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Physician Assistant, M.M.S. and Public Health, M.P.H. Dual Degree

Saint Louis University's Master of Public Health (M.P.H) and Physician Assistant Master of Medical Science (M.M.S.) dual-degree program is a collaboration between the College for Public Health and Social Justice and the Doisy College of Health Sciences Department of Clinical Health Sciences.

Pursuing the two degrees as a dual degree allows students to complete both degrees in an accelerated fashion as compared to completing them separately or sequentially. Students in the dual degree focus first on the M.P.H., taking three consecutive semesters (summer, fall, spring) of M.P.H. coursework. Then students focus on their M.M.S. studies within the Doisy College of Health Sciences. Six credit hours of coursework in the M.M.S. curriculum also count as elective credits toward completion of the M.P.H. degree, providing the credit efficiency that allows students to complete both degrees in three and a half academic years. Students interested in earning the M.P.H./M.M.S. dual degree apply separately to both programs before starting either one.

SLU's College for Public Health and Social Justice is fully accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). The Physician Assistant Program is fully accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA).

For additional information, see the catalog entries for the following programs:

Physician Assistant, M.M.S.​

Public Health, M.P.H.

Admission Requirements

Students must meet the admission requirements and be admitted into both degree programs according to the processes of each participating academic unit to pursue a dual-degree program. 

Individuals may apply to the M.P.H. degree program concurrently with application to or following their admission to the Doisy College of Health Sciences; however, admission to the dual-degree program is contingent upon admission to both the M.P.H. and the M.M.S. degree programs.

Scholarships and Financial Aid

For more information about student loans, please visit the Office of Student Financial Services

Accreditation

The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the Saint Louis University Physician Assistant Program sponsored by Saint Louis University. Accreditation-Continued is an accreditation status granted when a currently accredited program is in compliance with the ARC-PA Standards.

Accreditation remains in effect until the program closes or withdraws from the accreditation process or until accreditation is withdrawn for failure to comply with the Standards. The approximate date for the next validation review of the program by the ARC-PA will be June 2033. The review date is contingent upon continued compliance with the Accreditation Standards and ARC-PA policy.

The program’s accreditation history can be viewed on the ARC-PA website at https://www.arc-pa.org/accreditation-history-saint-louis-university/.

Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA)
3325 Paddocks Parkway, Suite 345
Suwanee, GA 30024
770-476-1224
https://www.arc-pa.org

Saint Louis University's College for Public Health and Social Justice is fully accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). To see the most recent accreditation documentation, please visit the College for Public Health and Social Justice website.

CEPH-Seal

Admission Requirements

Students interested in participating in the M.P.H./M.M.S. dual degree program must apply separately to both programs before starting either one. 

Students will focus first on the M.P.H., taking three consecutive semesters (summer, fall, and spring) devoted to M.P.H. coursework.

Program Requirements

Six credit hours of coursework in the M.M.S. curriculum also count as elective credits toward completion of the M.P.H. degree, providing the credit efficiency that allows students to complete both degrees in 3.5 academic years. 

Roadmaps are recommended semester-by-semester plans of study for programs and assume full-time enrollment unless otherwise noted.  

Courses and milestones designated as critical (marked with !) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation. Transfer credit may change the roadmap.

This roadmap should not be used in the place of regular academic advising appointments. All students are encouraged to meet with their advisor/mentor each semester. Requirements, course availability and sequencing are subject to change.

