: From alternative to integrative
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15. Good Clinical Practice (GCP)
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16. Introduction to Longevity Medicine
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17. Health for All Through Primary Health Care
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18. HI-FIVE: Health Informatics For Innovation, Value & Enrichment (Clinical Perspective)
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20. COVID-19 Training for Healthcare Workers
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Top 10 most affordable universities for clinical physician assistants
The most affordable schools for clinical physician assistants are University of Florida, florida international university, and florida state university.
If the best universities for clinical physician assistants are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for clinical physician assistants.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
3. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
4. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
5. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
6. University of Central Florida
Orlando, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,368
Cost of attendance
21,034
7. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Cost of attendance
25,527
8. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
9. Minot State University
Minot, ND • Private
In-state tuition
$7,064
Cost of attendance
15,576
10. University of Missouri - Kansas City
Kansas City, MO • Private
In-state tuition
$8,178
Cost of attendance
20,934
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for clinical physician assistants
The hardest universities for clinical physician assistants to get into are Duke University, Yale University, and Vanderbilt University.
Some great schools for clinical physician assistants are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for clinical physician assistants based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
2. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,517
3. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
4. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,456
5. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
6. Emory University
Atlanta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,449
7. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
8. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
9. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
10. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
Admissions rate
23%
SAT average
1,434
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for clinical physician assistants
The easiest schools for clinical physician assistants to get into are AdventHealth University, d'youville college, and gwynedd mercy university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a clinical physician assistant without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for clinical physician assistants.
1. AdventHealth University
Orlando, FL • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,016
2. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
3. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
4. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
5. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
6. Saint Joseph's College of Maine
Standish, ME • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,069
7. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
8. Aultman College of Nursing and Health Sciences
Canton, OH • Private
Admissions rate
75%
SAT average
1,085
9. Thomas More University
Crestview Hills, KY • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
1,099
10. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
Average clinical physician assistant salary by education level
| Clinical physician assistant education level | Clinical physician assistant salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $173,418 |
| Doctorate Degree | $165,928 |
Clinical physician assistant education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common healthcare practitioner and technical questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025