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Surgical physician assistant education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a surgical physician assistant. Surgical physician assistants usually study physician assistant, biology, or medicine. 42% of surgical physician assistants hold a bachelor's degree, and 33% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 739 real surgical physician assistant resumes to see exactly what surgical physician assistant education sections show.

The most common colleges for surgical physician assistants are the Touro College and the Touro College.

There are also many online surgical physician assistant courses to help get the education required to be a surgical physician assistant.

There are certain surgical physician assistant certifications that you should consider. These surgical physician assistant certifications include Physician Assistant - Certified (PA-C) and Certified Surgical Assistant.

What education do you need to become a surgical physician assistant?

What degree do you need to be a surgical physician assistant?

The most common degree for surgical physician assistants is bachelor's degree, with 42% of surgical physician assistants earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 33% and master's degree degree at 8%.
  • Bachelor's, 42%
  • Master's, 33%
  • Associate, 8%
  • Doctorate, 7%
  • Other Degrees, 10%

What should I major in to become a surgical physician assistant?

You should major in physician assistant to become a surgical physician assistant. 43% of surgical physician assistants major in physician assistant. Other common majors for a surgical physician assistant include biology and medicine.

Most common colleges for surgical physician assistants

Surgical physician assistants often get their degrees at Touro College, George Washington University, The, and Howard University. Here are the most common colleges for surgical physician assistants in the US based on their resumes.
Surgical physician assistant common collegePercentages
Touro College10.09%
George Washington University, The8.26%
Howard University6.42%
Duquesne University6.42%
Thomas Jefferson University and Philadelphia University6.42%

Best majors for surgical physician assistants

Best colleges for surgical physician assistants

The best colleges for surgical physician assistants are Duke University, Yale University, and Vanderbilt University.

A surgical 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 surgical 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 surgical 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 surgical physician assistants

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Top 10 most affordable universities for surgical physician assistants

The most affordable schools for surgical physician assistants are University of Florida, florida international university, and florida state university.

If the best universities for surgical 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 surgical 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 surgical physician assistants

The hardest universities for surgical physician assistants to get into are Duke University, Yale University, and Vanderbilt University.

Some great schools for surgical 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 surgical 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 surgical physician assistants

The easiest schools for surgical 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 surgical 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 surgical 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 surgical physician assistant salary by education level

According to our data, surgical physician assistants with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $182,593 annually. Surgical physician assistants with a Doctorate degree earn an average annual salary of $174,774.
Surgical physician assistant education levelSurgical physician assistant salary
Master's Degree$182,593
Doctorate Degree$174,774

Surgical physician assistant education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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