PA/MPH

Program Overview

Accepted applicants to Northeastern’s Physician Assistant Program have the opportunity to pursue a joint degree, the PA/MPH, which is offered by Physician Assistant Program in conjunction with the Master of Public Health in Urban Health Program. Enrolling in the PA/MPH Program allows these students to earn two degrees in a shorter amount of time than it would to earn them separately, saving time and money, while broadening one’s clinical tool kit to give it a population health-based perspective.

Earn two advanced degrees at once

Expand your clinical and professional tool kit

Broaden your academic training to include an urban public health perspective

Curriculum

Students enrolled in the dual degree program take classes that meet the curriculum requirements for both an MS in Physician Assistant and an MPH. The dual degree is structured to give students maximum flexibility while incorporating an urban health framework to complement their PA studies.

PA/MPH students begin their program by taking the majority of their MPH coursework online from January to mid-August before coming to campus at the end of August to begin their PA coursework. During the two years of the PA program, they complete the remainder of their MPH coursework concurrently so that when they graduate, they are awarded their MPH at the same time as their Physician Assistant MS. Please see the sample course map below for more information.

Semester	MPH Courses	PA Courses
Spring	Biostatistics in Public Health (online) Epidemiology (online) Principles and History of Urban Health (online) Society, Behavior, and Health (online)	–
Summer 1	Urban Community Health Assessment (online) Health Education and Program Planning (online)	–
Summer 2	Race, Ethnicity, and Health in the US (online) MPH Elective (online or on campus)	–

Semester	MPH Courses	PA Courses
Fall	Evaluating Healthcare Quality (on campus)	Advanced Anatomy and Physiology 1 Physical Diagnosis and Patient Evaluation 1 Pharmacology 1 Professional Issues for Physician Assistants Principles of Medicine 1 Principles of Psychiatry
Spring	Public Health Administration and Policy (on campus)	Anatomy & Physiology 2 Physical Diagnosis and Patient Evaluation 2 Pharmacology 2 Clinical Laboratory and Diagnostic Methods Principles of Medicine 2 Clinical Neurology Principles of Pediatrics Principles of Surgery
Summer	–	Principles of Medicine 3 Principles of Obstetrics and Gynecology Principles of Orthopedics Aspects of Primary Care Emergency Medicine and Critical Care Aging and Rehabilitation Medicine

Semester	MPH Courses	PA Courses*
Fall	Environmental Health (online)	Applied Study in Medicine Applied Study in Ambulatory Medicine Applied Study in Family Practice
Spring	Practicum§ (online)	Applied Study in Emergency Medicine Applied Study in Obstetrics and Gynecology Applied Study in Pediatrics
Summer	Capstone§ (online)	Applied Study in Surgery Applied Study in Mental Health

* The sequencing of Applied Study courses varies for each student.
§ Mandatory out of classroom experiences accompany these course requirements. Please see the MPH Program page for more information.

Students in the PA/MPH Program are able to save approximately 12 credits’ worth of tuition and a year of coursework by completing the two degrees at the same time. Please note that students in the PA/MPH Program are not eligible for any merit-based scholarships from the MPH Program, including the Double Husky Scholarship.

All PA/MPH graduates will fulfill the same competencies that guide the MPH program. To learn more about the curriculum requirements for the PA Program and MPH degrees, please visit those programs’ pages for more information.

Admissions

In order to be considered for the MSPA/MPH Program, interested applicants must complete and submit a CASPA application by August 1. Be sure you have chosen the MSPA/MPH dual degree program option on the CASPA application. Northeastern also requires a separate $75 application fee in addition to the CASPA fee. Please follow the instructions for submitting Northeastern’s $75 application fee in the “How to Apply” tab on the PA Program’s web page.

Both the CASPA application and $75 application fee must be submitted by the August 1 deadline at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time. Your CASPA application must also be verified by CASPA by August 31 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time. Admissions decisions will be rendered in November. You must be offered admission to the PA Program first and then your application for the dual degree program will be considered by the MPH Admissions Committee. Additional information about the MSPA/MPH option can be found on the FAQ page of the PA Program’s website.

Once you accept our offer to matriculate into the MSPA/MPH dual degree option, you are automatically enrolled in that dual option. In rare circumstances, written requests petitioning to drop one of the two programs in the MSPA/MPH dual degree option may be considered on a case-by-case basis and must be submitted to the Physician Assistant Program. Candidates may be requested to meet with the Admissions Committees of both programs. Permission to drop one of the programs is not guaranteed.

If an applicant is not offered admission into the dual MSPA/MPH dual degree Program, but is still interested in pursuing the stand alone MPH degree, he or she must apply according to the admissions process outlined on the MPH Program’s page.

Contact Information

For questions related to the PA/MPH Program, please email [email protected].

Neil Maniar, PhD, MPH
MPH Program Director