Exploring the Entry-Level Doctoral Degree in PA Education
Right now, a PA earns a master’s degree when entering the profession, which prepares a student to practice medicine in every specialty and setting.
At our 2023 business meeting, PAEA members approved a resolution directing the Board of Directors “to explore how doctoral degrees can contribute to PA education.” In response to this charge, the Board formed the PAEA Doctoral Education Commission to investigate the implications of moving toward an entry-level doctoral degree for PAs. This includes understanding:
- How such a move would affect PAs already in practice and those nearing practice
- How it would affect efforts to attract a more diverse group of students and faculty
- How it would affect programs and their home institutions
Once their work is completed, the commission will provide a detailed analysis to the PAEA Board and members. In addition, it will provide resources to help members and organizations better understand the issues at play.
Current Landscape
Entry-Level Master's Programs
Post-Professional Doctoral Programs
Opportunities for PAEA Members to Provide Input
As a member-led Association, we believe it is essential to hear from PA faculty, staff, and program directors at every stage of this review. The Commission is planning opportunities for our members to share questions, feedback, and perspectives on the entry-level doctoral degree. Check back here for future opportunities to contribute to the conversation.
Join the Interest List
If you are interested in participating in future focus groups or listening sessions, please fill out the form.
Have a Question?
If you have a question about the commission’s work, please reach out to us by filling out the form.
Join the Discussion
Share your thoughts with other PAEA members in our Professional Learning Communities (log-in required).
Why Is PAEA Examining This Issue?
The evaluation of an entry-level doctoral degree will position PAEA to provide sound policy recommendations that align with the values of the organization and are consistent with the future needs of education and the health care workforce.
Recent discussion and debate have occurred within the profession, necessitating a broad examination of the benefits, risks, consequences, and value proposition of the transition from master’s to doctoral entry-level education. Several trends in PA education are driving this debate:
- PAs currently complete a master’s level education. The average 26-month full-time curriculum prepares graduates to enter clinical practice where they are expected to work in a collaborating role with physicians and other health care team members. The length and cost of the current PA master’s degree is consistent with doctoral degrees of several other non-MD/DO professions.
- A multitude of programs are advancing DMSc or similar degrees (post-professional clinical doctoral degrees for PAs), a trend that demonstrates the demand for doctoral-level PA education. This necessitates a prompt evaluation of this question, even though PAEA recently renewed its policy statement about the master’s remaining the entry-level degree.
- A number of Certificate of Added Qualifications (CAQ) and residency programs are being established, further evidence that the PA profession is seeking ways to meet the needs of the health care environment while helping individual practitioners thrive. This trend points to the need to evaluate how PAEA can support the profession’s mission to address future health care workforce needs, including an earnest evaluation of the doctoral degree question.
- Feedback that PAEA has received from members and programs in recent years has indicated that the question about a potential entry-level doctoral degree needs to be settled to properly plan for the future in terms of faculty capacity, accreditation, and other long-term planning issues.
What Is the Current PAEA Position on the Entry-Level Doctoral Degree?
PAEA has several position policies, which are philosophical statements that reflect the Association’s stance on critical issues and and actions that should be taken by governments and other external bodies. These policies sunset periodically and PAEA members must review the policy for any updates or changes. In 2023, during the most recent revision of the policy related to the entry-level doctoral degree, the membership voted to further explore the implications of an entry-level doctoral degree.
The current policy related to the terminal and entry-level degree of the profession reads:
PAEA is confident in the preparation of PA graduates at the master’s degree level to meet the competencies necessary for quality and cost-effective clinical PA practice. PAEA supports the master’s degree as the terminal and entry-level degree for the PA profession. PAEA recognizes that doctoral degrees are an increasingly important contributor to PA education that will help the profession advance its goals. For this reason, PAEA is investing in a strategy to explore how PA doctoral degrees can optimally contribute to PA education.
Approved October 2023
Meet the Commission
David Asprey, PhD, PA-C
David Beck, EdD, MPAS, PA-C
Lucy W. Kibe, DrPH, MS, MHS, PA-C
Stephen Lewia, DMSc, PA-C
Elana Min, PhD, PA-C
Jennifer Snyder, PhD, PA-C
Curt Stilp, EdD, PA-C
Karen Hills, DHSc, MS, PA-C
History of PAEA’s Leadership on the Entry-Level Doctoral Degree
As PAEA members know, the formation of the Doctoral Education Commission is the latest step in the deliberate consideration of the entry-level degree. Below is an overview on PAEA’s leadership and research on this topic.
- October 2019: PAEA membership votes to further explore the entry-level doctorate
- June 2020: PAEA funds research on entry-level doctorate
- September 2021: Doctoral Summit Steering Committee formed
- October 2021: : PAEA hosts a town hall session about the forthcoming Doctoral Summit
- March 2022-January 2023: Doctoral Summit Steering Committee conducts stakeholder interviews (40+ conducted to date)
- July 2022: Doctoral Summit Steering Committee conducts student and early career listening sessions (six sessions)
- September 2022: PAEA hosts a town hall listening session about the forthcoming Doctoral Summit
- January 2023: Entry-Level Doctorate Working Group formed
- March 2023: Doctoral Summit held in Charlotte, NC
- April 2023: PAEA releases a membership survey on the entry-level doctorate
- Summer 2023: PAEA Board of Directors releases entry-level doctorate position policy
- October 2023: At the 2023 Business Meeting, members approved a position policy affirming the master’s degree as the entry-level degree for the profession and directing the Board of Directors to invest in “a strategy to explore how Doctoral Degrees can optimally contribute to PA education.”
- June 2024: PAEA Board of Directors approves the formation of the Doctoral Education Commission
- July 2024: PAEA Board of Directors appoints David Asprey as Doctoral Education Commission Chair
- September 2024: Doctoral Education Commission holds its first meeting
Stay tuned for the Doctoral Education Commission’s next steps.