Plan of Study Grid
Year One
SummerCredits
PUBH 5010 Mission and Practice of Global Public Health 2
PUBH 5040 Generating Evidence from Public Health Data 3
 Credits5
Fall
HMP 5300 Management of Health Care Organizations 3
PUBH 5030 Methodological Approaches to Understanding Population Health 3
PUBH 5050 Health Care Across the Life Course: From Policy to Practice 3
PUBH 5060 Environmental and Biological Determinants of Health 3
PUBH 5070 Translating Evidence and Theory for Community Practice 3
BST 5400 Applied Data Management 3
 Credits18
Spring
HMP 5390 Ethical Leadership in Health Management and Policy 3
BSH 5320 Public Health Advocacy 3
BSH 5400 Assessment, Intervention Development, and Evaluation I 3
PUBH 5910 Practice Experience in Public Health 1
PUBH 5950 Special Study for Examinations 0
PUBH 5960 Capstone in Public Health Practice 3
 Credits13
Year Two
Fall
BLS 5125 Introduction to Clinical Laboratory Medicine 3
PAED 5010 Professional & Psychosocial Issues of Physician Assistant Practice 3
PAED 5040 Physiology 4
PAED 5070 Principles of the Medical Interview 2
PAED 5120 Hematology Fundamentals 2
PAED 5150 Clinical Pharmacology I 2
PAED 5300 Evidence-Based Medicine 2
 Credits18
Spring
ANAT 5050 Human Gross Anatomy 6
PAED 5110 Dermatology Fundamentals 2
PAED 5130 Otorhinolaryngology and Ophthalmology Fundamentals 3
PAED 5140 Clinical Procedures I 1
PAED 5310 Orthopedics and Rheumatology Fundamentals 3
PAED 5320 Neurology Fundamentals 3
PAED 5231 Gastroenterology Fundamentals I 1
 Credits19
Year Three
Summer
PAED 5201 Clinical Pharmacology II A 1
PAED 5211 Pulmonary Fundamentals I 2
PAED 5221 Cardiovascular Fundamentals I 2
PAED 5232 Gastroenterology Fundamentals II 2
PAED 5260 Clinical Procedures II 1
 Credits8
Fall
PAED 5202 Clinical Pharmacology II B 1
PAED 5212 Pulmonary Fundamentals II 1
PAED 5222 Cardiovascular Fundamentals II 2
PAED 5240 Nephrology and Genitourinary Fundamentals 3
PAED 5250 Endocrinology Fundamentals 3
PAED 5290 Clinical Procedures III 1
PAED 5330 Essentials of Surgery 2
PAED 5340 Essentials of Emergency Medicine 2
PAED 5360 Essentials of Pediatrics 2
PAED 5370 Essentials of Behavioral Medicine 2
PAED 5380 Essentials of Obstetrics and Gynecology 2
PAED 5390 Clinical Reasoning Seminar 1
 Credits22
Spring
PAED 5400 Clinical: Internal Medicine 4
PAED 5420 Clinical: Family Medicine 4
PAED 5510 Clinical:Surgery 4
PAED 5800 Clinical: Emergency Medicine 4
PAED 6000 Graduate Seminar 1
 Credits17
Year Four
Fall
PAED 5600 Clinical: Pediatrics 3
PAED 5700 Clinical: Behavioral Medicine 3
PAED 5750 Clinical: Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women's Health 3
PAED 5860 Clinical: Evidence-Based Medicine Clerkship 4
PAED 5890 Clinical: Elective 4
PAED 6000 Graduate Seminar 1
 Credits18
 Total Credits138

Program Notes

Extended spring semesters run from early January through late June, and extended fall semesters run from late June through December. Also, the six credit hours of coursework taken from the M.M.S. courses PAED 5010, PAED 5070, PAED 5300 and PAED 6000 (x2) also count as elective credits toward the student's M.P.H. degree.

The final semester of dedicated M.P.H. coursework may extend into the summer months prior to the beginning of the M.M.S. coursework as students complete the Practice Experience in Public Health (PUBH 5910).

For additional admission questions, questions, please contact,

Julie Miller (for physician assistant information)
Recruitment specialist - Doisy College of Health Sciences
314-977-2570
dchs@health.slu.edu

Bernard Backer (for M.P.H. information)
Director of graduate admissions - College of  Public Health and Social Justice
314-977-8144
bernard.backer@slu.edu

Apply for Admission