PA/MSHI

Program Overview

Accepted applicants to Northeastern’s Physician Assistant Program have the opportunity to pursue a joint degree, the PA/MSHI, which is offered by Physician Assistant Studies Program in conjunction with the Graduate Program in Health Informatics. Enrolling in the PA/MSHI 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 preparing students to become leaders in managing and using information and information technology to improve health care.

Earn two advanced degrees at once

Prepare to be a leader in the future of health care

Broaden your academic training to the application of information and information technology to health care

Curriculum

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

PA/MSHI students begin their program by taking the majority of their MSHI coursework online or on campus 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 MSHI coursework concurrently so that when they graduate, they are awarded their MS in Health Informatics at the same time as their MS in Physician Studies. Please see the sample course map below for more information (course sequence and timing may vary)

Semester	MSHI Courses	PA Courses
Spring	Biostatistics Epidemiology Creation and Application of Medical Knowledge	–
Summer	Improving Patient Experience Through Informatics Strategic Management and Leadership in Health Care Patient Engagement Informatics and Analytics	–

Semester	MSHI Courses	PA Courses
Fall	–	Advanced Anatomy and Physiology 1 Healthcare Delivery Physical Diagnosis and Patient Evaluation 1 Pharmacology 1 Professional Issues for Physician Assistants Principles of Medicine 1 Principles of Psychiatry
Spring	–	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	MSHI Courses	PA Courses
Fall	Evaluating Health Care Quality	Applied Study in Medicine Applied Study in Ambulatory Medicine Applied Study in Family Practice
Spring	Data Management in Health Care	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 Applied Study Elective

*During the Capstone course, students will be required to demonstrate competency in the research methods required for PA practice.

Students in the PA/MSHI Program are able to save approximately 8 credits’ worth of tuition and a year of coursework by completing the two degrees at the same time.

To learn more about the curriculum requirements for the PA and MSHI degrees, please visit those programs’ pages for more information.

Admissions

In order to be considered for the MSPA/MSHI Dual Degree Program, interested applicants must complete and submit a CASPA application by August 1. Be sure you have chosen the MSPA/MSHI 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 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time. Your CASPA application must also be verified by CASPA by August 31 at 11:59 Eastern time.

Admissions decisions for the MSPA/MSHI Dual Degree Program will be rendered in November. You must be offered admissions to the PA Program first and then your application for the dual degree program will be considered by the HI Admissions Committee. Additional information about the MSPA/MSHI option can be found on the FAQ page of the PA Program’s website.

Once you accept our offer to matriculate into the MSPA/MSHI 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/MSHI 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.

Contact Information

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

Jay Spitulnik
Director
202 WVH
Tel: 617.373.6507
[email protected]